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Goedhuis, May 2021, Score: 97-98
37% Merlot, 32% cabernet Franc, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon
A classical composition of almost one third equal of the 3 classical grape varieties for this famed St Emilion with a left bank feel. Densely opaque in colour, the initial attack is full of bright Cabernet Franc fresh red berry fruits, then as the wine builds in the palate the more striking flavours of dark cassis and kirsch develop. It simultaneously combines discreet bright Cabernet energy with sweetly intense merlot richness. Tight, controlled and hugely complex, with a wonderful persistence as the dark smoky flavours linger beautifully at the end. A symphony of right bank charm and left bank distinction.
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Neal Martin, January 2024, Score: 97
The 2020 Figeac has a very refined nose with a sense of control and brooding intensity as the black and red fruit gradually unfurl. The palate is medium-bodied with a sapid entry, wonderful mineralité and firm grip—a more structured Right Bank. The finish is quite compelling, but this clearly needs time. Closing with enormous length, this is a serious 2020 for the most patient. A stunning Figeac from tip to toe. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
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Neal Martin, December 2022, Score: 97
The 2020 Figeac was bottled in mid-July. It has an exquisite bouquet that unfolds effortlessly in the glass with blackberry, crushed stone, graphite and fresh fig scents. It blossoms with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly edgy tannins on the entry that frame the pure black fruit. It's very harmonious and silky smooth in texture that almost disguises what Frédéric Faye terms the "verticality" of the wine. Fresh and saline on the finish with just a light black pepper touch on the aftertaste. An absolute treat. Drink 2030-2065
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Neal Martin, May 2021, Score: 96
The 2020 Figeac was picked from September 4 to October 1 and underwent vinification free of SO2. Deep purple in color, it is initially backward and sultry on the nose, necessitating 60 minutes before it really opens. It then reveals intense scents of cranberry, raspberry and touches of cassis intermingling with white pepper. Given that the Cabernets comprise 63% of the blend, this has a typical Left Bank personality but with Right Bank precocity. The palate conveys a sense of vibrancy and vigor on the entry, a dash of black pepper and allspice mingling with the mélange of red and black fruit. The tannins are satin-like in texture, and there’s dark berry fruit and hints of pencil lead and black truffle shavings toward the Pomerol-like finish. This is a magnificent Figeac from head winemaker Frédéric Faye and his team. This sample really came into its own 2–3 hours after opening. Drink 2030 - 2065
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Antonio Galloni, December 2022, Score: 96
The 2020 Figeac is incredibly polished and refined. Bright saline underpinnings and lively acids shape the 2020 beautifully, lending notable energy throughout. This is the last vintage made in the transitional cellar before the new winery became operational with the 2021 vintage. My only question mark is a slightly gritty quality in the tannins that lurks beneath. There's terrific purity and drive, though. Figeac is a wine of saline tension and energy more than size. The 2020 will need a number of years in bottle to be at its best. Drink 2030-2060
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Antonio Galloni, June 2021, Score: 95-97
A super-classic wine, the 2020 Figeac sizzles with vertical energy. The chateau has made a number of tremendous wines in recent vintages, but I don't remember a Figeac with this much saline-drenched intensity and mineral drive. The 2020 is superb, but it won't be ready to drink anytime soon. The mixture of soil types and varieties, with the high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, that is such a signature here, was a huge help in maintaining balance and energy in the wine. Technical Director Frédéric Faye certainly seems to have gotten the most out of the vintage. Drink 2035 - 2060
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Wine Advocate, May 2021, Score: 96
The 2020 Figeac is a blend of 37% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc and 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, weighing in with an alcohol of 13.9% and a pH of 3.7. Opaque purple-black colored, it bursts from the glass with a beautifully vibrant initial wave of pure, pristine black fruits: fresh black cherries, juicy black plums and ripe blackcurrants. With swirling, a whole array of floral and spice notes is unleashed: lavender, ground cloves, cumin seed, cardamom and rose oil. The medium-bodied palate is surprisingly graceful for the intensity of aromas, featuring ethereal, perfumed black berry notes, framed by a seamless line of freshness and ripe, grainy tannins, finishing on a lingering fragrant earth note. Far more cerebral and quietly introspective than it is hedonic, this could only be Figeac. Drink 2027-2057.
