Château Figeac -Subskription-

97-99/100 The Drink Business 41% Merlot; 32% Cabernet Franc; 27% Cabernet Sauvignon – small and very concentrated and so a little reduced; a final yield of 45 hl/ha, even after two green harvests; pH 3.68; 5% press wine; 13.5% alcohol; 100% new oak – though it’s difficult to believe; tasted with Blandine Brier Manoncourt and Frédéric Faye and quite a few of the family and team at Figeac itself; lots of careful choices made in the vineyard to match the number of bunches to the plant’s capacity to mature them in a generous vintage like this; the 130th vintage of the Manoncourt family at Figeac). Very, very Figeac just as La Conseillante is so very Conseillante and Cheval Blanc is so very Cheval Blanc. Walnuts and walnut shells. Black berries and black cherry. A little cedar, rather more graphite. Pink rose petals from the garden, even a little rose water. Supple, gracious and elegant yet plump and plush. That graciously beautiful and cool, composed Cabernet fruit. Great depth and profundity but rather different from the Merlot-dominated wines of the appellation and very much more left-bank in style in this vintage. Quite a tight frame but that just accentuates the near infinite sense of vertical layering. Juicy, with slowly circulating currents of cassis and black cherry fruit juice. I find this incredibly eloquent with great pixilated detail, accentuated by the more significant volume of tannin from the perfectly ripe Cabernet fruit picked over a long period of time (they needed to persuade the team to hold off). This has a gravelly, growly depth and gravitas (almost closer to Lafite then Cheval Blanc!). A wonderful and brilliant complementarity of the varietals – it needs the Merlot for the frame, and it needs the Cabernet for aromatic complexity, the lift and the eloquent florality and it needs the Sauvignon for the depth, profundity and the structure which will make this perhaps the longest lasting right-bank wine of the vintage. There are more immediately accessible wines, but this perhaps the most profound from the right-bank. - Colin Hay 97-99/100 The Wine Cellar Insider Just a single swirl brings out the flowers, leaves, tobacco, truffle, black cherry, plums, and black raspberries. From there you discover the medium-bodied, silky, energetic backdrop for all of the black cherries exuding their gorgeous sense of purity. There are no hard edges. This is the quintessential definition of elegance. For history buffs, this is the 130th vintage under the ownership of the Manoncourt family. The wine blends 41% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc, and 37% Cabernet Sauvignon. 5% Press wine. 13.5% ABV, 3.68 pH, 5% press wine. The key to the vintage was two green harvests and finding the best picking dates, which encompass a long wait for the Cabernets to mature. Picking took place September 6 - October 5. The length of the harvest is due to the 12 day break between the Merlot and the Cabernets. Drink from 2029-2065. 97-99 Pts. - Jeff Leve 98/100 Decanter.com High-toned aromatics, purple fruit, blackcurrant, wet stones and minerality on the nose, really quite scented and alive, floral, purple flowers, and ripe black fruit with freshness too. Supple and succulent, a good plushness here, not chalky or chewy but ripe and cool at the same time. Hints of dark chocolate, liquorice, blueberry and wet stone also gives the mineral accents. Silky but this wine has an amazing texture. Cool and classic, but there’s clear ripeness too. Almost thick, but refined. High acidity, great lift and zing - tannins are present and apparent, gently expanding around the mouth. It’s more serious than usual, a touch more firm with tension but equally it's structured with a long, mouthwatering finish. This will be lovely! 3.68pH. - Georgina Hindle 98/100 Jane 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. - Jane Anson 96-98/100 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. - William Kelley 96-98/100 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. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown 96-98/100 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! - Neal Martin 94-97/100 Jeb Dunnuck The 2023 Château Figeac is Merlot-dominated but includes 32% Cabernet Franc and 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the élevage all in new French oak. Classic Figeac purple fruits, tobacco, leafy herbs, violets, and graphite all emerge on the nose, and it hits the palate with medium to full body, a remarkable sense of purity and precision, fine-grained tannins, and a gorgeous finish. Hitting 13.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.68, it's a beautiful wine in the vintage that shows the absolute class of this château today. - Jeb Dunnuck 97-98/100 Jamessuckling.com The density and finesse to this is terrific, offering blackberry, dark chocolate, walnut and hazelnut, as well as currant and sandalwood. Orange peel, too. Full-bodied and compact with a superb core of thick, velvet-textured tannins and a juicy finish. Extremely long. 41% merlot, 32% cabernet franc and 27% cabernet sauvignon. - James Suckling 95-98/100 Vinous The 2023 Figeac is gorgeous. Seamless and vibrant, with captivating elegance, this is an absolute beauty. What I admire most is its exceptional balance. Everything is in the right place. Time in the glass brings out hints of gravel, dried herbs, licorice, tobacco and cedar that add dimension. Although it is early, Figeac is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage. - Antonio Galloni 98-100/100 Yvesbeck.wine Figeac glänzt mit seiner Frische und seinen fruchtigen Noten, während der Ausbau im Hintergrund zu erkennen ist. Sehr schöne Korrelation zwischen Nuancen von Minze, Eukalyptus und roten und schwarzen Beeren, die durch blumige Noten ergänzt werden. Im Mund ist der Wein von Anfang an breit. Der Verlauf ist linear und präzise. Viel Temperament, Spannung, Kraft, aber immer in einer Logik der Harmonie. Die samtenen Tannine sind perfekt auf die prägnante Seite der Säurestruktur abgestimmt. Der Wein entfaltet sich mit Präzision, Gelassenheit, Temperament und Finesse. Ein sehr kompletter, vollendeter Wein mit einem lang anhaltenden Abgang. - Yves Beck 98/100 My Bettane + Desseauve Succès total dans ce millésime, avec une bouche architecturale pleine de race et de majesté. Grande persistance aromatique. - Bettane & Desseauve 97/100 Falstaff Deep dark ruby, opaque core with purple reflections, brightening on the rim. Intense blackberryish fruit, blackberries, a hint of cassis, floral nuances, inviting bouquet. Complex, juicy, deep, hints of blueberries, vivid, integrated tannins, salty minerali- ty in the finish, lingers very well. A full-bodied and at the same time finessed food wine, certain ageing potential. - Peter Moser