Figeac 2019

St Emilion, Premier Grand Cru Classé B

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Tasting Notes
The 2019 Figeac has a wonderful nose, beautifully defined with black fruit, loam, black truffle shavings and light graphite scents. Very focused and plenty of vigor. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins, intense and almost pixelated towards the vibrant, tensile finish. Effortless and classy, this should evolve gracefully for many years. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. Score: 98 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2026-2060 01 February 2023
The 2019 Figeac was bottled in mid-July. Deep in color, with a bouquet that is initially backward and reticent. It requires a few minutes to shake off the veil of oak from the élevage. As I observed last year, the Cabernet Franc is very expressive this year, contributing blackberry and graphite notes and lending a more Left Bank-style bouquet. The palate is very fresh from the first moment, and very well structured, delivering layers of black fruit struck through by a fine bead of acidity. The tannins are very fine, and that crucial saline element appears toward the persistent finish. This is overtly classic in style and will require cellaring to reveal its full potential. But what potential! Chapeau, Frédéric Faye and team Manoncourt. Score: 98 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028-2060 01 February 2022
October, a total of 4 weeks picking. There is a little more emphasis on the Cabernet Franc this year - 36% of the blend. It is quintessential Figeac on the nose, that is to say that the enticing mélange of Merlot and Cabernet together creates more than a sum of their parts. Here the blackberry, crushed stone and graphite elements are seamlessly enmeshed with the more ravishing red fruit aspects delivered by the ripe Merlot. It is exquisitely defined. The palate is medium-bodied. First impressions are of a Figeac that leans more to the Cabernet/Left Bank side of its personality, quite structured with black fruit dominating, saline and marine-influenced. The Merlot really comes through towards the close delivering that almost clinical mineral-driven finish. Winemaker Frédéric Faye and his team have conjured a deeply impressive, intellectual Figeac this years, amongst the canon of greats that stretch back to the 1940s. Score: 97 - 99 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028-2060 16 June 2020
The 2019 Figeac was picked from 13 September to 7 October, a total of 4 weeks picking. There is a little more emphasis on the Cabernet Franc this year - 36% of the blend. It is quintessential Figeac on the nose, that is to say that the enticing mélange of Merlot and Cabernet together creates more than a sum of their parts. Here the blackberry, crushed stone and graphite elements are seamlessly enmeshed with the more ravishing red fruit aspects delivered by the ripe Merlot. It is exquisitely defined. The palate is medium-bodied. First impressions are of a Figeac that leans more to the Cabernet/Left Bank side of its personality, quite structured with black fruit dominating, saline and marine-influenced. The Merlot really comes through towards the close delivering that almost clinical mineral-driven finish. Winemaker Frédéric Faye and his team have conjured a deeply impressive, intellectual Figeac this years, amongst the canon of greats that stretch back to the 1940s. Score: 97 - 99 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028-2060 01 June 2020
This is a gorgeous Figeac, balanced and finessed and full of promise for the future - and interesting to note that its blend is almost back to the classic third-of-each-variety of the pre-Rolland days. Just love the clarity and the chiselled quality to the fruits, blueberries, bilberries, cassis - all smooth, concentrated, with excellent acidity but high sweetness, and muscular tannins. Clear smoked sandalwood also but not a hint of dryness, and will clearly melt together with another five or six years in bottle. Can't wait to follow this wine as it ages. Cigar smoke and grilled sandalwood on the finish, the poise and precision on display here is just unmissable. Harvest September 13 to October 17, 100% new oak. Score: 98 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2028-2050 13 April 2022
Fragrant straight from the first moment, this is a great Figeac, with waves of concentrated flavour. The focus is on graphite, salinity, saffron, crushed stone, smoked earth, builds gently through the palate, and has the finesse and elegance that you find in the best vintages of this wine. Poised, creamy, carefully carved out fruits, full of life. Clearly extremely measured with the extraction. 100% new oak. Frederic Faye CEO, with both Michel Rolland and Thomas Duclos as consultants. Score: 98 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2028-2046 26 January 2022
A higher amount of Cabernet Franc than usual in the blend, really get the Cabernet impact on the nose and on the attack, could easily say Left Bank with the liquorice root, menthol and leafy character. A rich creaminess comes in through the mid palate, with sappy raspberry fruits alongside salinity and minerality. The exuberance of a warm summer is there but it is well hidden under the precision of the tannic structure overall. An extremely impressive and signature Figeac. Juicy on the finish and oh so careful in its tannic delivery. 100% new oak. A yield of 34hl/ha, higher than 2018. 3.7pH. Score: 97 Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2028-2046 02 June 2020
