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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.9 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 174 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Sean Tay on 10/24/2023 & rated 96 points: 2nd tasting note. Pronounced nose intensity with notes of black berry, fig, smoke, toast, spices, charr wood, flora. Medium+ acidity and medium+ tannin. Tannin is velvety. In its perfect drinking window now. (1191 views) | | | Tasted by Mulvk on 10/7/2023 & rated 94 points: Great wine. No rush to drink. (1003 views) | | | Tasted by Philip67 on 6/15/2023 & rated 94 points: Gorgeous. Nice generous primary red and black fruits. Underbrush and saddle leather. Medium plus weight. Earthy, dusty, grainy tannins, typical of Figeac. Good acidity. Long and complex. Drinking now but still young. (1680 views) | | | Tasted by Vinumming & Ahhing on 5/17/2023 & rated 94 points: Amazing Bordeaux To Mark A Special Birthday (Noizé, London): Rich damson fruit on the nose here with some redcurrant reduction, some orange zest and a little cinnamon. Later there are some liquorice and hawthorn notes. Plate starts a little tight and for this remains a wine that whilst ready is on the upslope. Lovely breadth and resolving tannins. What a start to the reds. (2089 views) | | | Tasted by bobadopolis on 5/1/2023 & rated 95 points: Alcova, WY 2023. Spectacular after about 3 hours of air. (1744 views) | | | Tasted by jviz on 1/16/2023 & rated 97 points: I thought this was marvelous. A near perfect bottle, outclassing the 98 Mouton, although it was far more ready to drink. Deep red fruit, well integrated, with tertiary nuances throughout. Intense waves of fruit and well balanced. Ripe without being roasted, this is my favorite 98 right bank to date. (2226 views) | | | Tasted by Rani on 1/14/2023 & rated 92 points: Tasted blind. Nailed it as a 1998 St. Emilion. Green bell peppers and shaved dark chocolate. Brooding, list of acidity and velvety tannins. Notes pf mushrooms, earth, and sous bois. Long finish. (1772 views) | | | Tasted by Cailles on 12/18/2022 & rated 93 points: 16x Right Bank Bordeaux 1998: Almost 25 years later, it’s a great time to check in on the wines of the much lauded right bank vintage. All wines tasted single blind. A few observations: A) most wines showed quite open with a melted tannin structure, but still good tension across the board. B) The highlight was rather on the structural side (elegance and finesse in most wines), than on the aromatic depth side, which was limited, also due to… C) …the fact that there is limited tertiary expression yet. Most wines will need at least another 5 to rather 10 years to reach their peak. D) An average rating of 91.9pts in my book and 92.0pts for the group shows that despite a few highlights, the reception was mixed overall. E) Best wines today were Angelus (group average 94.9pts), Valandraud (94.4) and Cheval Blanc (94.0). I would put L’Evangile (rated 95pts) in the top category too but the group (average 92.6) was less enthusiastic.
TN: Not overly expressive nose. Dark berries, tobacco showing shining through a bit. On the palate, the wine is better. There’s quite some substance, good depth with seductive, ripe dark berries, minerality and earthy notes. Some iron aromas stand out. Melted tannins, good tension and freshness, velvety texture, good length. Ver balanced and round. Overall a success but of course in no way comparable (in terms of depth, precision and finesse) to the wines that are produced at this winery these days.
Decanting: Decanted for probably 3-4 hours which was a bit too long for this wine.
Group score: 91.6
Group rank: 10th out of 16 reds (2523 views) | | | Tasted by La Sprezzatura on 11/26/2022 & rated 91 points: 1998 Horizontal Bordeaux Right Bank Tasting (private) (Essen'z): All wines were tasted single blind and were decanted before tasting. 14 right bank bordeaux and 2 pirates. All wines were from the vintage 1998.
General observations:
Unfortunately, the tasting was below my expectations. The was no real "wow-effect" at any wines as I had with the left bank tasting 1982-1990 we had a year ago. So I had to find out, that, me, personally, I like more the aged left than the aged right banks. In the end, Ridge Montebello (pirate) ended even up being the wine of the night for me.
