2021 Chateau Figeac
-
S$47895
Vintage: 2021
Region: Saint. Emilion
Country: France
About Winery
Figeac is a very ancient property. In the 2nd century, the Figeacus family gave its name to the estate. Traces of this Gallo-Roman villa still exist today. In the 15th century, FIGEAC was one of five noble houses in Saint-Emilion and passed from the Lescours family, who at that time also owned Ausone, into the hands of the Cazes family, who transmitted it through marriage to the Carles in the 17th century. After the Manoncourt family acquired the property in 1892, FIGEAC was mainly managed by agricultural engineers. However, in 1943, the year in which Thierry Manoncourt made his first vintage, a period of resurgencebegan for Figeac. Thierry Manoncourt realised in that year the huge potential of FIGEAC’s terroir and urged his mother, a Parisian, to hold on to the estate. In 1955 CHATEAU-FIGEAC became a First Great Classified Growth. Today, Madame Manoncourt and her daughters are ably supported by highly skilled wine-growing teams and are as eager as ever to guarantee the long-term continuity of FIGEAC.
Figeac is the largest estate of Saint-Emilion, covering 54 hectares (133 acres). Besides its 40 hectares (99 acres) of vines, a variety of landscapes combine to form a balance in nature, today known as biodiversity. Figeac has large areas of space which add to the majesty of the place and allow the flora and fauna to flourish. Figeac has an outstanding terroir consisting of three gravelly rises. In keeping with the nature of this soil, Figeac is the Right Bank estate with the highest percentage of Cabernet. This atypical combination accounts for wines that are elegant, long-lived and extremely well-reputed.
Château-Figeac has always been acknowledged as one of the top Bordeaux wines with the best ageing potential, gaining a highly flavourful and succulent complexity over the years. It can be enjoyed just as much in its youth as after several decades.
First to be appreciated is the colour, with deep shades of crimson that recall Tyrian purple. On the nose, the wildly appealing Merlot notes of its youth give way to striking depth that is balm to the soul of all Cabernet lovers.
Its aromas reflect the lightness of the soil, expressed in a highly subtle, ethereal bouquet in which notes of peony, infused fruit and graphite demonstrate bright vitality. The two-thirds of Cabernet in the blend quite literally sculpt the body, strengthening the grip from the mid-palate and rolling out a long, taut and vibrant backbone with very pure mineral notes on the finish. The whole is perfectly enfolded in lush, satin tannins in the style of the highest of high fashion. With time, the wine develops flavours of tobacco-leaf with hints of black truffle, while retaining incomparable freshness of fruit. A glimpse of perfection
The genius of Château-Figeac
Château-Figeac owes its distinctive character to the unique combination of Gunzian gravel outcrops and clay subsoil, several microclimates and the mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot planted in the vineyard. This unusual blend, with its majority two-thirds Cabernet, gives the wine both structure and refinement, freshness and smoothness. Since the early years of the present century the wine has become more approachable in its youth, offering a more caressing mouthfeel, without losing its incomparable uprightness over the years.
Its ability to age for decades is quite exceptional, revealing an inimitable and complex bouquet as the years go by.
97 points Decanter
One of my absolute favourite wines in 2021 with Figeac's star power clearly on show. Amazing aromatic complexity on the nose; dark chocolate with perfume from the Cabernet Franc - pink flowers, red cherry touches vanilla and cinnamon - such a seductive smell. Pure and focused - so smooth and sleek with a clear tang to the palate. Quite taut, so defined and pure. The minerality comes through the sweet strawberry and raspberry fruit giving that chalky, salty flavour and texture on the palate. Everything is precise and in the right place. You can tell this is ripe, the concentration is there in the fruit, alongside such bright freshness but also these fun and playful red fruit flavours with lively acidity. Classic Bordeaux style with vibrancy, clarity and harmony - you feel the St-Emilion terroir and the understated glamour. This is an epic wine, a brilliant Figeac and contender for wine of the Right Bank. (GH) 
(3/2022)
97 points Jane Anson
Lovely aromatics right off the bat, good spice, white peppers, touches of savoury cassis. This 71% mix of the two Cabernets is the highest ever at Figeac, and you feel it in this savoury, rosebud, leafy character to the palate, brilliantly handled and one of the wines of the vintage. This delivers careful balance, sculpted fruits, with a juicy finish. 100% new oak. Romain Jean-Pierre technical director. 38hl/h yield, harvest September 21 to October 19 (with a three week gap between Merlot and Cabernet). 3.65ph. First vintage with the new cellar. 70% production into Figeac, 8% press wine. Tasted twice, excellent quality. (4/2022)
95-97 points Jeb Dunnuck
Unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage on the Right Bank, the 2021 Château Figeac checks in as 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Cabernet Franc, and 29% Merlot, brought up all in new barrels. It's a gorgeous, medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and textured 2019 with remarkable purity in its darker cassis and fresh plum fruits as well as notes of tobacco, truffly earth, cedar pencil, and spice. While it's easy to compare this to wines from the Médoc given its high Cabernet content, it has beautiful Right Bank character and is a classic, balanced, incredibly impressive Figeac that will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and cruise for over two decades. (6/2022)
95-97 points Vinous
The 2021 Figeac was picked from September 21 until October 19 and matured, as usual, in 100% new oak. It has a very pure, elegant bouquet, the Cabernet Sauvignon imparting subtle pencil lead notes, blackberry and briar, almost understated at first but gaining vigor with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a fine bead of acidity and just the right amount of sapidity. There is unerring symmetry about this Figeac, which is extremely focused yet unconcerned about showing off. There is lovely piquancy on the finish. Unequivocally one the finest Right Bank wines in 2021. Frédéric Faye continues to guide Figeac to the pinnacle of the appellation. (NM) (4/2022)
95-97 points Wine Enthusiast
The wine is fresh with a fine structure from the 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc in the blend. It is a structured wine, light while also showing ripe black currant fruits and an edge of spice. With its fine acidity at the end, this is an excellent reflection of the year. (RV) (6/2022)
94-97 points Wine Advocate
One of the highlights of the vintage on the Right Bank, the 2021 Figeac is a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Cabernet Franc and 29% Merlot, and the fruit of a harvest that lasted a full month, from September 21 to October 19, with each parcel picked at optimal maturity. Offering up aromas of blackberries, cassis, rose petals, violets, cigar wrapper and sweet soil tones, it's medium to full-bodied, supple and seamless, its velvety attack segueing into a deep, layered core of beautifully vibrant fruit, concluding with a long, saline finish. The first vintage vinified in Figeac's new winery, it's a resounding success for administrator Frédéric Faye and his team. (WK) (4/2022)