The 2019 Figeac is without question one of the wines of the vintage. All the promise it showed as a young barrel sample, is all there in bottle, too. Estate Director Frédéric Faye crafted a towering, statuesque Figeac built on vertical energy and a feeling of vibrancy that never lets up. Deep layers of red/purplish fruit, cedar, tobacco, mint and dried flowers are framed by a super-classic expression of structure that keeps things in balance. There is a bit more Cabernet Franc in this year's blend, and that definitely comes through. Readers who can find the 2019 should not hesitate, as it is truly majestic. Score: 99 Antonio Galloni, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2034-2069 01 February 2022
A stunning vivid wine, the 2019 Figeac may very well turn out to be one of the wines of the vintage, when all is said and done. Cabernet Franc is 36%, a bit higher than the norm, which has been closer to 30%. The 100% new oak is barely perceptible. Rich and dramatic in the glass, the 2019 soars with magnificent intensity. Graphite, cured meats, smoke, licorice, menthol and spice develop with aeration, but the 2019 is dense and very primary today. It is a truly grand Grand Vin in the making. Score: 97 - 99 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com 18 June 2020
A stunning vivid wine, the 2019 Figeac may very well turn out to be one of the wines of the vintage, when all is said and done. Cabernet Franc is 36%, a bit higher than the norm, which has been closer to 30%. The 100% new oak is barely perceptible. Rich and dramatic in the glass, the 2019 soars with magnificent intensity. Graphite, cured meats, smoke, licorice, menthol and spice develop with aeration, but the 2019 is dense and very primary today. It is a truly grand Grand Vin in the making. Estate Director Frédéric Faye describes a year of starting and stopping in terms of maturity. He chose to start harvest with the young vine Merlots on sand early to preserve freshness, but waited on the parcels with Cabernet on clay/gravel, where the soils retain more moisture. Faye opted for gentle winemaking as he was concerned over-extracting the Cabernets in particular. Score: 97 - 99 Antonio Galloni, Inside Bordeaux 01 June 2020
Reminding me of the 2016 with its pure, classic style, the 2019 Figeac checks in as 36% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 30% Merlot, and the Cabernet certainly takes center stage at this point. Deep purple, with an incredibly pure bouquet of crème de cassis, spring flowers, tobacco, lead pencil shavings, and damp earth, you'd be excused for guessing Pontet Canet (or maybe Lafite) blind as it has a distinctly Left Bank style. Full-bodied and flawlessly balanced, with beautiful concentration, it's one of those wines that offers serious power and richness, yet no sensation of weight or heaviness. In addition, the tannin quality is off the charts and could not be any better. If you love classic Bordeaux (or just great wine for that matter), you should buy this wine. Score: 98 - 100 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com 30 June 2020
30% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon. pH 3.7. Barrel sample. Exquisite wine. Fragrant, floral nose with a perfect pitch of fruit. Cool, minerally edge alongside. Very pure and precise, the crafting spot on. Lovely line and length with plenty of drive and persistence. Refreshing, saline finish. A classic Figeac in its elegance and restraint. Gets the nod over 2015 and 2018 and at least on a par with 2016. (JL) 14.1% Score: 18+ James Lawther MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2028-2048 20 June 2020
The 2019 Figeac is composed of 30% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 36% Cabernet Franc, harvested from the 13th of September to the 7th of October. The alcohol this year is 14.1% and the pH is 3.7. Steal-your-heart scents of mulberries, black raspberries, Black Forest cake and cassis prance ever so gracefully out of the glass, followed by nuances of plum preserves, red roses, cinnamon toast and clove oil plus just a waft of lavender. Medium to full-bodied, the palate shimmers with electric energy, framed by a solid backbone of wonderfully ripe, grainy Cabernet-led tannins and bold freshness, finishing with fantastic persistence and with tons of emerging earth and floral layers. This is a simply stunning, seemingly effortless, beautifully harmonious expression of the vineyard and the vintage - bravo! Score: 98 - 100 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 15 June 2020
This is one of the most structured and linear Figeac with very fine tannins, yet at an intense level. So complex on the nose with notes of white flowers, blueberries and graphite. It’s full-bodied, very balanced and agile. So transparent and linear with brightness and raciness. 36% cabernet franc, 30% merlot and 34% cabernet sauvignon. Score: 98 - 99 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 05 June 2020

Tasting Notes

The 2019 Figeac has a wonderful nose, beautifully defined with black fruit, loam, black truffle shavings and light graphite scents. Very focused and plenty of vigor. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins, intense and almost pixelated towards the vibrant, tensile finish. Effortless and classy, this should evolve gracefully for many years. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.

