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Goedhuis, April 2023, Score: 98-99
Fully deserving of its promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classé A, Figeac’s technical director Frédéric Faye has made a superlative 2022 wine. Comprised of almost equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, it highlights the strength of the property’s soils to cope with both the drought and heat. Taking into consideration the exceptional quality of the fruit at harvest time, Frédéric took a more delicate line on his vinification in 2022, focusing on lighter extraction and cooler fermentation temperatures to preserve both aromatics and finesse. A herbal lift from the glass gives way to black cherry, cassis, tobacco leaf, graphite and cedarwood. With noticeably full fruit, the taut, well-defined structure is reminiscent of the Médoc, sitting comfortably alongside the abundance of black fruits and the fine yet powerful tannins. Extraordinary persistence. A classic in the making.
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Neal Martin, April 2023, Score: 97-99
The 2022 Figeac was picked between 1-26 September with the pH of 3.7 and 14% alcohol. This wine combines both Left Bank and Right Bank traits due to its blend (as usual), but this year leans more to the Right Bank despite a slightly lower contribution of Cabernet Sauvignon. It is very well defined, fresh and shows lively black fruit, incense and nuanced Chinese tea aromas. The palate is beautifully balanced with a lightly spiced entry, fine depth and with plenty of concentration counterbalanced by finesse toward the graphite-infused finish. Its saline aftertaste beckons you back for another sip. An appropriate way to start your tenure as a Grand Cru Classé "A". Drink 2032-2070
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Antonio Galloni, April 2023, Score: 96-99
The 2022 Figeac is a magnificent, super-classic Figeac, as odd as that might sound in this freakish vintage. A wine of sublime delicacy and nuance, the 2022 possesses tremendous aromatic presence, finely sculpted fruit and phenomenal persistence. I especially admire the wine's freshness, energy and clean, mineral finish. The 2022 is a towering Figeac, a wine that brilliantly showcases the unique qualities of this site. Figeac is a rare Right Bank estate with gravel and blue clay soils that are not often found here, planted approximately with equal parts Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink 2032 - 2052.
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Wine Advocate, April 2023, Score: 98-100
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 Classé "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 Frédéric Faye, consulting winemaker Thomas Duclos and all their team.
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James Suckling, April 2023, Score: 97-98
This is the earliest ever harvest for Figeac and the fruit is something else. Flowers such as violets. Blackberries. Currants. Cherry blossom. Full-bodied with lovely freshness and depth. Crunchy and juicy. Perfect al dente fruit. 35% merlot , 34% cabernet franc and 31% cabernet sauvignon
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Decanter, April 2023, Score: 98-100
An incredibly impressive wine in 2022 shaping up to be the wine of the vintage not only as it seems to defy the hot and dry conditions in every way but delivers such confidence and charm it makes it hard to resist. Gorgeous aromatic expression on the nose, open and alive, generous scents of bright bramble fruit and floral notes as well as graphite and cedar. Smooth, supple and generous on the palate, tannins are silky and perfectly weighted giving roundness but also structure with a red berry juiciness and saline bite that is so compelling. Vibrant, dynamic, balanced and precise, the energy is outstanding yet there’s still depth, weight and power underneath. There's not a single thing out of place - utterly seductive and totally moreish. A great effort from the estate now proudly displaying their upgrade to St-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé A for the first time as of the new classification. 3.7pH. 8% press wine. 82% grand vin production. Harvest 1 - 26 September, the earliest ever.
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Matthew Jukes, April 2023, Score: 19.5+
2022 Figeac has all of the ingredients of a monumental wine. In common with other estates that have made incredible wines this year, the fruit was pristine when it arrived at the winery. Then the skills of the winemaking team were deployed in not extracting any more depth of flavour or perfume than was necessary. A gossamer-smooth extraction and a cool, long fermentation were all that was needed to create one of the silkiest and most enchanting wines on the Right Bank. The deep-rooted Cabernets hold firm here, with Merlot decking the powerful Cab structure in beautiful finery. It is easy to get lost in the flavour, but the tannins mount a stealthy attack twothirds of the way into the experience, warning that this is a gloriously serious wine with a very long life ahead. Powdery, laser-sighted, drenched in graphite, and with ultra-fine sootiness, this is a masterclass in how tannins can make a delicious wine into a genuinely exultant experience. This is my favourite young Figeac of all time. As I left the Château, I walked through the winery, explicitly designed to isolate individual parcels of fruit to increase the complexity and intricacy of the final blend. It is clear that this new facility has had a profound effect on 2022 Figeac, and I have a feeling that this is not the first time that I will go gaga for a new Figeac release. By all accounts, Petit Figeac is a wine worth tracking down, too, although I am sworn to secrecy as to why.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2023, Score: 18
A signature Figeac, the Cabernet coming through on the nose and palate. Floral, cassis and graphite notes. Plenty of energy, the fruit juicy and rich but not excessive. Ripe, abundant tannins behind. Long, persistent finish. Just a hint of oak in the background. (James Lawther MW) 14% Drink 2032 – 2050
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Jeb Dunnuck, April 2023, Score: 96-98+
A beautiful wine that, shockingly, reminds me of the 2016, the 2022 Château Figeac checks in as 35% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc, and 31% Cabernet Sauvignon that was harvested from the 1st of September to the 25th. Director Frédéric Faye commented that verasion took longer than usual, and they had to do a slight green harvest to get uniform ripeness. The results are stunning. The wine has a vivid purple hue as well as remarkable freshness and purity in its black and blue fruits, which are followed by notes of wild herbs, chocolate, graphite, spring flowers, and a touch of classic Cabernet Sauvignon graphite. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has a silky, elegant mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and a great finish. This classic, ultra-precise Figeac is going to warrant a solid decade of bottle age and be very long-lived given its purity and balance.
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Jane Anson, April 2023, Score: 98
Vibrant damson in colour, edges of gunsmoke and red rose petals on the aromatics, as you so often find in Figeac, with dense cassis, black cherry, incense, graphite, slate, mint leaf, cocoa bean, cappucino and liquorice on the palate. This is creamy but airy, and full of joy. Close to the 2016 vintage in its construction and effortless confidence, no question of the ageing ability of this wine, and a fine vintage to mark the first year as Premier Grand Cru Classé A. Breaking down how they got here, you find inevitably careful winemaking with no pumping over, cool 26C for fermentation, making use of techniques learnt in the hot, dry summer of 2018, from cover crops to minimum green harvesting. Blend finished including 8% press in March, 3.7ph, harvest began September 1, earliest on record, until 26, second vintage in new winery. Frederic Faye director.
