Chateau Ferriere |
| Newstime：2009-08-04 09:26:14 Befrom： Writer： |
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History
This small 8 hectare vineyard was for a long time in the shade of the great names of Margaux. Chateau Ferrière is remarkable for several reasons. Firstly it is, in comparison with the rest of the Médoc, the tiniest estate of all on the left bank and, secondly, from the middle of the 18th Century up until the late 20th Century, there were just two families holding tenure at Ferrière. This was a remarkable consistency, considering this time includes the ravages of phylloxera, economic depression and two world wars, hard times when many chateaux changed hands several times over. Ferrière was not immune, however, and during the last century there was a long period of underinvestment and the quality of the wines was questionable.
The Ferrière family, from whom the chateau takes its name, is the first of these two families. Gabriel Ferrière, a royal courtier, was in charge until his demise in 1777 when he left the property to a cousin, confusingly also called Gabriel Ferrière. He and his brother Jean both held positions of responsibility in local government, and so unsurprisingly found themselves on the wrong side of a jail cell during the Revolution, just a decade or so later. By 1795, however, Jean had not only been released but found himself Mayor of Bordeaux, an impressive turnaround. The family managed to retain possession of the chateau and vineyards, which were ranked as either third or fourth growth in the various classifications of the early 19th Century. In the 1855 classification, which has persisted more than any other, this position as a third growth was fully cemented.
In 1914 the Ferrière era came to an end with Henri Ferrière; at this time the estate was purchased by Armand Feuillerat, who also owned Marquis de Terme, a nearby Margaux property, having inherited it from his father, Jean Feuillerat. He gifted the Ferrière estate to his daughter, André Durand, who held control here for much of the 20th Century. Her tenure was not characterised by investment or development, however, and in the latter years the vineyards were leased to Alexis Lichine who already owned Chateau Prieure-Lichine and, with the backing of his American syndicate of investors, Chateau Lascombes. From that point onwards Lichine and his team looked after the Ferrière vineyards, and the wines were made in the chai at Lascombes. Around this time the vineyards were completely replanted, and in total covered just 4.5 hectares, a tiny area; almost the entire output, which obviously was not huge, was sold to a restaurant chain, and the Ferrière label was not commonly encountered for sale beyond France's borders.
In the latter stages of the 20th Century, however, both Lascombes and Ferrière found new owners, and it was almost inevitable that the arrangement between the two would come to an end. Chateau Ferrière was purchased by the Taillan Group, a consortium led by Jacques Merlaut, a successful wine merchant who also owns Gruaud-Larose, Chasse-Spleen, Citran, La Gurgue and Haut-Bages-Liberal. It was Jacques Merlaut's daughter, Bernadette Villars, who assumed responsibility for Ferrière, and by 1992 their newly acquired property was fully independent from Lascombes. This success, however, was marred by tragedy, as Bernadette and her husband were both killed in an accident when hiking in the Pyrénées. It was the next generation, in the form of Claire Villars, that stepped up to the plate; today Claire runs the family properties, including Ferrière, with aplomb, a revitalising force that serves as a fitting testament to her mother, who learnt her skills with Professor Emile Peynaud, and was a respected winemaker in her own right.
Nowadays’ owner: Claire Villars-Lurton
Technical Information
Location: Some of the vineyards are located very close indeed to the village of Margaux, unsurprisingly just around the corner from Chateau Lascombes.
Appellation: Appellation Margaux Controlee
Neighboring Chateau: Chateau Lascombes(2nd Growth of Margaux in 1855)
Acreage: 8 hectares
Soil: very deep Garonne gravel on chalk marl
Grape Varieties: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15 % Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot
Average age of vines: 35 years old
Cultivation density:
Viticulture: Traditional method (ploughing, clearing soil from around young vines to ease pruning). Harvest by hand
Winemaking: Vinification in stainless steel vat with temperature control by thermal pipe; Length of vating between around twenty days; Malolactic fermentation in barrels ; Fining in barrel with white of the egg; Aging for 16-18 months in oak barrels (60% new oak barrels each year)
Yield:
Brand: Château Ferrière(First Label)(A.O.C. Margaux)
Les Remparts de Ferrière(Second Label)(A.O.C.Margaux)
Annually production: about 4,000 cases
Character: Château Ferrière (First Label): Very great dark, almost black, wine with an admirable and extremely subtle floral-spice bouquet.
Best vintages: Château Ferrière (First Label):1995, 2000, 2003, 2005
Award: 3rd Grand Cru Classe in 1855 Margaux.
Website: http://www.ferriere.com/
Serving Suggestion
Cellar Humidity and Temperature: 75-85%, 15 ℃
Serving Temperature: 18 °C,
Optimum Drinking and Ageing Potential: 5-6 years, 5-20 years
Food match:
Château Ferrière (First Label):
Western Food: Beef, poultry, cheese, pasta with cream sauce, hearty stew, pizza, pork, veal, game.
Next Chateau La Lagune
Pre Chateau Cantenac-Brown
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