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Château de Fesles

Unlike the ancient châteaux of Graves and Sauternes in Bordeaux, for example, with their Medieval origins, in a number of cases evinced by castellated towers and turrets, there are few such estates in the Loire that can boast a similarly rich and ancient heritage. Looking at Anjou in particular, although a source of superb wines - including some iconic styles from appellations such as Quarts de Chaume or Savennières - the region's history tends to be one of pastoral servitude rather than the acquired or inherited wealth we might more readily associate with Bordeaux. Here in Anjou viticulture tended to focus more around fermage, or crop-share, in which a mere handful of wealthy landlords rented out their land to the local peasants in return for a share of the harvest. Baron Brincard at Château de la Bizolière, at one time proprietor of vast tracts of the Savennières appellation, is perhaps the most obvious example. The traditional payment was a quarter of the harvest, hence the appellation Quarts de Chaume, and Eddy Oosterlinck's Quarts de Juchepie cuvée. For this reason, however, there are very few grand estates with long and noble histories.

Château de Fesles, however, is one estate that can boast a grand and impressive history. The property dates back to at least 1070, although information about the early centuries - how the land was used, and when the vineyards were first planted, for example - is unknown. Despite this remarkable heritage there is little evidence of this history apparent to the eye today. There are no ancient ramparts or battlements, the original buildings are largely lost, what stands on the estate today dating only from the 19th century. The estate's life story - in particular, details of who owned and tended the vineyards - only really begins to take shape with the arrival of the Boivin family, also in the late 19th century.

The Boivin Family

It was François Boivin who acquired the estate in 1870, although he was an uncle rather than a direct ancestor of the Boivins who ran the estate during the following century. It came to the line that carried through to the 20th century when François sold the estate to his nephew, Florent, who acquired the estate from his relative for a song, vineyard prices having plummeted in the wake of the great devastator, Phylloxera. Having replanted the vineyards using grafted Chenin Blanc, from Florent the estate then passed to his son, Amboise, who by all accounts lived a colourful life. During The Great War he ran the château as a jail for German prisoners of war, and later on in life suffered from mental illness, treated with electroconvulsive therapy. Upon his eventual death the estate was divided between his four children, the Napoleonic laws of inheritance having put an end to primogeniture.

His only son Jean thus inherited one-quarter of the original estate, and it is this quarter that we know today as Château de Fesles. The other three quarters were ultimately lost to the Boivin family, although for many years, while in the ownership of his three sisters, Jean looked after these portions of the family estate as well as his own. Not all of the quarters related to the Bonnezeaux appellation, as some of the estate's vines were more distant, but one vineyard that did was Château des Gauliers, which in the mid-1950s was the property of the Fourlinnie-Boivin family who were described on the label (as seen below) as Propriétaire-Viticulteur. I include a tasting note for one wine from this estate, the 1959, in my tasting notes below.

Jean Boivin was by all accounts a somewhat difficult character, a patriarchal figure who forbade any of his family from even entering the cuverie. He had a reputation for bringing out only the lesser vintages for family dinners, leaving the great wines of 1921 and 1947 languishing in the cellar, unopened and beyond the reach of his family. Ultimately Jean's descendents came to rue this behaviour, as many ancient wines - the cellar housed vintages as far back as the 1890s - were lost through a failure to tend to the bottles, recorking if necessary, and for some a lack of labelling and Jean's secretive methods meant their year of origin became a mystery.

Jean and his wife Blanche Renou had several children, although the relationships between father and sons were perhaps not always ideal. Finding it impossible to work with Jean, one son left to work elsewhere. Having toyed with the idea of emigrating to the USA he was ultimately unable to do so, having been refused a visa, and instead he took up work at Pavie in St Emilion. With time he left the world of wine and became a successful brewer of beers instead. Nevertheless he did not stray too far from Château Pavie, and thus today there is a branch of the Boivin family residing in the suburbs of Bordeaux, and many of the older vintages of Château de Fesles I have tasted - as far back as the 1924 - have come from their cellar. Meanwhile, back at Fesles near Bonnezeaux, Jean's son Jacques soldiered on alongside his father, although it was only upon Jean's death that Jacques really took the reins.

