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

    Château Figeac, 1er Grand Cru Classé, St Emilion, 2022

    98/100
    Inside Bordeaux
    98-100/100
    Robert Parker Wine Advocate
    99/100
    The Wine Independent
    98/100
    Vinous
    Available Vintages
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    1. Last Few

      2022

      6x75cl

      DP

      £1,574.74

    2. Last Few

      2022

      3x1.5L

      DP

      £1,574.74

    3. 2022

      1x3L

      DP

      £1,183.28

    4. Last Few

      2022

      1x6L

      DP

      £2,300.58

    Justerini & Brooks Tasting note

    Frederic Faye was in an ebullient mood, with good reason: he has a fantastic 2022 on his hands and it's his first vintage as a newly classified Premier Grand Cru Classé "A". As ever, Figeac is close to the perfect negroni blend of equal parts Merlot (35%), Cabernet Franc (34%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (31%). Only the second vintage to be vinified in the new cellar, plot by plot fermentations were carried out at a cooler 28 degrees (normally 36 degrees) using maceration by infusion and using no sulphur. Frederic describes the wine as "Expressive, complex and deep... vibrant and dynamic". It is a memorable Figeac harnessing the character and virtues of the three varietals to create a truly complex and ethereal St Emilion. A classic but expressive bouquet of cassis, violets, raspberry liqueur, eucalyptus, graphite and earth bounds from the glass. This is quite dramatic aromatically. The palate is more reserved. Deep and profound, quite thickly textured with a well of mineral infused fruit. Although intense, this is quite tightly coiled and takes a while to unfurl. Some more leafy cassis and herbal notes emerge with air. Wonderful Cabernet Franc aromas. It is clearly one of the wines of the vintage, a wine that keeps on revealing layers of nuanced fruit, all effortlessly encased in gloriously ripe and detailed tannins. Very dynamic and classy. Bravo.

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    Critic Reviews

    99/100
    Chris Kissack,
    The Wine Independent
    From the earliest harvest in well over a century of ownership by the Manoncourt family, this is a blend of 35% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc and 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 100% new oak for the élevage. The aromatics here are divine, with dark black saline fruits, with a little powdered chalk, as well as gorse flowers and toasted pip. The palate is divine, very broad and complete, filled with saline black cherry, currant, juicy liquorice and black olive, with a base of toast, coffee bean and black pepper, laid over a bed of toasted tannins which follow through into the finish to produce a rich, tannin-infused length. This is an astonishingly strong effort, those tannins so confident but so well-knit, with wonderful harmony and a huge presence from the finessed texture and rich layers of dark fruits. A truly great Figeac which will be stunning ten or twenty years from now (although I can see it aging for well over fifty years and longer). Stunning. The alcohol on the label is 14.5%.
    drinking window 2030 - 2065
    date of review 06/2025
    98/100
    Jane Anson,
    Inside Bordeaux
    Velvety texture to tannins even at this early stage, showing the purity and finesse of Figeac, coupled with an expansion through the mid palate, a great vintage with damson, smoked plum, bitter cocoa bean, orange peel, lemon zest, black tea and liquorice. Juicy finish with oyster shell salinity, this clearly has decades ahead of it. 100% new oak. Harvest September 1 to 26 September. First year with Premier Grand Cru Classé A on the label, happily coinciding with such an exceptionally friendly vintage. Frederic Faye director.
    drinking window 2032 - 2050
    date of review 03/2025
    98/100
    Neal Martin,
    Vinous
    The 2022 Figeac, bottled on July 20th, has an intense nose that, as I observed out of barrel, leans more toward the Left than Right Bank, despite a slightly lower percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. It has wonderful delineation with black fruit, pine and a light graphite note that runs through from start to finish. A touch of incense emerges with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. It is still firmly on the Left Bank stylistically, with gentle grip and a stony aftertaste. The fruit will come back with bottle age, which you can see by comparing tastings in late November 2024 and then at the end of January 2025.
    drinking window 2032 - 2070
    date of review 02/2025
    98-100/100
    William Kelley,
    Robert Parker Wine Advocate
    A blend of 35% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc and 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2022 Figeac is a brilliant wine with which to celebrate this property's elevation to Premier Grand Cru Classe "A" status. Wafting from the glass with aromas of raspberries and cassis mingled with notions of iris, forest floor, cigar wrapper and pencil lead, it's medium to full-bodied, pure and perfumed, with a deep and multidimensional core of fruit, bright acids and beautifully refined tannins. Serious yet civilized, it's the quintessential Figeac, testament to the late Thierry Manoncourt's vision to plant such a large proportion of Cabernet, and on drought-resistant rootstocks. Such is the inherent complexity of Figeac's terroirs that harvest took place sub-block by sub-block between September 1st and 25th. Congratulations are in order for the Manoncourt family, director Frederic Faye, consulting winemaker Thomas Duclos and all their team.
    date of review 04/2023

    product details

    Specifications

    Country:
    France
    Region:
    Bordeaux
    Appellation:
    St Emilion
    style:
    Red Wine
    Grape Variety:
    Merlot Cabernet
    abv:
    13%

    allergen information

    This product may contain sulphites. Full allergen information is available upon request, please call our Customer Relations Team on +44 (0)20 7484 6430.