Chateau Figeac 2016

The wine in this vintage

A very wet winter and spring built up precious water reserves for the hot, bone-dry summer of 2016, which ended with a balanced September: a vintage of great classicism and freshness, among Bordeaux's finest in decades. Château Figeac 2016 captures this combination fully, with blackcurrant, blackberry, violet, graphite, mint, cedar and fine spice, on a taut, deep palate with silky tannins. Jancis Robinson rated it 18.5/20 and Robert Parker 97 points. Still early in its evolution, it can be appreciated now but has many years of growth ahead. It shows its best at cellar temperature, alongside roast game, veal or hard cheeses.

The producer · Château Figeac

Among the oldest estates in Saint-Émilion, Château Figeac traces its roots to a Gallo-Roman villa and was for centuries a vast domain from which several neighbouring properties were carved in the nineteenth century. It has belonged to the Manoncourt family since 1892: Thierry Manoncourt, from the post-war years, gave the wine its modern identity, and today his descendants run the estate with a technical team led by Frédéric Faye. The vineyard, around forty hectares in a single block, sits on three ridges of deep gravel, a terroir rare on the Right Bank and closer to that of the Médoc. This explains a blend unique in the appellation, in which Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc carry as much weight as Merlot, or more. The result is a Saint-Émilion of great aromatic complexity, fresh, spicy and long-lived, which in recent years has gained further precision and depth. In 2022 Figeac was promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classé A, crowning a long pursuit of excellence, alongside a newly built winery.

Critics' scores

• 97 Robert Parker
• 96 Wine Spectator
• 18.5/20 Jancis Robinson

Technical details

Producer

Château Figeac

Region

Bordeaux

Country

Francia

Type

Rosso

Vintage

2016

When to drink

Hold, still evolving

Critics' average

96.5/100

Sizes

75 cl, Magnum 150 cl, Case of 6 × 75 cl

eWibe code

0180116