Now in charge Jacques was free to change things as he saw fit at Château de Fesles. One particular development was the move from fermenting in cement vats, as Jean had always done, to using wood instead. Jean's grandson Christophe Boivin maintains that it was Jacques who introduced this change, although other family members disagree, so it is impossible to know for certain when this occurred. Nevertheless Christophe maintains that the 1988, 1989 and 1990 were the first three vintages to be vinified in oak rather than concrete. Jacques was also reputed to have brought over oak barrels from Yquem for aging the wine.

The Pastry Chef Cometh

Jacques remained in charge at Château de Fesles for many years, but ultimately it came to the inevitable point in time when control should be handed to the next generation. Jacques had five children, including one who was eager to take on the responsibility of running the estate, but to do so in isolation he would have had to buy out his four siblings and this, from a purely financial point of view, he was unable to do. The alternative would have been for the five siblings to work together, but as is sadly often the case they were unable to work together, and there was one inevitable solution. The estate was put up for sale; one of the Bordeaux branch of the Boivin family was also interested, but like his cousin he could not raise the necessary funds, and eventually the estate was sold on the open market, and the Boivin era came to an end.

A deal was done, and the new proprietor of Château de Fesles was Gaston Lenôtre, a famed pastry chef. Having made his name in the kitchen he was eager to turn his hand to winemaking instead, and it was at Fesles that he started out. Although it was once hailed as the finest estate of Bonnezeaux, by the mid 1990s the general consensus was that Château de Fesles was a fading star. In part this may perhaps be attributed to Lenôtre's viticultural inexperience, and may have been compounded by a string of less than adequate vintages, starting with 1991. Having said this I sometimes think that the failings of the Lenôtre period are perhaps somewhat overplayed. Take a wine from a good vintage such as 1996 or 1997, rather than a weaker one such as 1994 and, provided you find a good bottle (I seem to have had more than my fair share of oxidised examples), the wines can be exceptionally good. They display a fine, minerally-quartzy depth typical of the appellation and a balanced sweetness, and are well worth experiencing. Even the 1998 F de Fesles, the estate's second wine (the existence of which itself is a measure of the commitment of the proprietor) shows an honest and enjoyable style with some good minerally typical of the Bonnezeaux appellation.

The Germain Clan

Nevertheless it was not long before Lenôtre, no doubt having been enlightened to the difficulties - fiscal as well as viticultural - of making a low-yield sweet wine such as Bonnezeaux, sold up. This time the new owner maintained the thread that seems to run between Château de Fesles and Bordeaux; he was Bernard Germain, the patriarch of a Bordeaux winemaking family.

The Germain family owned several estates in minor Bordeaux appellations, and Bernard also worked as a négociant. He was not the first of his family to move to the Loire, as his son Thierry had already acquired Domaine des Roches Neuves in Varrains, just on the outskirts of Saumur, in 1991. Bernard followed on, acquiring what looks like a package of domaines and estates from Lenôtre who had surely overstretched himself, taking on not only Château de Fesles but also Château de Varennes in Savennières as well as Château de la Guimonière and Château de la Roulerie, both of these latter domaines firmly within the Anjou-Layon appellations. Bernard settled at Fesles, Thierry at Roches Neuves and Roulerie was eventually passed to Bernard's other son, Philippe.