Score: 98

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2026-2060 01 February 2023

The 2019 Figeac was bottled in mid-July. Deep in color, with a bouquet that is initially backward and reticent. It requires a few minutes to shake off the veil of oak from the élevage. As I observed last year, the Cabernet Franc is very expressive this year, contributing blackberry and graphite notes and lending a more Left Bank-style bouquet. The palate is very fresh from the first moment, and very well structured, delivering layers of black fruit struck through by a fine bead of acidity. The tannins are very fine, and that crucial saline element appears toward the persistent finish. This is overtly classic in style and will require cellaring to reveal its full potential. But what potential! Chapeau, Frédéric Faye and team Manoncourt.

Score: 98

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028-2060 01 February 2022

October, a total of 4 weeks picking. There is a little more emphasis on the Cabernet Franc this year - 36% of the blend. It is quintessential Figeac on the nose, that is to say that the enticing mélange of Merlot and Cabernet together creates more than a sum of their parts. Here the blackberry, crushed stone and graphite elements are seamlessly enmeshed with the more ravishing red fruit aspects delivered by the ripe Merlot. It is exquisitely defined. The palate is medium-bodied. First impressions are of a Figeac that leans more to the Cabernet/Left Bank side of its personality, quite structured with black fruit dominating, saline and marine-influenced. The Merlot really comes through towards the close delivering that almost clinical mineral-driven finish. Winemaker Frédéric Faye and his team have conjured a deeply impressive, intellectual Figeac this years, amongst the canon of greats that stretch back to the 1940s.

Score: 97 - 99

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028-2060 16 June 2020

The 2019 Figeac was picked from 13 September to 7 October, a total of 4 weeks picking. There is a little more emphasis on the Cabernet Franc this year - 36% of the blend. It is quintessential Figeac on the nose, that is to say that the enticing mélange of Merlot and Cabernet together creates more than a sum of their parts. Here the blackberry, crushed stone and graphite elements are seamlessly enmeshed with the more ravishing red fruit aspects delivered by the ripe Merlot. It is exquisitely defined. The palate is medium-bodied. First impressions are of a Figeac that leans more to the Cabernet/Left Bank side of its personality, quite structured with black fruit dominating, saline and marine-influenced. The Merlot really comes through towards the close delivering that almost clinical mineral-driven finish. Winemaker Frédéric Faye and his team have conjured a deeply impressive, intellectual Figeac this years, amongst the canon of greats that stretch back to the 1940s.

Score: 97 - 99

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028-2060 01 June 2020

This is a gorgeous Figeac, balanced and finessed and full of promise for the future - and interesting to note that its blend is almost back to the classic third-of-each-variety of the pre-Rolland days. Just love the clarity and the chiselled quality to the fruits, blueberries, bilberries, cassis - all smooth, concentrated, with excellent acidity but high sweetness, and muscular tannins. Clear smoked sandalwood also but not a hint of dryness, and will clearly melt together with another five or six years in bottle. Can't wait to follow this wine as it ages. Cigar smoke and grilled sandalwood on the finish, the poise and precision on display here is just unmissable. Harvest September 13 to October 17, 100% new oak.

Score: 98

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2028-2050 13 April 2022

Fragrant straight from the first moment, this is a great Figeac, with waves of concentrated flavour. The focus is on graphite, salinity, saffron, crushed stone, smoked earth, builds gently through the palate, and has the finesse and elegance that you find in the best vintages of this wine. Poised, creamy, carefully carved out fruits, full of life. Clearly extremely measured with the extraction. 100% new oak. Frederic Faye CEO, with both Michel Rolland and Thomas Duclos as consultants.