_______
TN:
bouquet rather closed and thin, remained closed over 30 min in the glass.
on the palate nice acidity and good drink flow, tannins drying and very present.
this could have been a little flawed, but not sure. didnt convince me at all as it was off balance (1503 views) | | | Tasted by sirpat00 on 11/26/2022 & rated 93 points: Bordeaux Right Bank 1998 tasting (Essenz (Brugg)): Bordeaux right bank 1998 tasting. All wines were served single blind and were decanted several hours. The sample showed i/ generally healthy and structured wines, still quite primary with further aging potential; ii/ the overall performance was below expectations considering the repute of the vintage for the right bank (although this may be due to the very long aeration), iii/ top wine for me were 1. Valandrau (95), 2. L’Evangile (95), 3. Angélus (94) while for the group the ranking was 1. Angélus (94.9), 2. Valandrau (94.4), 3. Cheval Blanc (94.0). Complete list including group scores included in the tasting story.
Tasting note:
Sous-bois and on balance a more dark cherry type of fruit, a bit of tobacco and cigar box and green, herbal complexity. Delicate, finely-knit palate with fresh red berry juice, a long and smoky finish, nice structure and follow-through. However, there was a musty layer that distracted from what otherwise would have been a quite amazing and elegant bouquet. (1867 views) | | | Tasted by aagrawal on 11/21/2022 & rated 94 points: Dinner with the wine group (Cindy's Place): Deep ruby; superb aromatics, black currant, some herbal, lovely; palate is medium-full bodied, superb balance, medium integrated tannins, medium alcohol, wonderful mature fruit; finish is long. Lovely with time ahead, wonderful umami. 94 (1579 views) | | | Tasted by Philip67 on 8/5/2022 & rated 95 points: Big rich, classic rustic Figeac style. It's a beautiful brute, definitely not the typical Bordeaux elegant profile. (1927 views) | | | Tasted by andtheodor on 5/26/2022 flawed bottle: TCA (2254 views) | | | Tasted by RussK on 4/11/2022 & rated 92 points: Russk. Some nice tertiary notes: earth, barnyard. Still quite firm -- could even sit longer. 92- As good as it was, it was not the WOTN in a 6 bottle line up. (2410 views) | | | Tasted by Sean Tay on 1/3/2022 & rated 94 points: Medium ruby in colour. Pronounced nose intensity with notes of black berry, fig, smoke, toast, spices. Medium+ acidity and medium tannin. Tannin is velvety. Starting to enter into its drinking cycle. Drinking now or cellar longer for maximum pleasure. Decanting will surely help. (2804 views) | | | Tasted by Cailles on 12/20/2021 & rated 93 points: 11x Bdx & Bdx Blends from around the World: Tasted double blind. At first a bit muted, this opened up and got better by the minute. At first this had not enough fruit to make it a balanced experience (90/91 pts only) but with time the fruit came forward and the nose got more layered and expressive and my score kept climbing higher. 93 to 94 pts.
TN: Medium expressive bouquet with nice sweet red and dark red fruit, some leathery aromas, some smoke. Not super precise but quite fine and inviting. With time the nose gets more expressive with more layers with truffles and some barnyard aromas. On the palate this shows fine dark fruit, but at first not much sweetness but with more air there is more sweetness, some green notes which disappear over time, minerality and with time more tertiary aromas. Not super precise but overall very clean. Fine, molten tannins, well-integrated medium+ acidity. Medium length with a minerality driven finish. This is quite complete but certainly not one of the great vintages for Figeac.
Decanting: Decanted for one or the other hour (I don’t know exactly how long) which seemed right.
Group rank (9 ppl.): 3rd out of 10 wines (4004 views) | | | Tasted by La Sprezzatura on 12/4/2021 & rated 92 points: on the nose tertiary aromas such as tobacco, leather and pencil lead. nice and rather typical bordeaux-nose with some black fruits at its core.
on the palate nice and charming, great complexity and vibrance. lacks a bit of length. (1036 views) | | | Tasted by J_H on 12/4/2021 & rated 94 points: Weinkongress 2021 (Restaurant Sonne Leuggern): - Tasted blind
- Nose: medium + intense with advanced aromas of foliage, earth and a mix of dark and light berries. Also a lot of vanilla and a tomato touch, reminiscent of ketchup. Very round and sexy.