Bernard made some significant changes at Fesles, including putting an end to the super-cuvée La Chapelle, returning the fruit of the best vines back into the estate's grand vin. Within a relatively short period of time, however, his tenure came to an end, and with his two sons installed at Roulerie and Roches Neuves his retirement meant that Fesles was to be sold. This is a development I find personally very disappointing. Thierry Germain has undoubtedly has great success at Domaine des Roches Neuves, but his efforts join a pre-existing cohort of wines from Saumur-Champigny - from the likes of Clos Rougeard and Château de Villeneuve - which are already of very high quality. And at Château de la Roulerie Philippe Germain has had most success with his dry Anjou Blanc, Les Terrasses, from the terraced vineyards directly behind the château, but again this is one of many great dry wines from this appellation, which stands alongside those from Pierre-Bise or Pithon-Paillé. Similar success at Château de Fesles, however, would have made much more of a mark, a shining beacon within an under-exploited appellation. Quarts de Chaume, Bonnezeaux's partner cru within the Coteaux du Layon appellation, has seen significant investment in recent years, led by dynamic and dedicated vignerons such as Claude Papin and Jo Pithon. By contrast Bonnezeaux has no such appellation leader, and in all honesty this is a role that should in my opinion be taken by the proprietor of Château de Fesles.

Nevertheless it was not to be; there are no others in the Germain clan ready to take the reins, and both Thierry and Philippe are content with their respective lots. Hence in June 2008 Fesles was sold, this time to the négociant group Grands Chais de France, a company better known for big-name brands of little interest to most of us here, such as J.P Chenet, of the wonky bottle. Château de Fesles is now owned by a wine conglomerate that focuses on marketing gimmicks to sell their branded wares. Nevertheless all hope is not lost; after all, big business owns much of Bordeaux, but with the right man or woman at the helm great wines can still be made. In addition, I have already tasted wines from the Grands Chais era, and if anything quality has gone up.

Vineyards & Viticulture

Château de Fesles is located on the outskirts of the village of Bonnezeaux itself, well within the Bonnezeaux appellation which stretched over three distinct slopes which run down to the Layon. The vineyard itself covers 33 hectares, of which only 14 are classified as AC Bonnezeaux.

The 14 hectares dedicated to Chenin Blanc and Bonnezeaux lie on the slope of the hill, immediately around the château. Underfoot is a stony, Silurian soil, covered by a mixture of decomposed shale as well as blue and red clay. The nearby Layon frequently gives rise to morning mists, especially in autumn, encouraging the development of botrytis which is of course essential for the production of the highest quality sweet wines here in Bonnezeaux, as it is in the Quarts de Chaume and Coteaux du Layon appellations.

Today there is only one wine of significance, the grand vin of Château de Fesles, and in general this has been the case since the La Chapelle cuvée, which originated from the vineyard just to the left of the château, and which is named for the estate's chapel. Occasional vintages have seen the sporadic appearance of special cuvées, however, such as the Cuvée Elizabeth and Cuvée Rustica in 1997. There has also been, in recent vintages, a rarely-sighted second wine, F de Fesles.

As well as Chenin Blanc on the slopes, on the plateau both Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon are planted for an Anjou Rouge, and there is also some Grolleau and Gamay which are gainfully employed in the production of an Anjou Rosé. In addition there has also been, in recent vintages at least, a channelling of some white fruit into an Anjou Blanc, produced in a collaboration between winemaker Gilles Bigot and Loire courtier Charles Sydney. Curiously, like the second wine described above, this has also been referred to on the label as F de Fesles.

Bonnezeaux: Tasting & Drinking

It was not that long ago that I would have considered my experiences with the 1990 La Chapelle cuvée to have represented the tasting of a mature wine. How wrong I was. The wines of Château de Fesles, in great vintages, clearly have the ability to age gracefully for many decades. I have tasted vintages as far back as 1924, and from great years - such as 1947 - the wines are still stunning, rich and dark in their character, and yet still fresh and alive. My tasting of these wines in late 2011 with the Bordeaux branch of the Boivin family was a fabulous experience which opened my eyes to the potential of these wines. Having said that, I am not so sure that 'recent' vintages such as 1990 - which I now of course regard as a mere youngster - have the potential to age in the same manner, but only time will tell with certainty.

