CHATEAU FIGEAC 1er Grand Cru Classe B, Saint-Emilion 2021 Bottle

Description

The 2021 Château Figeac is an exceptional wine, celebrated for its complexity and balance. It has received significant acclaim, including 97 points from Decanter, which noted its aromatic profile of dark chocolate, pink flowers, and fresh red fruits. James Suckling awarded it 95 points, praising its beautiful aromas of dark berries and graphite, complemented by silky, refined tannins that provide both structure and elegance. The Wine Advocate rated it 96+ points, highlighting its vibrant bouquet of dark berries, loamy soil, and spices, alongside velvety tannins and refreshing acidity. The medium to full-bodied palate showcases impressive depth with mineral nuances and sweet fruit, making this vintage an ideal choice for immediate enjoyment or long-term aging, recommended for drinking from 2027 to 2042.

*****

Château Figeac is one of the leading St. Emilion estates and its wine, with its high Cabernet content, has often been described as the most Médoc-like in St-Emilion. Since 2010 Figeac has been managed by Comte Eric d’Aramon and his wife Laure. It is located in the north-west of the appellation with its vineyards adjoining those of Cheval Blanc. Its 40 hectares of vineyards (Cabernet Sauvignon 35%, Merlot 30%, Cabernet Franc 35%) lie on a deep, Médoc-like gravel topsoil ('Graves') over a flinty, iron-rich subsoil. The alcoholic fermentation takes place in wood and the malolactic in stainless steel. The wine is matured in 100% new oak barriques for 18-22 months. Ideally, the wines need at least 10 years-bottle ageing to show at their best.

DECANTER 97 points
Tasted by: Georgina Hindle
(at Bordeaux, 01 Apr 2022)
Part of St-Emilion 2021 in bottle: Overview plus top-scoring wines
Drinking Window: 2028 - 2050
One of my absolute favourite wines in 2021 with Figeac's star power clearly on show. Amazing aromatic complexity on the nose; dark chocolate with perfume from the Cabernet Franc - pink flowers, red cherry touches vanilla and cinnamon - such a seductive smell. Pure and focused - so smooth and sleek with a clear tang to the palate. Quite taut, so defined and pure. The minerality comes through the sweet strawberry and raspberry fruit giving that chalky, salty flavour and texture on the palate. Everything is precise and in the right place. You can tell this is ripe, the concentration is there in the fruit, alongside such bright freshness but also these fun and playful red fruit flavours with lively acidity. Classic Bordeaux style with vibrancy, clarity and harmony - you feel the St-Emilion terroir and the understated glamour. This is an epic wine, a brilliant Figeac and contender for wine of the Right Bank. 100% new oak. 3.65pH.

THE WINE ADVOCATE 96+ points
Reviewed by: William Kelley
Drink Date: 2027 - 2050
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-Émilion, 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 rain—a menace that, in fact, scarcely transpired. The 2021 saw a somewhat shorter-than-usual élevage of 16 months in barrel without fining.

JAMES SUCKLING 95 points
This wine has beautiful aromas of graphite with plums, berries and some dried flowers. Medium-bodied with juicy fruit and an iron and chocolate undertone. Firm and integrated tannins and a lightly chewy finish. Serious for the vintage, it needs to come around with bottle age. First year in the new winery. Best after 2027.

VINOUS 94 poiints
The 2021 Figeac is a classy, supremely polished Saint-Émilion. Floral and savory notes meld into a core of dark cherry, leather, tobacco, spice, mocha and lavender. I imagine the 2021 will drink well with minimal cellaring. It's an undeniably attractive wine with no hard edges, but also less textural depth than the best years. Managing Director Frédéric Faye and his team reduced élevage by two months because of the lighter structure of the wine, a decision that paid off nicely. - Antonio Galloni