Country: France Region: Bordeaux Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon  Colour: White  Style: Dry Producer: Chateau De Fieuzal Description: In 2001 Irish wine lovers, Brenda and Lochlann Quinn, bought Fieuzal. Their goal is to carefully tread the ever-evolving line between continuous technical improvements in winemaking and vine growing, and, maintaining the essential Graves nature of Fieuzal’s wines. Their judicious investments in the vineyards and winery have considerably raised the standard of Fieuzal’s wines and helped them regain their élan. As part of the wine renaissance at Fieuzal the vineyard is managed on a plot-by-plot basis. Essentially, this means that different grape varieties, grown in different parts of the vineyard, undergo tailored winemaking processes to avoid masking or muting their distinct flavours and aromas.In 2007 the Quinns hired a talented young winemaker to run the estate. Stephen Carrier brought with him a blend of classic French winemaking skills and experience of New World techniques. Working closely the Quinns, with their passion for wine, and Carrier, with his rigorous and innovative winemaking style, have together broadened Fieuzal’s reputation as a wine well-worth drinking.As well as hiring Carrier, the Quinns brought well-known Bordeaux winemaking consultant, Hubert de Bouärd, on board in 2006. De Bouärd owns the Saint Emilion estate Château Angélus. Other developments at Fieuzal have included a restructuring of the vineyard and, in 2011, the inauguration of a new cellar, fully equipped with advanced winemaking facilities.Fieuzal’s property is divided by the Eau Blanche (White Water) stream, while its gravelly soil unfolds around the hill in complex geological layers - a result of century long pressure from the Garonne River. Such thin, stony soil is highly adept a draining water and at keeping and rediffusing heat. The vines, which have a current average age of 30 years, are planted at a density of 9,000 plants per hectare. Chemical applications are kept to a bare minimum, traditional farming methods are used and grapes are picked and sorted – twice - by hand, all of which helps to preserve the purity of the fruit.