Château-Figeac 2015

Enormous aromatic complexity, with spicy, floral and mineral components and notes of herbal tea. The tension of this wine, the distinctive class of its tannins and its tremendous length are simply breathtaking.

Densely packed, with crème de cassis, raspberry reduction and plum sauce flavors allied to notes of loam, warm cast iron and roasted apple wood. Shows terrific cut and energy, with the iron element helping to push the finish along and letting the fruit linger. Among the more backward wines of the vintage, so patience is required. Best from 2028 through 2045. 8,333 cases made.

95–97. Barrel Sample. Although the wine has a fine velvet texture, this is deceptive. Behind this facade is a wine that is powerful, dense and full of dark, brooding tannins. The Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend (43%) gives both the juiciness and the fine black currant flavors. It is going to be a very fine wine as it ages.

Bright plum, smoked walnut, olive stone and sweet spice. The palate offers ripe black cherry, chewy tannins and luscious acidity. Elegant and balanced, with integrated oak and rich, well-developed fruit. Grippy mouthfeel and a herbal finish.

Intense, yet extremely precise nose of red fruit with hints of pomegranate and vanilla. Stunning balance of great ripeness and very fine tannins that give this a wonderfully rich and plush texture at the very long and lingering finish, which gives you so much to think about. Drink or hold. Château Quintus vertical tasting. SP.

One of the real standouts of the vintage, the 2015 Figeac soars out of the glass with stunning aromatic presence and beautifully layered fruit. Powerful and yet also light on its feet, it is wonderfully complex from start to finish. Plum, mocha, spice, new leather and menthol gradually open up, but the 2015 is most remarkable for its sensual perfume and exceptional overall balance. This is the first vintage the winemaking team followed a new protocol designed to maintain purity of fruit and aromas by reducing contact with oxygen during the first year of aging. The 2015 Figeac is magnificent.

Looking for unlimited layers of opulently, luscious, elegant, concerted, perfectly ripe fruits, with purity, that linger, your search is over. 2015 Figeac hits all the right notes again, and again. I’m happy to have more bottles so I can enjoy its evolution over the years. 2 -3 hours is going to bring out a lot in the wine. Drink from 2025-2055.

Dark ruby garnet colour with purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim. Delicate aromas of peonies, ripe dark berries, pleasant herbal savouriness mingles with blackberry confit and notes of black cherries, a hint of candied orange, dark minerality. Medium complexity, dark berries, chocolaty tannins, mineral on the finish, some caramel in the aftertaste, already well-developed and accessible, could be drunk after an hour of decanting. (2021 - 2045).

A hold onto your hat wine, the 2015 Château Figeac is pure perfection and one of the wines of this terrific vintage. A blend of 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc, its deep purple color is followed by a huge nose of crème de cassis, black raspberries, smoked earth, and graphite. This is followed by a full-bodied, opulent and incredibly concentrated Saint-Emilion that has everything in the right places, no hard edges, thrilling purity of fruit, and a great, great finish. This is one of those rare gems that carries huge intensity and richness, yet still glides across the palate with no sense of weight or heaviness. Winemaker Frédéric Faye thinks the 2016 is even better but that certainly isn’t stopping me from giving this crazy good wine a triple digit score. Everyone owes it to themselves to try and taste this wine at least once!

