Chateau Figeac

In a region with a worrying number of characterless, over-extracted, fruit bombs Ch. Figeac stands out like a shining beacon. In 2007 it has made another intellectual, aristocratic St Emilion from a Médoc-like blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. A fine, stylish, Dundee fruitcake nose is followed by a palate with lots of stuffing for the vintage. Boasting rich plum and blackberry fruit and coffee hints and an attractive streak of minerality, the elegant fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity ensure a glorious future. A real tour-de-force from this illustrious and revitalised estate.

OK, OK. You've made your point. Yes you have nailed it again for the fourth year in a row. What would you like me to say? Yes, the wine you are making does surpass the place out the back where you once stabled your horses. This 2011 is fabulously defined, with the finesse and elegance of Michelangelo’s David.

A masculine, yet ultimately feminine beauty in perfect equilibrium, harmony, power and grace. Please, please just make it affordable for us mere mortals this year. Simply magnificent.
Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director

Following on from last year’s marvel, Figeac has done it again. A huge, brooding beast below the surface, it is almost impenetrable with a dark red/black colour and a viscosity to match. Having said that, this does not take anything away from the wine, it is incredible! Super-fine tannins, a sweet, silky, velvet-like mouthfeel, this has amazing complexity and a vibrancy that takes your breath away. It might even be better than 2009, if that’s possible. This should be a Right Bank First Growth. Brilliant.
(Simon Staples, BBR Fine Wine Director)

Ch. Figeac stands out in some style in 2015. We have a soft spot for the wines of this estate and found the wines to be triumphant again this year. Fine, stylish and with generous gravitas, the wine immediately appeals in the glass with a tremendous dark purple colour. Lively, with spice evident on the nose and dancing on the palate, the highlight here is the really super-fine tannins which are just wonderfully integrated.

The finish is tasty, harmonious and refreshing. We loved the tension and underlying power of the wine. There is the coolness shared by the 2015s, but slightly more restrained. It's a wine which makes you happy to taste, drink and enjoy. Really delicious and complete, t is very much Ch. Figeac.

Blend: 29% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Cabernet Franc

The 2015 Petit Figeac is a blend of 32% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, representing around one-third of the production. It has a perfumed blackberry, raspberry coulis and boysenberry-scented bouquet - fruit forward and very pure. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, fresh in the mouth, dark berry fruit and a slight gravelly, almost Graves-Like note thanks to that Cabernet. Often overlooked, this is well worth seeking out.
Neal Martin - erobertparker.com # 224 - April 2016

A very clean blackberry nose with some earthy notes of loam and soil leads onto a superb palate with intense forest fruits. The tannins are very elegant and supple. Beautifully crafted, dense and luscious, this is a Ch. Figeac of great finesse from Frédéric Faye under the eye of Michel Rolland.

The estate with Michel Rolland now consulting alongside their ability to listen to the market (a rare trait these days in Bordeaux) have produced one of the unsung successes of the vintage.  The wine is deep crimson in colour with a rich blackberry and bramble note on the nose.  Lovely ball of black raspberry fruit on the mid palate that dissipates effortlessly into silky tannins and length.  Lovely textural quality.  Elegant density. Lovely in 10 + years.
Stuart Rae – Private Account Manager
 
Deep crimson coloured, with lots of red and blue fruit on the nose. 100% new oak but you would be hard pressed to tell, such is the perfect integration already. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon lends a lovely cassis note to the palate, with seamless tannins adding structure. This is a triumph for a tricky vintage. 
Fergus Stewart - Private Account Manager
 
Figeac’s unusual terroir of volcanic gravel that was deposited there from the Massif Central during the ice age, is the reason for a high level of Cabernet in the blend. In 2013 the blend has even more Cabernet then usual and the result is stunning. Darkly coloured in the glass with a hugely aromatic note of intense pure blackcurrants and white spice, this is a tense wine with fresh acidity. A streamlined purity lifts the wine with layers of blackcurrants, leather, sweet cranberries and a granitic purity in the midcore. Brilliant.  Final blend is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc.
Fine Wine Team

Like all the best wines from this vintage, this has direction and purpose, with firmly structured, voluptuous blackberry fruit on the palate and a very long finish. Figeac is renowned for its class and sophistication, and indeed the supple tannins bestow the wine with elegant restraint, but there are no shrinking violets in 2003, so this is still very rich.
BBR Fine Wine Team

‘Fabulous!’ was our initial reaction to the 2009 Ch. Figeac, and the more we continued to taste it, the more this impression intensified. After a morning of tasting high-alcohol, turbo-charged Merlots, it was pure relief to be firmly on Cabernet-dominant territory. The freshness afforded by the Cabernets in 2009 was clear to see; the luscious, crunchy blackcurrant fruit of the Cabernet Sauvignon (33%) allied harmoniously with the perfume, minerality and elegance of the Cabernet Franc (33%). The remaining proportion of Merlot was just enough to add a juicy plumpness to the wine. All in all, this is a perfect blend; one of our top wines of the vintage.

Deep and dark in the glass, 2014 Ch. Figeac is lively on the nose. Spices and red, with hints of blue fruit compete on the nose. The palate is clean, powerful and fruity. There is finesse here too, with fine tannins in particular. Well-textured and dense, the blackberry compote and blackcurrant fruit blend seamlessly into silky, grainy tannins and decent length. We are fond of this estate and the wines are a triumph again this year. The terroir of this great property really shines through, it is a great example of how unique Ch. Figeac can be. They are really starting to find their form again.

40% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Cabernet Franc

At Ch. Figeac, production is down by almost a half but we still think the quality is high and under the guidance of Frederic Faye it continues its upwards trajectory. A blend of 43 percent Merlot, 47 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 10 percent Cabernet Franc, it has a
deep purple colour with charming aromatics of small, red berry fruits, violets and liquorice. Once in the mouth there is a silky, mouth filling texture with a graphite and a mineral note finishing with a pleasing graphite grip. It has a long, persistent finish. Less density and opulence than 2015 or 2016 but it is pure in tannin and focus. A truly great Cabernet Sauvignon wine.