Château Figeac, 1er Grand Cru Classé, St Emilion, 2021
Figeac has become a J&B favourite whilst under the watchful eye of Frédéric Faye. Once the great estate that dominated viticulture between Libourne and St Emilion, this chateau is back where it belongs at the top table. He hasn't tried to change the DNA, but he has implemented many refinements to get the very best out of this unique terroir. The final piece of the jigsaw was the opening of their new cellars. 2021 was the first vintage to be vinified in this facility. The assemblage is still Negroniesque, in 2021, the final blend is 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Cabernet Franc and 29% Merlot. Harvest took a full month to complete, but this labour of love was certainly worth the effort! Expressive Cabernet aromas emerge from the glass: cassis, strawberries, flowers, tobacco and stony minerality. The palate has admirable precision and energy. There's a sinewiness to the fruit and an intensely graphite finish. It feels strict, but is surrounded by just enough fleshy fruit and very fine tannins. If it continues to flesh out during elevage, it will be outstanding. 8% press wine, 13% alc.
critic reviews
A blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Cabernet Franc, and 29% Merlot, the 2021 Figeac has a deep garnet-purple color. After a little shaking, notes of juicy blackberries, crushed blackcurrants, and black raspberries erupt from the glass, followed by touches of violets, licorice, and cedar chest, plus a waft of dark chocolate. The medium-bodied palate vibrates with energetic black and red berry layers, supported by firm, ripe, grainy tannins and a refreshing backbone, finishing long and minerally. Beautiful!
These guys have always known how to keep a steady hand on the extraction, and that skill comes in to play in 2021. This is such a gorgeous Cabernet Franc-led expression of the vintage, with its iris and violet notes, crushed brambled fruits and high smoke aromatic. Subtle but savoury, mouthwatering, gentle complexity, they have leaned in and leaned back with the challenges of the vintage. Delicious quality, for earlier drinking with a ton of pleasure. One of my wines of the vintage En Prmeur, and remains so. The last vintage before promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classé A. No fining, and extremely light filtration. 100% new oak. Romain Jean-Pierre technical director. 38hl/h yield, harvest September 21 to October 19. First vintage with the new cellar.
The 2021 Figeac was bottled the previous mid-July after being stored in vat for two months to gain more on the mid-palate. It has a sensual bouquet with pure wild strawberry and raspberry fruit, pencil box and tobacco scents that emanate from the Cabernet component. This seems to be a bit closed on the day. The palate is medium-bodied with a hint of dark chocolate and leather on the entry and a fine sapidity throughout, gently fanning out toward its composed, menthol-tinged, refreshing finish.
A wine that transcends the vintage's challenges, the 2021 Figeac is performing brilliantly in bottle, wafting from the glass with aromas of raspberries and cherries mingled with striking top notes of violet, rose petal, iris and mint. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and suave, it's pure and vibrant, its enveloping core of fruit framed by ultra-refined tannins, concluding with a long, floral finish. Readers in the habit of drinking top grand cru Burgundy are liable to find themselves seduced by this immensely elegant, perfumed Saint-Emilion, a wine I'll definitely be adding to my own cellar. It's the result of gamble that paid off, as Figeac's team chose to wait to pick their Cabernet Sauvignon despite the menace of forecast raina menace that, in fact, scarcely transpired. The 2021 saw a somewhat shorter-than-usual elevage of 16 months in barrel without fining.