In the meantime, very recent vintages such as 1996 and 1997 can be delightful, when the bottle is a good one of course. As I have indicated above I have had a few that suggest poor storage, but good bottles can be superb, and they belie the estate's supposedly less than exemplary reputation under Lenôtre's aegis. The most recent vintages, produced as part of the Grands Chais de France empire, are very few, the deal having only been struck in 2008. Nevertheless the 2009, tasted very early in its life, held much promise. Perhaps, rather than being stultifying as I had feared, the ownership of this estate by Grands Chais might just provide the investment Château de Fesles really needed. After all, big business has brought great success to Bordeaux; some of that region's most magnificent sweet wines today come from estates owned by insurance companies or motor manufacturers. There is no reason not to believe that, with the appropriate leadership and direction on the ground, the same success can not be enjoyed by Fesles. (23/8/02, updated 22/8/06, 11/8/09, 1/12/11)

Contact details:
Address: 49380 Thouarcé
Telephone: +33 (0) 2 41 68 94 00
Fax: +33 (0) 2 41 68 94 01
Internet: www.fesles.com
GPS: 47.264254, -0.471975

Château de Fesles - Tasting Notes

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Château de Fesles Anjou Blanc La Chapelle 2009: Very expressive, quite open and certainly perfumed, with plenty of sweet pear fruit alongside a chalky, talcy note. A good substance on the palate, broad and grippy, quite sweetly fruited as the nose suggested, all underpinned by plenty of bite, with a firm acid backbone. Very appealing, with no lack of substance, a ripe and well-framed style, and certainly plenty of freshness. A very good effort. From a Loire 2009 tasting. 15.5/20 (January 2011)

Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux 2009: Honey and crystallised flower petals on the nose here, with quartz and beeswax, with a little twist of fatter, more waxy lanolin at the very back of the wine. Polished and rather aromatic on the palate, perfumed, with scents of flower petals. There is also acacia and even touches of vanilla, but all kept fresh by a stunning core of acidity and a fresh, crisp minerality. Straight, well defined, perfumed, but with a crunchy character laid over considerable depth. A return to the form of old for this estate, perhaps. From a Loire 2009 tasting. 18.5/20 (January 2011)

Château de Fesles Anjou Blanc 2007: Rather gentle and honeyed fruit on the nose, with a gently plump style following on the palate. Diffuse, straw and paper character, underpinned by decent acidity. Clean, neutral, a little more hearty and rustic towards the finish. A decent wine. From a Charles Sydney tasting. 13.4-14.5/20 (February 2009)

Château de Fesles Anjou Blanc La Chapelle 2007: This wine has a much more appealing character on the nose, minerally and straw-like, with a little touch of honey. Better concentration, supple weight, good acidity bringing up the rear. Overall a nice character and a pretty style. Good. From a Charles Sydney tasting. 15.5-16.5/20 (February 2009)

Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux 2006: Not a vintage I have tasted before from this estate, once in the hands of Bernard Germain but sold in June 2008 to the négociant group Grands Chais de France. So this is Germain's last-but-one vintage. In the glass the wine has a bright golden hue. Good purity on the nose, with vivacious crystalline fruit character, and notes of honey, lemons, pineapple, pear and peach fruit salad. The palate is gently sweet, not rich or luscious, but with an attractive depth. There is a little midpalate grit to it, a more textured savouriness, and this is rounded off in the finish by a gently bitter element which with the soft acidity counters the sweetness and weight quite nicely. Overall a good, elegant but very immature wine which needs some time to come together and show its best. From a Winedirect tasting. 17+/20 (August 2009)

Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux 2005: The nose here is quite gorgeous, showing overt botrytis character over that lovely mineral-honey combination that you can find in Bonnezeaux. The palate is soft, rich, but well endowed with balancing acidity. There is a somewhat lighter minerality and overall it is a little more soft-focus than I expected. I suspect it may firm up a little in time though. Good potential here. From a Charles Sydney tasting. 16.5+/20 (February 2009)

Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux 2001: A moderately rich, golden hue. What a nose though! Simply fabulous at present, showing an exotic melange of honey and minerals, crushed rocks and spicy, herbal tea, with great depth. Rich, creamy and mouthfilling with fairly low acidity but a nice, bitter grip at the back of it to give a little structure. Plenty of minerality, fine, viscous but pure and fresh character, and a rich and lingering finish. A little more acidity would be preferable, but those flavours are delicious. 18+/20 (November 2007)

