Château Figeac, 1er Grand Cru Classé, St Emilion, 2023

Name: Château Figeac, 1er Grand Cru Classé, St Emilion
Brand: Château Figeac
Price: 894 GBP

Available Vintages

all 1998 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024

justerini & brooks tasting note

Frederic Faye explained that the Figeac team undertook two green harvests and a light de-leafing. They picked the Merlots early to retain a juiciness, whilst holding on and waiting for ripeness in the Cabernets. Frederic described 2023 as an "oceanic, Atlantic style". This isn't meant in a dismissive way, this is clearly a very serious Figeac, it's in reference to the cool stylish flavours, the ravishing acidity and restrained alcohols. A beautiful prelude of violets, wild, dark berries and graphite. Very sumptuous and engaging on the mid-palate - the Cabernets really sing with aromatic berries flecked with minerals and salts. Layered and thought provoking. It's luxuriant and wonderfully textured, yet it retains a sense of classicism and composure with its tightly coiled core cosseted by majestic tannins. Superb. A blend of 41% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc and 27% Cabernet Sauvignon that attained 13.5% alcohol.

critic reviews

96-98/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

A blend of 41% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc, and 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2023 Figeac has a pH of 3.68 and it is deep garnet-purple in color. It prances out of the glass with out-going scents of black raspberries and fresh blackcurrants, opening out to reveal an undercurrent of pencil shavings, rose bud tea, iron ore, and wood smoke. The medium-bodied palate delivers a rock-solid structure of firm, grainy tannins and beautiful tension supporting the taut, muscular black fruits, finishing with a long-lingering mineral firework display.

DRINKING WINDOW 2029 - 2050

date of review 05/2024

98/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

Fragrant floral aromatics straight off the bat, peony and violet, and a vibrant juiciness that travels through the palate. Savoury dark fruit character, with flint and textural interest, full of Figeac finesse. 130th vintage of the Manoncourt family at Figeac, and the first vintage where they knew they were Premier Grand Cru Classé A from the start of the season, as it was announced in September 2022. 130mm of rain lower than average over the growing season here, allowing a long slow harvest from September 6 to October 5, 45hl/h yield.

DRINKING WINDOW 2032 - 2050

date of review 05/2024

96-98/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2023 Figeac was cropped at 45hL/ha from September 6 until October 5, one of the longest harvest periods ever. It matured in 100% new oak, as usual. My samples included the 5% vin de presse. This has a very perfumed bouquet: red fruit rather than black, iris flower rather than violet, light sous-bois and tobacco scents deriving from the Cabernets. The palate is medium-bodied, and the Cabernets really "sing" on the entry. Black fruit mixes with graphite and light tobacco notes, surging with fresh acidity and real brightness, or what the French call éclat. There’s gentle grip here—classic Figeac from start to finish, with a subtle marine influence toward the close. This will be a wonderful Saint-Émilion that ranks amongst the best wines of the vintage. Chapeau!

DRINKING WINDOW 2030 - 2065

date of review 04/2024

96-98/100William Kelley,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

A brilliant classic in the making, the 2023 Figeac unwinds in the glass with aromas of cassis and mulberry mingled with notions of iris, cigar wrapper, pencil shavings, burning embers and spices. Medium to full-bodied, rich and layered, it's deep and concentrated, with an enveloping core of fruit that's framed by powdery tannins and lively acids, concluding with a broad, atypically mineral finish. It's a blend of 41% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc and 27% Cabernet Sauvignon that attained 13.5% alcohol.

date of review 04/2024