Château de Ferrand 2014

A powerful and elegant Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

The estate

Located a few kilometres from Saint-Émilion, on the right bank of Bordeaux, Château de Ferrand, founded in 1702 by Elie de Bétoulaud, was acquired in December 1977 by Baron Bich. Since 1994, his daughter Pauline and her husband Philippe Chandon-Moët have taken over the running of the estate. Carrying out numerous improvements and innovations, their work was rewarded in the classification of Château de Ferrand, ranking as a Grand Cru Classé in 2012. Gonzague de Lambert has been the director of Château de Ferrand since 2017.

Made with great precision, the wines of Château de Ferrand are renowned for their structure, their aromas of ripe red fruit mixed with a delicate freshness and fine tannins.

The vineyard

Château de Ferrand’s vineyard spreads across 42 hectares of vines, of which a 32-hectare single-block vineyard is used in the production of the estate’s wines. The vines are planted at the end of the Saint Emilion limestone plateau, on a ledge that overlooks the curving Dordogne valley. This location leads to an excellent drainage of the soil thanks to runoff, which, combined with the ideal altitude and sun exposure, gives rise to fine Saint-Emilion wines.

Obtaining the Terra Vitis certification in 2012 and HEV level 3 in 2018, Château de Ferrand manages its vineyard using environmentally friendly practices, both in the vineyard (mechanical soil tillage, inter-row grassing, manual harvesting) and in the 10 hectares of forest or meadows that surround the vineyard.

The vintage

Spring was marked by a combination of high temperatures during the day and cool nights, ideal conditions for the development of the vines. The rainy days at the end of June, followed by thunderstorms were succeeded by cold, rainy weather with little sunshine until September, when, finally, the favourable conditions optimised the ripening of the grapes.

The vinification and ageing

The hand-picked grapes are rigorously sorted before being vatted, using a gravity flow method, in a completely renovated cellar. Vinification and ageing are carried out in a plot-by-pot manner in order to enhance the expression of each terroir’s distinctive features.

The blend

Merlot (82%)

Cabernet Sauvignon (5%)

Cabernet Franc (13%).

Château de Ferrand 2014: Characteristics and tasting tips

The tasting

Colour

The colour is deep and intense.

Nose

Complex and ripe, the nose combines intense fruity aromas with delicate roasted notes.

Palate

A delicious and fresh attack, this wine seduces the palate with its rich aromatic palette, its powerful tannins and its exceptional length.