2023 Château Figeac En Primeur
"...a wonderful Saint-Émilion that ranks amongst the best wines of the vintage. Chapeau!... 96-98 points" Neal Martin on 2023 Figeac
"One of the great wines of the vintage, and one that can rival its 2022 counterpart...98-100 points" William Kelley on 2023 La Conseillante
The final releases of the 2023 Bordeaux En Primeur campaign are out this morning, including Châteaux Figeac (98 pts JA) £894 per six at £894 per six, in very limited availability.
We have very much enjoyed tasting at Figeac in recent vintages and this latest release was another step in the evolution that has been underway since a new winery was installed. The 2023 Figeac has a winning combination of power and finesse, finishing with beautiful minerality and tension on the palate. The release price represents a 40% reduction on the opening price for the 2022.
Offered en primeur, landing spring 2026.
Magnums available with £20 ex-VAT bottling surcharge, please enquire for other formats.
All previous offers of 2023 Bordeaux can be found here.
Producer Profile
Château Figeac, St. Emilion
Château Figeac is a Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) estate in the commune of St. Emilion. It takes its name from Figeacus, the Gallo-Roman owner of a villa that stood on the site in the second century AD. The land here has in all probability been used for vine growing since that time. Remains of a Roman water system and medieval defences are visible at the châteaux today.
In 1947 the estate was bought by Thierry Manoncourt, who became one the of the founders of the Union des Grands Crus. He died in 2010 and the estate is now still in the Manoncourt family. In the 2013 reclassification of St. Emilion, Figeac remained a Grand Cru Classé (B) and was not promoted, as hoped, to (A) status. This prompted a new focus on quality, with Michel Rolland brought in to modernise the style of the wine, to the chagrin of Figeac's many traditionalist customers. This process also included controversial moves like retiring the Director of the estate, who had been in post since 1988.
Visiting Figeac over the last couple of year we have seen the new winery under construction, now completed. Partially buried underground, it suggests a clear intent to elevate the wine to the highest level.
The estate has 42 ha of vines, planted to 35% Cabernet Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. This is an unusually high proportion of Cabernets for a Right Bank wine (due to the high gravel content in the soil) making Figeac difficult to taste when young, but rewarding with age.
In the most recent St-Emilion classification earlier this year (2022), Figeac was duly promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classé (A).
Figeac's new winery, opened in 2021:
| RED | 2023 | Château Figeac | 75cl | £894 per case of 6 | Château Figeac 2023 / / 75cl £894 per case of 6 |
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Tasting Notes"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. 94-97 points" Jebdunnuck.com------"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. 95-98 points" Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com------"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. 96-98 points" William Kelley, RobertParker.com------"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. 96-98 points" Lisa Perotti-Brown, The Wine Independent------"he 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! 96-98 points" Neal Martin, Vinous.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. 97-98 points" jamessuckling.com------"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. 98 points" janeanson.com |
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