Château de Ferrand 2020

Quite lush, with plum, boysenberry and cassis notes gliding through, carried by silky tannins and backed by a suave black tea note. Shows a strong echo of warm earth at the very end. A successful capture of what this vintage provided. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2035. 8,000 cases made, 1,000 cases imported.

An enchanting bouquet includes crushed mint, bright blueberry, juicy blackberry and damson. When tasted at the estate last year, the 2020 showed more structure than the 2019 and 2018, but this year, it is blossoming into a magnificent wine of polish, class and refinement. Decanting is essential for this, my favourite recent vintage of Château de Ferrand, combining cool and warm fruit, leading to a long, lingering finish echoing black cherry and violets. The prominence of the (ripe) tannins is good news for cellaring, even if the suave palate texture is hard to resist today. Starting with this vintage, 5% amphorae ageing (and 30% new oak) has helped raise the freshness level. The price for the quality is a no brainer!

Aromas of blackberries and currants with cloves, vanilla, hazelnut and wet stones. It’s full and structured with velvety, polished tannins and a creamy texture. Deep, toned dark fruit character with some salinity to it. Lingering finish with notes of graphite and walnuts. Try after 2025.

Full bottle 1,295 g. Cask sample taken 7 April. Bright dark crimson. Polished, rather low-key nose. Then rich, juicy and energetic on the palate. Almost approachable already – excellent balance. Ripe tannins only make their presence felt right at the very end. (JR)

The 2020 Château de Ferrand has retained its “breezy” bouquet with upfront red cherries, raspberry coulis and floral scents; orange zest is hiding in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins. As I found previously, it feels a bit rigid and needs more flair on its briny finish. Not bad at all, but I feel this could have been better.

Easily offering up its floral bouquet on the nose, the wine is soft, silky, and fresh with a vibrant, medium-bodied core of soft, polished, fresh red fruits, spice, chocolate, coffee bean, and wet earth. Elegant and refined, with endnotes of licorice, espresso, and plums, this is the finest vintage I have ever tasted from de Ferrand. Drink from 2024-2038.

Dark ruby, purple reflections, deep core, faint ochre brightening on the rim. Fresh, ripe plums, sweet cherries, tobacco, soft notes of liquorice and orange, inviting bouquet. Juicy, silky texture, red cherry fruit, subtle sweetness, fine tannins, fresh and persistent, very good balance, already seems drinkable.

Dense and bright dark purple. Floral and fragrant with violet, wild berries, cassis, tobacco leaf, and finely tuned oak. The palate shows good volume and concentration with a youthful texture, yet ripe and grainy tannin; a fine level of freshness gives good lift, elegant and savoury dark fruit with a mild oak-derived spiciness and a long, meaty finish.

Cassis, blackberries, scorched earth, graphite, and a beautiful sense of minerality all emerge from the 2020 Château De Ferrand, a medium- to full-bodied, concentrated yet wonderfully balanced Saint-Emilion. It already offers pleasure but is going to benefit from just 2–4 years of bottle age and have 15–20 years, if not more, of overall longevity. It’s another incredible 2020 from the Right Bank.

74% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, harvest September 14–29, alcohol 14.45% vol., pH 3.55. Deep purple with an opaque core and a purple rim. Intense wild-berry bouquet, with lilac notes, elderberry jelly, and perfumed pipe tobacco. On the straight-lined palate with a soft texture, a tight, chalky tannin frame, lively drive and energy, and medium body. Concentrated finish with dark-berry contours, graphite, and a firm, finely crumbly astringency. Shows improvement over recent vintages, rounded up.

An excellent-quality 32ha estate that just keeps on getting better and better over recent vintages, really turning into one of the insider wines of St Emilion. Integrated oak, a wisp of gunsmoke and peony flowers, widening through the mid-palate to show creamy damson and black cherry, cocoa bean and fresh acidity. Clear ageing potential. Axel Marchal consultant, Gonzague de Lambert director.

The 2020 de Ferrand is a blend of 74% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple in color, it gives up expressive scents of stewed black cherries, baked plums, and star anise with suggestions of tilled soil and unsmoked cigars. The full-bodied palate delivers bright, refreshing fruit with a lively line and soft, well-managed tannins, finishing earthy.

92-93

A serious wine with a deep nose, delicately spiced, featuring black and purple fruit. On the palate, suave, smooth, round, and rich. Dense, refined tannins on the finish.

This is the kind of finish you shouldn’t rush, especially if you only go by the first nose, which shows a clear imprint of élevage. A bit of air immediately redefines the aromatic profile, revealing shades of black berries and chalky notes. On the palate, the wine stands out for its density and finesse. It combines charm and power, yet in a measured, elegant way. The tannins unfold slowly across the palate. They form a beautiful symbiosis with the acidic structure, which brings welcome freshness and tension. Compared with the en primeur tastings, the tannins have gained in finesse and dimension. They are now perfectly integrated and work well with the incisive tension of the structure. A characterful Ferrand, certainly one of the team’s finest achievements. In the end, finesse prevails—an essential trait in this vintage.

Dark, beautiful purple color. An intense, delicate nose that is fruity, pure, and subtly truffled. Supple on entry, with plenty of flavor at mid-palate and a melting texture, the wine develops with power, with tannins slightly present on the front third of the palate, yet constantly carried by abundant flavor.

Lovely aromatic palette with creamy black fruit, good density lifted by freshness. The palate opens with a crunchy attack, followed by a touch of sweetness. A fine acid spine gives the wine a refreshing, friendly profile. The whole will need time to come together.