- Palate: Fresh and good acidity (medium +), ripe velvety tannins. Lacks some length and complexity (lacks vibrance) but overall nice to drink. Has a nice lightness with enough red fruit in it, not necessarily directly reminding of right bank bordeaux. Can be drunk very well now without destroying future potential. (2615 views) | | | Tasted by sirpat00 on 12/4/2021 & rated 94 points: Tasted double-blind as part of a random mixed Bordeaux-blend line-up. Ripe, on average rather dark berry fruit, although the essence is ripe red raspberry. Meaty elements and aging notes, black tea, some spicy seasoning, licorice, green herbs and leather. Over time more and more minty features as well. Nicely round on the palate, combining fruit and freshness with animal features. This is a nicely aged wine with some complexity and aromatic breadth to it, but not the best the 1998 Right Bank nor Figeac has to offer. (2542 views) | | | Tasted by liber on 10/23/2021 & rated 95 points: 16th of 24, decanted 90 minutes, perfect cork and level, little changed from bottle noted in detail in May 20, very attractive, on maturity plateau, but some upside, last glass best. VF (18.5)......interesting to put against neighbours, CB and VCC! (2249 views) | | | Tasted by CHL on 8/8/2021 & rated 93 points: Balanced, mature, drinking very well now. Went well with a variety of dishes from a tapas restaurant. (2303 views) | | | Tasted by zorglub123 on 7/30/2021 & rated 93 points: Fully matured claret in its peak. Perfect cork. Still lively with good fruit. Heavy sediment. Opened an hour prior to consumption, service with a matured prime rib. Excellent (2273 views) | | | Tasted by melzar on 12/25/2020 & rated 93 points: Nice well balanced claret from an unheralded vintage. Nose of black olives. Initially quite tannic and unyielding. Exposure to air brings the fruit out.Consideable sediment thrown. Suggest decanting. probably drinking at peak, or slightly past. Went well with rack of lamb. (3241 views) | | | Tasted by dnnk88 on 12/11/2020 & rated 92 points: 1st Christmas Party of 2020!: Red fruits, plums, cigar box, dried tobacco leaves, herbs, slight green notes. As always, this confused everyone in a blind taste. Enjoyed this tonight - open up! 92/93 (3095 views) | | | Tasted by merlotsmile on 11/21/2020: St Emilion 1st Growths & those that deserve an upgrade!: 67 Pall Mall Zoom Webinar (3320 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Mar/Apr 2022, Issue #98, The Stunning 1998 Vintage On Bordeaux’s Right Bank
(Chateau Figeac) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Neal Martin
Vinous, A Century of Bordeaux: The Eights (May 2018) (5/18/2018)
(Figeac Figeac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Jan/Feb 2018, Issue #73, Always the Right Time For the Right Bank Another Compendium From St. Émilion and Pomerol
(Château Figeac (St. Émilion)) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Jane Anson
Decanter, Figeac Vertical (6/29/2017)
(Château Figeac, St-Émilion, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (1/24/2016)
(Ch Figeac St-Émilion Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (6/5/2015)
(Ch Figeac St-Émilion Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (4/14/2014)
(Ch Figeac St-Émilion Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Jan/Feb 2012, Issue #37, Château Figeac: Another St. Émilion Exemplar of Elegance
(Château Figeac) Login and sign up and see review text. | By John Kapon
Vintage Tastings, Happy 90th Birthday Thierry (2/5/2008)
(Figeac) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (3/11/2006)
(Ch Figeac St-Émilion Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, May 2004
(Chateau Figeac St Emilion) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, May 2004
(Château Figeac St Emilion Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, July/August 2002, IWC Issue #103
(Chateau Figeac Saint Emilion) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (6/28/2002)
(Ch Figeac St-Émilion Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2000, IWC Issue #90
(Chateau Figeac Saint Emilion) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 1999, IWC Issue #84
(Chateau Figeac Saint Emilion) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (2/21/2003)
(Château Figeac) Nice berry nose; big, fruity, herbaceous, berry, plum palate with a touch of maple; medium-plus finish (35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot) 92 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of View From the Cellar and Vinous and Decanter and JancisRobinson.com and Vintage Tastings and Winedoctor and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Château Figeac Producer website - Read more about Chateau Figeac
Château Figeac
Vineyard: Château FIGEAC is a family-owned estate covering 54 hectares (133 acres), of which 40 (99 acres) are dedicated to vine-growing. Located to the west of Saint-Emilion, close to the boundaries of Pomerol, its 3 mounds of Güntzian gravel give the vineyard its identity and its grape variety composition.
