The richness of our terroir is given not only by the soil beneath our feet and the weather overhead but by everything in between. From the moment you’re stood in the vines everything around you is terroir - there’s nothing technical about it. As we strive to make wines that surpass the limits of objectivity, the boundaries of what constitutes Fieuzal as a place go beyond the buildings and the plots of vines.
Our winemaker, Stephen Carrier, believes that to truly express Fieuzal’s terroir, we must express all of it: the natural vibrancy; the human emotion; the artistic courage. And so that we may carry on doing so, we must work equally hard to preserve every aspect that defines the place that enables us to produce.
When we taste Fieuzal, we are tasting much more than a wine: we are tasting a place; an experience
Our approach to winemaking involves not just growing vines and grapes, but growing Fieuzal in every possible sense. Respecting the past whilst chartering a course for the future. Tending the ever-growing vines and tending equally our ever-growing team. Improving our relationship with technology in parallel with our relationship with Mother Nature. We are here to teach and we are here to learn; to grow better and better.
We’re not focused on making more and more, but making better and better
As humans we are moved by what we smell and taste, but even more by what we can feel. Fieuzal’s wines – raw and authentic – have as much personality as the people that make them. Fieuzal is full of life: of shouts, smiles, tension and surprise, and the complex liveliness of our wines is the experience of reliving every one of these emotions.
The happiest I am is when people are made happy by something I’ve made
Freshness forms the backbone of the Fieuzal spirit, the Fieuzal vision, and every Fieuzal blend. Freshness keeps our wines dynamic but precise, and most importantly is what enables them to evolve.
The difference between our red and white wines is just colour, after which each wine is born with the same youthful spirit and each wine will mature with the same straight-up confidence.
With Irish owners and a winemaker with vast ‘New World’ experience, their unique sensitivity makes Fieuzal a modern expression of Bordeaux that is loved around the world. Like the contemporary artists they admire and collect, they are open to influence and unafraid to experiment. Rather than being bounded by classical theory and traditional methods, Fieuzal breaks out of the mould and sets itself apart.
Dare to be an artist
Fieuzal is in constant movement; in constant evolution. Curious and spontaneous, we dedicate an area of our cellar for testing and trying new things, with the aim to find the balance between what feels like the right thing to do and what can be calculated scientifically and objectively. Our aim is not to focus on what can be improved for today but what can be better for tomorrow.
Everything that appears to be simple is in fact the result of a complex thought process
To constantly move forwards in the world of wine - where the past, present and future are alive at once – we must balance the effects of time on contrasting timescales. The consequence of a whole year’s work in the vines can be decided over the course of just a few days of picking – and we may have to wait another 10 years before we know if we have made the right decision. On the one hand we are eager to anticipate the future and on the other we fight to slow down the passage of time.
Winemaking is not a passive activity, in which we must confidently make decisions and courageously react to opportunities.
Sharing pleasure is at the heart of our team’s desire to make wine, and for lovers of Fieuzal across the world, their shared pleasure is what joins them together too. Every one of them is part of a Fieuzal ‘circle of friends’, that grows slowly but naturally; little by little. It may take time to build but it’s the solid foundation of our spirit.
It’s an extremely long-term vision, as the impact won’t be felt for generations