Château Ferrière: Vineyards
The estate is located at the side of the D2 as it runs north through the village of Margaux; at the roadside are the offices, while set back behind cast iron railings are some capacious cellars and a grand château. It is important to realise, however, that this is not really Château Ferrière; this impressive property, with its curious octagonal tower seemingly embedded in the rear of the building, is I believe the original Château La Gurgue, which has several hectares of vines directly contiguous with those of Château Margaux, which is situated just behind. Nevertheless, this little complex of buildings and cellars serves as the base of operations for Claire Villars, and it is home to Château Ferrière as well as Château La Gurgue (so hopefully I will get away with using images of it to illustrate this profile).
Although this was once one of the Médoc’s most diminutive estates, with at one time little more than 4 hectares of vines here, today there are more like 20 hectares planted up. Some of these vineyards are located very close to the village of Margaux, just around the corner from Château Lascombes, while others are clearly further afield. The soils are typical of the region, being characterised by deep swathes of Garonne gravel, sitting over a deeper chalk marl, and they are planted with 64% Cabernet Sauvignon (a reduction over the last couple of decades), 30% Merlot (a corresponding increase), 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. The average vine age is 35 years, the planting density a rather concentrated 10,000 vines per hectare.
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