Château Ferrière, 3ème Cru Classé, Margaux, 2022
critic reviews
This has a powerful edge, giving a distinctive character of the 2022 vintage. Delivers expansion through the mid palate, saline-streaked on the finish, an impressive vintage of Ferrière. 35% new oak for 18 months.
The 2022 Ferrière, from a vineyard that contains plenty of old vines according to proprietor Claire Villars-Lurton, was cropped at 24 hl/ha. This has a complex, nuanced bouquet that opens beautifully in the glass, with red plum, blackberry fruit and light flinty scents coming through with time. The palate is very well balanced and briny with a fine bead of acidity, a strong marine influence and gentle grip on the black olive-tinged finish. This is excellent.
A blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the 2022 Ferriere offers up aromas of dark berries, plums and sweet soil tones, followed by a medium to full-bodied, rich and layered palate that's suave, elegantly muscular and lively. From biodynamically farmed clay-rich gravels, this 18-hectare estate (formerly leased to Chateau Lascombes) possesses an unusually high proportion of old vines, with fully one-third of their vineyards over 70 years of age.