Château La Tour Figeac 2020

Striking nose, full-on, potent and heady. Less plush on the palate than expected. More sleek and cool red and blue fruits than jammy or over-extracted. Still lots of tension here, the oak elements restricting some of the enjoyment at this stage, but it’s sleek and well defined. A spiced aspect is clear, with toast and smoke and lots of sticky black licorice, so wait a few years before opening. Good clarity, feels well crafted with energy.

This is textured and polished with a medium body, offering aromas of ripe plums and mulberries, some dark chocolate and dark spices. Ripe, supple tannin structure and a creamy finish. Better after 2024.

70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample. Quite gourmand in style with plenty of chewy fruit, the fruit showing a kind of natural, earthy edge. Tannins are a little sandy and dry and it misses a bit of lift, but it should offer early pleasure.

The 2020 La Tour Figeac is a gorgeous wine. Aromatic, lifted and super-expressive, La Tour Figeac is all class. Crushed red berry fruit, mint, rose petal, spice and dried flowers are all nicely woven together in this silky, mid-weight Saint-Émilion. I would give this a few years in the cellar, but it should drink well with minimal time.

Flowers, licorice, and smoke with fresh red berries create the nose. On the palate, the wine is elegant, silky and fresh, as well as supple, long and packed with dark chocolate, black cherries, espresso and licorice; there is length and refinement here. Drink from 2023-2040.

Deep ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, bright narrow rim. Somewhat restrained, a hint of cherries, ripe plums, a trace of orange zest, fine tobacco nuances. Juicy, elegant, pronounced fruit, lively structure, round, ripe tannins, a hint of nougat, balanced. Good ageing potential.

Butterscotch and some new oak notes, red-fruited with medium weight, rounded and balanced with grippy tannins and fine length.

Coming from vines located between Cheval Blanc and Figeac, from more sandy soils, the 2020 Château La Tour Figeac reveals a deep ruby/purple hue as well as gorgeous aromatics of red and black fruits, loamy earth, flowers, and spice. Pure elegance on the palate, it's not massive and offers more medium-bodied richness, yet has terrific mid-palate depth, ripe, polished tannins, and a great finish. This is a great vintage for this estate, and while it’s already hard to resist, this beauty should evolve for 15-20 years in cold cellars.

Kunz barrel sample 2021: fresh, finely mineral and powerful bouquet, cassis, cherries, licorice, mint, vanilla. Densely knit, creamy, fruity palate with powerful, sweet, refined fruit, dense, elegant structure, varied, sweet aromatics, fine tannins, long, full, aromatic finish.

Fresh, finely mineral and powerful bouquet, blackcurrant, cherry, licorice, mint, vanilla. A closely knit, creamy, fruity palate with intense, sweet, delicate fruit, a dense, elegant structure, a varied, sweet aromatic profile, fine tannins, and a long, full, aromatic finish. 18/20 2026 - 2045

A blend of 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc, the 2020 La Tour Figeac is deep garnet-purple in color. It rolls out with expressive notes of crushed red and black cherries, black raspberries, and lilacs, leading to hints of iron ore and wild sage. The medium to full-bodied palate offers taut, youthful black and red fruits with compelling mineral accents and a firm, grainy texture, finishing with lovely freshness.

93-94

A characterful wine with deep, powerful, spicy fruit, notes of blackcurrant leaf, tobacco, and a slight menthol touch. Still powerful on the palate, very well balanced, quite distinguished, with beautiful, finely grained tannins.

Dark, intense, vibrant colour. Moderately aromatic nose with Merlot notes. Smooth, fruity, pleasant and flavourful palate, with medium body and length. It doesn’t have the breadth of younger vintages.

Seductive notes of fresh raspberry; on the palate, a crisp, juicy style with a pleasant bitterness, harmonious and appealing in the best sense.

Clear blueberry and raspberry fruit, a little tight and reserved right now, needs a good few extra years in bottle. Plenty of promising spiced aniseed and lemongrass notes, this is bright and has energy. 14.6ha estate owned by Otto Rettenmaier.

There is a fine proportion of Cabernet Franc in this wine, giving structure to the dense black fruits. It is a ripe, fruity wine, its tannins well embedded in the fruit. The wine needs to age. Drink from 2027.