Château Figeac 2005, St Emilion 1er Grand Cru Classe 75cl

Expert Opinion

In the press...

Very dark crimson. So sweet and long and, after our dalliance in the wartime era, modern! This certainly tastes like wine from another era. Rather dry tannins at the moment. Slightly raw but not discordant; this is very impressive. There's a hint of bitter chocolate here.

Background

History

Not to be confused with Chateau La Tour Figeac, Château Figeac has its origins back in Roman days when a nobleman Figeacus built a villa on the estate. The property was once 200 hectares in size, but a series of sales and subdivisions substatially reduced its size and its standing. It was not until 1947, when Thierry Manoncourt took over its running, that the Figeac rose to be one of the finest names in Saint-Émilion. Thierry continued to be actively involved with the estate until his death in 2010. Today, Figeac is run by his son-in-law, the charismatic Comte Eric d'Aramon. Unlike most premier grand cru classé estates in St. Emilion, Chateau Figeac is not located on the famous limestone côtes around St Emilion itself but in the western part of the appellation on three mounds of gravelly soil. As a result, the estate's wines tend to have a much higher proportion of Cabernet in their blend than is typical for St. Emilion (The Cabernets grown particularly well on gravelly soil) and are often quite left bank in style.

Winemaking details

Laure Manoncourt

Regional info

St. Emilion is on the right bank of the Gironde. It is one of Bordeaux's largest producing appellations, producing more wine than much of the left bank put together! St Emilion itself is a beautiful, World Heritage Site town, perched on top of a steep limestone and clay escarpment where most of the area's best vineyards are also located. The soils here usually have a higher proportion of clay - something which helps explain why the wines typically are made more from Merlot and Cabernet Franc than the Cabernet Sauvignon wines of the Medoc. However, as noted above, Chateau Figeac is a famous exception to this rule The classification system of St. Emilion is notoriously complex and often controversial. The very best wines are classed either as "St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé" or "St Emilion Grand Cru Classé". Don't confuse the latter with the lesser "St Emilion Grand Cru"