Score: 98

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2028-2046 26 January 2022

A higher amount of Cabernet Franc than usual in the blend, really get the Cabernet impact on the nose and on the attack, could easily say Left Bank with the liquorice root, menthol and leafy character. A rich creaminess comes in through the mid palate, with sappy raspberry fruits alongside salinity and minerality. The exuberance of a warm summer is there but it is well hidden under the precision of the tannic structure overall. An extremely impressive and signature Figeac. Juicy on the finish and oh so careful in its tannic delivery. 100% new oak. A yield of 34hl/ha, higher than 2018. 3.7pH.

Score: 97

Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2028-2046 02 June 2020

The 2019 Figeac is without question one of the wines of the vintage. All the promise it showed as a young barrel sample, is all there in bottle, too. Estate Director Frédéric Faye crafted a towering, statuesque Figeac built on vertical energy and a feeling of vibrancy that never lets up. Deep layers of red/purplish fruit, cedar, tobacco, mint and dried flowers are framed by a super-classic expression of structure that keeps things in balance. There is a bit more Cabernet Franc in this year's blend, and that definitely comes through. Readers who can find the 2019 should not hesitate, as it is truly majestic.

Score: 99

Antonio Galloni, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2034-2069 01 February 2022

Score: 97 - 99

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com 18 June 2020

A stunning vivid wine, the 2019 Figeac may very well turn out to be one of the wines of the vintage, when all is said and done. Cabernet Franc is 36%, a bit higher than the norm, which has been closer to 30%. The 100% new oak is barely perceptible. Rich and dramatic in the glass, the 2019 soars with magnificent intensity. Graphite, cured meats, smoke, licorice, menthol and spice develop with aeration, but the 2019 is dense and very primary today. It is a truly grand Grand Vin in the making. Estate Director Frédéric Faye describes a year of starting and stopping in terms of maturity. He chose to start harvest with the young vine Merlots on sand early to preserve freshness, but waited on the parcels with Cabernet on clay/gravel, where the soils retain more moisture. Faye opted for gentle winemaking as he was concerned over-extracting the Cabernets in particular.

Score: 97 - 99

Antonio Galloni, Inside Bordeaux 01 June 2020

Reminding me of the 2016 with its pure, classic style, the 2019 Figeac checks in as 36% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 30% Merlot, and the Cabernet certainly takes center stage at this point. Deep purple, with an incredibly pure bouquet of crème de cassis, spring flowers, tobacco, lead pencil shavings, and damp earth, you'd be excused for guessing Pontet Canet (or maybe Lafite) blind as it has a distinctly Left Bank style. Full-bodied and flawlessly balanced, with beautiful concentration, it's one of those wines that offers serious power and richness, yet no sensation of weight or heaviness. In addition, the tannin quality is off the charts and could not be any better. If you love classic Bordeaux (or just great wine for that matter), you should buy this wine.

Score: 98 - 100

Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com 30 June 2020

30% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon. pH 3.7. Barrel sample. Exquisite wine. Fragrant, floral nose with a perfect pitch of fruit. Cool, minerally edge alongside. Very pure and precise, the crafting spot on. Lovely line and length with plenty of drive and persistence. Refreshing, saline finish. A classic Figeac in its elegance and restraint. Gets the nod over 2015 and 2018 and at least on a par with 2016. (JL) 14.1%

Score: 18+

James Lawther MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2028-2048 20 June 2020

The 2019 Figeac is composed of 30% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 36% Cabernet Franc, harvested from the 13th of September to the 7th of October. The alcohol this year is 14.1% and the pH is 3.7. Steal-your-heart scents of mulberries, black raspberries, Black Forest cake and cassis prance ever so gracefully out of the glass, followed by nuances of plum preserves, red roses, cinnamon toast and clove oil plus just a waft of lavender. Medium to full-bodied, the palate shimmers with electric energy, framed by a solid backbone of wonderfully ripe, grainy Cabernet-led tannins and bold freshness, finishing with fantastic persistence and with tons of emerging earth and floral layers. This is a simply stunning, seemingly effortless, beautifully harmonious expression of the vineyard and the vintage - bravo!

Score: 98 - 100

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 15 June 2020

This is one of the most structured and linear Figeac with very fine tannins, yet at an intense level. So complex on the nose with notes of white flowers, blueberries and graphite. It’s full-bodied, very balanced and agile. So transparent and linear with brightness and raciness. 36% cabernet franc, 30% merlot and 34% cabernet sauvignon.

Score: 98 - 99

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 05 June 2020

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