Wine Critic
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Château Figeac, Saint Emilion, 1er Grand Cru Classe 2019
Expert tasting note: (2019 vintage)
"Deep, dark, medium ruby red in color. The aromas are of red soft-fruit, redcurrant & chocolate. On the palate the red-fruit has a delicate raspberry & strawberry nature that is lifted by fresh acidity, there are notes of cedar & toasty oak. Rich alcohol leaves the finish spicy & drying with fine tannins, there are attractive leafy touches. Length is pretty good." - 10/23 DCAMW
Robert Parker The Wine Advocate (97/100)
The 2019 Figeac has turned out brilliantly. Wafting from the glass with aromas of blackberries, cassis, warm spices, violets and pencil shavings, framed by a deft touch of nicely integrated new oak, it's full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with terrific depth at the core, powdery structuring tannins and lively acids, concluding with a long, precise finish. Rich but vibrant, this 2019 reflects the new precision that Frédéric Faye has brought to Figeac; but while it's richer and more polished than the wines of yesteryear, the estate's identity hasn't been lost.
Director of Château Figeac since 2013, Frédéric Faye emphasizes precision and timing when he characterizes the estate's evolution over the last decade. Harvest now lasts three or four weeks, stopping and starting, so each parcel of this 41-hectare vineyard can be picked at optimal maturity. Farming is similarly adapted parcel by parcel, emphasizing sustainability. And a brand-new winery triples the team's working space, with small tanks so each parcel can be vinified separately. Yet the objective is to polish Figeac, not to change it. If the estate's wines are now suppler and fuller, their classically Cabernet-rich assemblage hasn't altered. Old-fashioned approaches such as submerged-cap fermentation for fruit growing on gravel soils have been retained. And of course, the estate's distinctive soils haven't changed. Faye and his team have turned in a brilliant performance in 2019, and the Manoncourt family have every reason to be delighted with the new lustre that he has brought to this reference-point château.
- Reviewed by: William Kelley