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Decanter, May 2021, Score: 96
This delivers concentration and intensity, a ton of black fruits, definitely Cabernet dominant in terms of fruit, and its slightly serious character, with a whoosh of juice on the finish. An extremely elegant and controlled wine, with savoury bilberry and loganberry, then peony and tobacco leaf as it opens. Tannins are finely layered but there are a lot of them. Not an exuberant Figeac, but this is rarely a wine that rushes out to seduce, it takes its time and has ageing potential in spades. The gravel soils in the drought of the summer meant the grapes slowed their ripening process, although only the youngest vines suffered blockages, and that combined with the high Cabernet content of Figeac means lower alcohols than the past few years, giving a classic balance and a feeling of effortless success. 75% of the production went into the first wine. Harvest September 4 to October 1, a full five weeks. Their final yield here was around 37hl/ha, (higher than in 2019 at Figeac, which was 34hl/ha). As with on the Left Bank, the Cabernet Sauvignons were the lowest yield (30hl/ha), with tiny berries so had to be careful with the extraction. First vintage in the new cellars. Drink 2029-2046 (JA)
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Matthew Jukes, May 2021, Score: 19+
2020 Figeac is a tour de force. Every possible variable is considered at this historic estate and the results of the painstaking work, coupled with the innate skill and experience of the team, is evident in this wine. They employed horses to plough during the heavy rains at the beginning of the year rather than tractors, which would have struggled while also compacting the soil unnecessarily. Conversely in the summer, they ploughed their cover crops in extremely gently, so as not to kick up dust. They used judicious green harvesting on younger plots while keeping an extremely close eye on each of their three varieties because they are all essential to make Figeac its own unique proposition. While this is essentially a gravelly estate, with 4-5m depth in most areas, the blue clay beneath this layer of gravel ensured that there was no undue stress on the vines during the hot summer. A touch of rain at the beginning of September completed the picture and they harvested at a leisurely pace over four weeks. Freshness in early picks of Merlot was balanced when the older vines came in and bolstered these notes with extra levels of texture and tannins. Cabernet Franc was on stunning form in 2020 making up spiciness and glorious aromatic notes of violets and exotic tea leaves. The Cabernet Sauvignon berries were tiny in 2020 and so extra gentle handling was needed to extract the luxurious fruit notes but no astringency to upset the hard work that the viti-team put in over this testing year. Figeac works very closely with their coopers to build bespoke woodwork for this estate and Frédéric Faye told me that they have a 35-page instruction document for their barrel-makers so that they are guaranteed the very finest and most suitable barrels imaginable. The sample I tasted was a ‘finished wine’ with 7% press wine already added and so it was possible for me to see deep into its soul allowing me to fully appreciate the incredible tri-varietal balance achieved here. This is a highly sophisticated Right Bank wine with hints of Left Bank grandeur and discipline and it is, most definitely, a style of its own. The Cabernets seem to sandwich the Merlot with Franc providing the aroma, Merlot the heart and Cabernet Sauvignon the impeccable finish. This is an astoundingly serious wine with so much detail coupled to so much delicacy and restraint it is incredible. I find the tannins unique at Figeac, and in 2020, they have never been fitter, nor more resplendent and they will power this wine for decades to come. While I have not as much experience of this Chateau as I would like, I can definitely say that this is the finest Figeac I have tasted and it has a spectacular future ahead of it.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2021, Score: 17.5+
Gentle, juicy and pure with nothing overdone. Merlot provides the broad-brush sweetness on attack, the Cabernet the fresh, minerally notes on the finish. Fine grain of tannin and aromatic complexity on the nose and palate; the finesse is there. (JL) Drink 2028 – 2045
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Jeb Dunnuck, May 2021, Score: 96-98
I loved the 2020 Chateau Figeac, and this beauty offers everything you could want from this site, revealing a dense purple/ruby color to go with gorgeous notes of cassis, tobacco, sappy herbs, and spring flowers as well as an almost Pauillac lead pencil note that develops with time in the glass. A blend of 37% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc, and 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, it's full-bodied and has perfect balance, ultra-fine tannins, and a great, great finish. It brings ample power yet has a weightless elegance and riveting precision reminiscent of the 2016. Don't miss it.
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Wine Cellar Insider, May 2021, Score: 97-99
Roses, tobacco leaf, oak, black raspberries, spice, black currants and plum aromas are all over the place. Incredibly silky on the palate, the wine is fresh and focused on its purity and precision. Elegant, gentle and refined, the sweet, ripe cherries come in waves, building in length and intensity from the mid-palate through the finish, which lasts almost 50 seconds. The wine is effortless to drink. This should age and evolve for decades. The wine blends 37% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc and 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13.9% ABV, 3.7 pH. Picking took place September 4, October1, making it one of the longest harvests in the history of the estate.