Château de Fesles Rose d'Anjou 2000: An attractive pale pink, with strawberry fruit on the nose. Good body on the palate, quite dry, with correct acidity. Some fruit. From an Oddbins tasting. 13.5/20 (December 2001)

Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux 1999: A pleasing pale golden hue on inspection. As with the 1998, the nose is captivating, with plenty of stone and mineral characteristics. Behind this there is a core of rich, honeyed aromas, and a suggestion of lemony freshness, with rosemary herb nuances. On the palate it is fabulously rich, yet balanced, with superb acidity, a hallmark of Chenin Blanc. A lovely, fat, round, oily texture, with a deep, mealy, mineral complexity which surpasses that found in the 1998, which had a more elegant and slightly less rich feel to it. Great sweetness and nicely poised acidity. Tremendous length. Marvellous stuff. 18+/20 (August 2002)

Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux 'F de Fesles' 1998: This has an appealing golden hue in the glass. On the nose I find elements of honey sweetness, with mango exuberance, cut through with the fresh bite of citrus fruit and a quartz-like minerality. Although bright on the nose the palate starts off with an immediately fat and rich style, but there is freshness here too; through the midpalate it reveals a fine vibrancy and more of that mango fruit. It perhaps doesn't have the nervous acidity of a top Bonnezeaux but this is still delicious, and the minerality certainly gives it lift. It even shows a little botrytis character here and there. Overall, a rich wine, with good depth and balance - impressive for a deuxième vin, in fact. 17+/20 (June 2010)

Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux 'F de Fesles' 1998: This is the second wine of Château Fesles, perhaps one of the top estates in the Bonnezeaux appellation. It has an attractive golden hue, and a very typical nose, of honey, beeswax, mineral and quince. A good texture and weight are immediately apparent on the palate, which is rich yet firm and structured, deeply flavoursome, warm and rounded. There is a good grip, and also a soft, slightly peppery acidity. It does not have the direction that one might look for in the grand vin, nor the precision, but it has good flavour and there is a little appealing freshness to it all the same. It finishes up with a nice undercurrent of slightly bitter botrytis at the finish, and there is a little length. A good wine. From my 1998 vintage Ten Years On tasting. 16.5+/20 (November 2008)

Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux 'F de Fesles' 1998: A rich and golden appearance in the glass. The nose is enticing, Gently honeyed, aromatic, quartz-minerally, with fresh quince, herbal tea and more. Later oranges, and cream. Fresh, elegant, sweet, just a little fat, broad but balanced and stylish. It has plenty of appeal, just a little touch of caramel richness, and plenty of length. Great acidity, lovely presence and balance, very complete, with a good bitter orange streak through to the finish. The strange thing is, despite this being the estate's second wine, and from a lesser vintage for the region, this is one of the most enjoyable wines I have ever had from Fesles. Beautiful, fresh, elegant and lively. Very good indeed. From my 2008 Loire wine tasting notes. 17.5+/20 (July 2008)

Château de Fesles Anjou Rouge Vieilles Vignes 1998: Bell peppers and herbs on the nose here, with some chewy black fruits. Herbs, minerals and smoke in the background. On the palate, good fruit sits with a fair amount of tannin and correct acidity. Smooth texture. This is a good food wine. From an Oddbins tasting. 15.5/20 (December 2001)

Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux 1998: A mealy and complex nose on this wine, with smoke, beeswax, fresh honeycomb, herb tea and minerals. The palate carries a layer of sweet honey and tea flavours, with a delightfully balanced sweetness and acidity. The overall feel is of elegance rather than luscious hedonism. Brilliant stuff. From an Oddbins tasting. 17.5+/20 (December 2001)

Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux 1997: Rich and golden in appearance. The nose here carries a wealth of open and lavish aromas, notes of oranges, biscuits and caramel, all spiced with nuances of honey, lavender and thyme. The palate is sweet and viscous, yet well framed with acidity, giving it a polished and rounded feel with an appealing, slightly bitter grip at the edges. There are elements of macaroons, with nuts and orange caramel in the midpalate, all leading into a rich and heady finish. Just like the 1996, this is very, very long. A superb wine; for me it just pips the 1996 today. 18.5/20 (July 2010)

Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux 1996: A great colour in the glass, golden yellow, rich and deep, tinged with burnished, shimmering orange. The nose is wonderful, bright and fresh, notes of apricot and orange, honey and minerally quartz, with little suggestions of thyme and white truffle. Beautifully pure and crystal-clear definition on entry, which persists through the midpalate, with streaks of sweet praline and concentrated botrytis complexities. Tropical flavours, dripping with sweetness, brought together with a tinge of dried fruits. And it is very, very long. 18/20 (July 2010)

Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux 1996: I was saving this for a 1996 ten-year-on tasting in 2006, but accidentally packed it for a weekend away instead of a 1998 from Delesvaux. Guess I have to drink it now then - life is hard! A rich, orange gold hue. Honey and botrytis, with a little crystalline fruit on the nose. This has a pure, fat richness at present. Beautiful palate, with honey on toast and pineapple fruit, fairly soft acidity and overall, as the nose suggests, a pure, dense, concentrated richness. A little one dimensional now, but the complexity will come with time. Lovely. I suggest leaving for another five years at least. 18+/20 (March 2005)

Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux 1996: Rich colour that suggests botrytis influence, and this is confirmed on the nose by characteristic aromas. Rich, balanced, honey-edged palate, again showing plenty of botrytis. Fairly low acidity gives the wine an opulent feel, although acid is a touch on the low side. Nevertheless it has freshness, and quince, lemon, orange-peel and apricot flavours abound. Delicious, soft and seductive stuff. Drink over the next ten years. 17+/20 (October 2004)

Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux 1994: A fat 750ml bottle, purchased from a retailer just outside Saumur. Not a highly sought after vintage, shall we say. A good, vibrant, golden hue. Like the 1990 the nose has lots of rocky-mineral characteristics, with a strong theme of honey-coated tropical fruit, mango perhaps, with plenty of straw notes too. Certainly leaner than the 1990 La Chapelle on entry, and that feeling persists through the palate. There is richness of flavour, with a little appealing botrytis note, but the palate is relatively straightforward through the middle and end in comparison with the 1990, although it does please with an array of typical Chenin character. Nevertheless this is a very good effort from a weaker vintage, and it has the structure for further time in bottle. 16.5+/20 (August 2006)

Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux La Chapelle 1990: An amazing colour here, rich and deep. From a warm vintage of course, and this comes through in the intensity of the hue. There is surely some botrytis here, aromatically. A harmonious start on the palate, quite seamless, relaxed, mellifluous, opening up to reveal attractively bitter, structured and precise elements. It feels rather warm and soft in keeping with the vintage, but still possesses a very charming style. delicious and incredibly concentrated, but elegant and stylish, showing an amazing length and grip though the finish. It is incredibly long. This is showing better than my previous bottles, testament to its impeccable provenance perhaps? A remarkable start to the tasting. From a tasting of Ancient Vintages of Château de Fesles. 18.5/20 (October 2011)

Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux La Chapelle 1990: This wine has a rich, deep, burnished-gold hue in the glass. The nose kicks off with quite a papery-parchment style, with aromatic elements suggestive of polished stones. Then come more typical characteristics such as honey and straw. This bottle seems just as integrated and impressive as my last one which was a few years ago now. Great fruit on the palate, elements of mango take me by surprise, still a very serious, deep and characterful wine though. Rich, obviously sweet although not overly so, and overall very well held together. Little elements of crystalline character here and there, lifting the experience away from dependence on sugar, with a fine, herbal tea and slightly quartzy flavour. Good length too, the wine slowly fading away from the palate. Very refined. From a 1990 vintage twenty years on tasting. 18/20 (December 2010)

Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux La Chapelle 1990: An example of the now discontinued La Chapelle cuvée. A rich colour, honey-gold. The nose is intensely mineral, with a sideline of honey, straw and crushed rocks. The palate is rather more gentle than I had expected, without the immediately apparent depth and richness one might expect from a moelleux from a great vintage, but it is still full, pleasing, the weight and texture very sugar dependent, and it is obviously sweet. It has a very organic character, a sweet honey-oat-cereal flavour, with a lovely, expansive, balanced feel, with great acidity. This is delightful, with nuances of camomile and herbs, wrapped up in a pervasive, marrowy substance. Deliciously fresh, and an amazing length, building to a crescendo some time after, and then slowly fading. Excellent. 18/20 (August 2006)

Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux 1985: Rich in terms of appearance, but nothing like the depth of the 1990. Pure, honeyed, an almost floral elegance here. The fruit in this vintage seems less warm and generous, but it still seems magnificent on the palate, rich and very harmonious, with great linearity to it. There is lively and very succinct acidity at the midpalate and through into the finish, keeping the length of the wine alive with a charged and bright composition. This feels complete, very true to its origins, with a great elegance, and with a lovely freshness on the finish. Spiced, grippy, energetic, really flourishing here, broadening out on the palate at the very end, revealing more nuances and scents, but always with that bright finish. Really understated. Delicious. From a tasting of Ancient Vintages of Château de Fesles. 18/20 (October 2011)

Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux 1980: A pale honeyed gold. This wine seems a little subdued on the nose. showing slightly lemony, steely aromas. It certainly does not have the welcoming charm of the 1985 and 1990 that came before it. It is fleshy but savoury in terms of flavour profile on the palate, although there is plenty of sweetness too. Quite a charged finish, richer in acid than the other vintages, keeping the palate rather more tense and nervous. In the finish there is a long and lingering grip. The flavours here seem slightly confected, but it has a charged, exciting and energetic length. Although not as convincing as the preceding wines this puts on rather a noble show, a slowly fading aristocrat, looking a little shabby around the edges but the noble character can still be perceived beneath. From a tasting of Ancient Vintages of Château de Fesles. 15.5/20 (October 2011)

Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux 1972: A very evolved colour here, a honeyed gold moving into an burnished amber hue. A slightly dirty, vegetal nose, with suggestions of a little oxidation. There are roasted herbs here, and a burnt edge to it, strangely redolent of burnt baked potato. Overpoweringly so in fact. Memories of childhood bonfire parties! In the mouth a lean start, some oxidation coming in here too, and yet there is freshness in terms of structure. But those notes of smouldering embers and roasted-burnt vegetables dominate. The sweetness and the frame is still there, and there is in fact a sense of harmony here that I didn't expect considering the unusual aromatic profile. A solid wine, with more substance here than in the 1980, also long and energetic, on the palate this has good form. It's just that I would need a peg on the nose to drink it. From a tasting of Ancient Vintages of Château de Fesles. 15/20 (October 2011)

Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux 1970: A much paler and more promising colour here. The nose has a slight petrol element to it though, which is surprising, with suggestions of floral and menthol character coming through thereafter. The palate has a nicely rounded and attractive flesh to it, but with those floral elements coming in at the side providing some interest. The slightly greener and evolved notes on the nose don't really show on the palate, and the structure is holding up really well. It has breadth and flesh still. There is no suggestion it is drying out, although this is clearly not a great vintage. Overall, attractive. From a tasting of Ancient Vintages of Château de Fesles. 16/20 (October 2011)

Château des Gauliers (Fourlinnie-Boivon) 1959: After the paler hue of the 1970 we have returned to a rich, golden-amber hue here, more like the 1972 Fesles. Burnt aromas here again, and aromatically this is suggestive of oxidation, with a firm lemony acidity underpinning it. It is certainly a challenging wine. The palate seems quite disparate, more oxidised, with a sharper acidity than the younger vintages which cuts through the palate with a fierce, ragged edge. It is not so long in the finish either. Amazingly though there is still life here, but this is an academic point, as it is showing signs of falling apart. And there is that oxidation too. From a tasting of Ancient Vintages of Château de Fesles. 14.5/20 (October 2011)

Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux 1955: A rich and appealing colour here, a golden amber hue, but with a convincing brightness. A remarkable nose, honeyed, somewhat baked, slightly biscuity, with notes of bitter orange marmalade. Mature, slightly woody, with polished oak scents, this is certainly appealing. It is not exactly incisive in terms of how these aromas are delineated, and there are still little moments of doubt here and there, fleeting old-barrel notes, but this is still greatly superior to some of the preceding vintages. A very harmonious palate, with touches of coffee, a faint trace of oxidation, but overall it is supple, very broad and full of life and energy. Great persistence in the mouth. This is really well composed and holding up beautifully, and is showing amazing vigour for its age. It is not crisply incisive, but it has great vivacity. This is really impressive for 56 years, and I delight in savouring it on the palate - I held it there for as long as I could. From a tasting of Ancient Vintages of Château de Fesles. 17.5/20 (October 2011)

Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux 1947: The darkest wine so far, an amber hue darkening considerably, although still not brown. A great vibrancy for a wine aged over sixty years though, even with that dark hue. Wow - what a nose! This is beautifully expressive with sweet, golden, crunchy botrytis elements, so rich it is tinged with toffee, overlaid with little elements of walnut and wood alongside the sweetness. A trace of oxidation? Nevertheless it is intense and convincing. The anticipation before it goes in the mouth is considerable. There it seems so very confident, intense, concentrated, reminiscent of baked honey, with brilliant energy here, giving the wine vigour, structure and backbone. The finish is firm and substantial, cut through by the acidity, which is balanced and fresh rather than too firm. This is utterly entrancing; I keep coming back to it to experience once more the paradox of its honeyed, rich and mellifluous weight and its sense of energy. From a tasting of Ancient Vintages of Château de Fesles. 19/20 (October 2011)

Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux 1930: This is the only wine in this tasting where there is a question mark over the provenance, the hand-written label suggesting this might be a Coteaux du Layon rather than Bonnezeaux. The vintage is clearly marked, though. The colour here is impressive, in that it remains quite restrained - I expected something much more caramelly than this after the 1947. It has a sweet amber note, nothing more. Surprisingly this feels very green on the nose, with menthol especially, also it is redolent of green, freshly pulled nettles, or nettle soup perhaps! Also some rather almond-like aromas. But mint and menthol most of all. Certainly an interesting nose, although with some time in the glass this does eventually fade, and more toffee-like elements come in, but it retains a great freshness throughout. A broad and sweet palate, really appealing, mellifluous and honeyed, and yet still fresh. So long and slowly fading in the finish. Although aromatically I had my doubts, the palate is magnificent, vivacious, with a very fine and bitter grip. Not really a hint of degeneration here. Just ever so slightly oxidative. In fact, perhaps tellingly in view of its slightly confusing origin, this feels a little like modern Juchepie. Nevertheless, whether it is Fesles or some unidentified Coteaux du Layon, this is a remarkable wine. From a tasting of Ancient Vintages of Château de Fesles. 17.5/20 (October 2011)

Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux 1924: We've moved on to a more tawny hue here. And there is an undeniable seam of walnut and toffee on the nose, clearly some suggestions of oxidation, along with a layer of baked and caramelised fruit. This is not giving too much away as to what the palate will be like. Nevertheless it is fresh, very convincing, sweet, rich and intense, with a firm, incisive and structured backbone. There are some amazing flavours though, with a great intensity. It feels less harmonious than the 1930 and 1947, with firmer acidity, but I suspect that is what has kept this wine alive. Alongside the caramel there are paradoxical tinges of celeriac and white pepper; overall this is quite complex and appealing, and there is a lovely weight behind it. This is reminiscent of an Australian liqueur Muscat, like the old Seppelt DP64 I used to drink, many years ago. And it is certainly an enticing wine that I would be happy to drink now - once the 1930 and 1947 had been finished of course. From a tasting of Ancient Vintages of Château de Fesles. 17/20 (October 2011)