THE SAINT-ÉMILION SENSATION Cabernet Sauvignon takes the lead! If, as a journalist, you declare Figeac to be the very best Saint-Émilion, you may find yourself needing to justify it—unless you have a reason… The largest appellation in Bordeaux (around 5,200 hectares) is planted with an estimated 80% Merlot. Cabernet Franc comes second. Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenère make up only a few, tiny remaining percentage points. So far, so good. But the varietal makeup of the two châteaux most often considered the best and most expensive (Ausone and Cheval Blanc) is made up of at least 50% Cabernet Franc. Which means that, on the very best terroirs, Cabernet Franc is actually the better quality partner than Merlot! I do, however, believe in the thesis that in truly great Cabernet years, Cabernet Sauvignon can be even better than Cabernet Franc. And that is obviously the case with this sensational Figeac. As the only Saint-Émilion, it has a lion’s share of 43% Cabernet Sauvignon in its blend. Clear? P.S. In the past, with Figeac one started with the Merlot and then simply skimmed the rest. Today, there are precise time windows in order to achieve maximum ripeness. Merlot: 21 to 25 September Cabernet Franc: 12 to 14 October Cabernet Sauvignon: 5 to 15 October Barrel tasting in spring 2016: 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Cabernet Franc, 29% Merlot. 41 hl/ha. Impenetrable violet colour with almost black highlights. An incredibly spicy, almost inky bouquet: clove heads, blueberries, liquorice. On the palate, dense and fleshy, delivering a very balanced astringency, precisely focused, fresh, floral and black-berry driven. An extremely persistent finish. It almost never ends—unbelievable. This is the best Figeac en primeur since the 1998 vintage. And it may even surpass it. In fact, you could only taste it at the estate itself. But at Ulysse Cazabonne there was half a bottle to go back to. For me, this is unquestionably the Saint-Émilion sensation of the 2015 vintage! I will be buying a lot of this! (20/20). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tasted again at the château in December 2016. No question, it is heading in the right direction and will be truly great. It has what it takes to become a legend! 18: Deep purple, saturated at the core, with a garnet rim. Subtle bouquet, introspective in style and needing a little air. Brilliant black berries, liquorice, caramel, liquorice, dark leather notes. Only after about 10 minutes does it begin to communicate. On the palate it then shows its full greatness: overwhelming, mouth-filling, fleshy with rich extract. Little by little, with each sip, it releases its aromas. It still shows a demanding astringency and flexes its muscles. A wine with the potential to age for many decades. A concentrated powerhouse built on an attractive, forward-looking blend of 43% (!) Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc. (20/20).

(43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Franc, 41 hl/ha) Velvety, deep, dense, dark bouquet with blue and black berries, tobacco, chocolates, herbs and liquorice. Balanced, dense, powerful palate with ripe, sweet fruit, a tightly knit structure, plenty of fine tannins, intense dark, subtly opulent aromatics, and a long, dense, full finish. 19/20 2024 - 2040

Tasted at the 10 Years on Tasting in February in London, and again at home later in the year. I still remember how electric it was tasting this wine during En Primeur, and it's such a thrill to see it delivering so much pleasure now. This is brambled, fleshy, reserved yet electric, with grip, precision and verve. So good. Harvest September 21 to October 15, 100% new oak for ageing. Romain Jean-Pierre technical director, Frederic Faye managing director.

A blend of 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, and 28% Cabernet Franc, the 2015 Figeac is deep garnet-purple colored. It sashays out with gregarious notes of plum preserves, blackcurrant cordial, and Indian spices, followed by hints of redcurrants, camphor, and dark chocolate with a waft of violets. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is rich and seductive with superbly ripe, fine-grained tannins and well-knit freshness, finishing long and perfumed. Irresistible to drink right now (with a good decant), it will easily give another 25-years+ of pleasure.

For a long time, Figeac showed a garnet colour, but in 2015, the colour is inky, with an intense liquorice nose. The wine is dense and fairly tannic, with pronounced tannins that bring a slight firmness, a very fine length, plenty of substance as well, a touch of greenness and a drying finish that is hard to explain at this stage. 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Cabernet Franc, 29% Merlot. pH 3.75. 14°. To be revisited after bottling.

Deep purple with violet highlights. A complex, intense bouquet combining oak ageing, fruit and floral notes. What complexity and depth. A superb symbiosis between freshness and a more candied side. I also find spicy notes of black pepper and a touch of thyme. The attack is compact, fine, elegant and creamy. This Figeac brilliantly reminds us that it is not enough to be powerful; it must also be subtle and able to perform across many registers. That is exactly what this wine—brilliantly guided by Frédéric Faye and his team—manages to convey: controlled power with exceptional aromatic and flavour delicacy. The tannins are compact and powerful, unfolding slowly, while the structure provides backbone and perfectly supports the fruit. The finish is intense and persistent. A brilliant wine.

Logo on the cork: CB Bad bottle Dark, intense colour, slightly evolved. Discreet nose. Caressing on the attack, smooth through the mid-palate, the wine turns a little hot on the finish. Abnormally harsh tannins. Medium length. An unrecognisable bottle compared to the day before.