Appellation: Saint-Emilion Grand Cru
Classification: 1st Great Classified Growth since the classification was first set up in 1954
Landscape relief: 3 mounds
Soil type: Guntzian gravel
Grape variety composition: 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot
Hand-harvested
Traditional aging
Oak and stainless steel vats
Duration of ageing: 15 to 18 months
100% new barrels
Average annual production: 120,000 bottles
Technical manager: Frédéric Faye
Cellarmaster: Jean Albino
Owners: Madame Thierry Manoncourt and her childrenRed Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanLibournais Libournais (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux) - Read more about St. Emilion and its wines - Read more about Pomerol and its wines
Saint Emilion Grat Classified Growth, Classified Growths, Grands Crus Classes, GCC
In 1954, while the "Graves" growths had just published their own classification, the wine syndicate of Saint-Emilion, composed by wine growers, brokers and wine traders with the approval of the INAO - Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (A.O.C), decided to work on a classification for the wines of Saint Emilion. Initially, four grades were defined. These were reduced to two - First Great Classified Growth (A and B) and Great Classified Growth - in 1984.
As of Medoc's 1855 historical grading, the Saint-Emilion Great Classified Growth classification is not only based on qualitative criteria by tasting the wines on a ten years period previous to the assessment, but also on commercial considerations such as:
- sales price levels
- national and international commercial distribution
- the estate's reputation on the market
Properties who don't manage to join the club of about sixty Classified Growths are given the denomination of Great Growth ("Grand Cru"), while the remaining wineries of the A.O.C are simply reported as "Saint-Emilion". It is to be noted that the owners must officially apply to appear in the official classification. Thus for example the famous Chateau Tertre-Roteboeuf, whose quality and reputation would easily justify to be listed among the First Great Classified Growths, does not appear here by the will of its owner, François Mitjaville.
The Saint-Emilion Great Growth classification was revised in 1969, 1985, 1996 and 2006. The only two guaranteed vintage (A.O.C) who can apply to the classification are the "Saint-Emilion Grand Cru" and "Saint-Emilion" areas.
By grading 61 properties, the 2006 revision confirmed many growths from the former classification, but also caused a number of surprises and a few inevitable disappointments. Many observers thought that the impressive progression of Perse's Chateau Pavie since 1998 would be rewarded by an upgrade into the First Great Classified Growths (A) category, but finally such was not the case.
Among the estates promoted to the First Great Classified Growths B category are Chateau Troplong-Mondot and Pavie-Macquin, whose efforts made since the Nineties fully justify their new grade. It should be noted that no First Great Classified Growth was relegated to the lower Great Classified Growth class.
Promoted growths from the status of Great Growth ("Grand Cru") to Great Classified Growth ("Grand Cru Classe") are: Chateaux Bellefont-Belcier, Destieux, Fleur Cardinale, Grand Corbin, Grand Corbin-Despagne and Monbousquet.
The demoted growths from the status of Great Classified Growth to Great Growth are: Chateaux Bellevue, Cadet Bon, Faurie de Souchard, Guadet Saint-Julien, La Tour du Pin-Figeac (Belivier), La Tour du Pin-Figeac (Moueix), Lamarzelle, Petite Faurie de Soutard, Tertre Daugay, Villemaurine and Yon-Figeac. If the recent samples of some of the above mentioned properties may justify their current downgrade, there are great chances that estates like Bellevue, Tertre Daugay or Yon-Figeac will be upgraded to their previous rankings by the next revision in 2016 as the progresses noted after 2000, but not entering in the range of vintages (1993 - 2002) appointed for the criteria of selection for the 2006 classification, are noticable.
The two following estates have completely disappeared from the Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classification: Curé-Bon-la-Madeleine (integrated meanwhile to Chateau Canon) and La Clusière (integrated meanwhile to Chateau Pavie).
Finally, no estate considered as "garagiste" has integrated the classification. Valandraud, Mondotte, Le Dome, Bellevue-Mondotte or Magrez-Fombrauge have, for the least, the potential to be ranked as Great Classified Growths. In sight of the very fine quality reached by the above mentioned estates in recent vintages as well as all the innovative wine making methods used by the "garagistes", it remains to be seen whether the authorities will dare to cross the line in 2016..?St. Émilion Grand Cru Les Vins de St. Émilion (Syndicate Vitocole de Saint-Emilion) – Read about St. Emilion
Vins de Bordeaux:
Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot
Soil: Sandy soils with alluvial gravel deposits
Surface Area: 4,160 ha |
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