Chateau Figeac is a beautiful and elegant wine from St. Emilion. It has a red color that is starting to turn brown in the core, indicating its age.
On the nose, this wine is very ripe and yet still retains an elegant profile. Creamy aged dark fruits, truffle, flowers, and toast notes all combine to make a complex and enjoyable aroma.
On the palate, there is a lot of sweet ripe fruit that is well balanced with toasty notes and very well integrated tannins. The wine is drinking very well and provides a delightful experience.
This wine was drank next to a Chateau Palmer 2008. Compared to the Palmer it was lacking some depth and complexity, and was overpowered. Lovely wine nonetheless.
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20 Vintages of Figeac (1985-2019): All wines tasted blind. A few observations: 1) Compared many other right bank peers, Figeac never fell into the trap of producing very high ripeness/high extraction wines. The low(er) Merlot content plays a role, but the wines clearly speak of a conscious decision of not going there. But in the 2000s the fruit profile is darker and only more recent vintages go back to the beautiful bright red fruit. 2) The hype is real: The level of greatness this winery achieves since the 2015 vintage is stunning. The complexity, delineation, purity and textural depth are miles ahead of what the company produced before. 3) Figeac shows that it is among the 15 best wines produced in Bordeaux today and considering the En Primeur prices, probably only Montrose and Pichon Lalande have an equally good value proposition in this top group. 4) Winner was the 2019 (97pts) with an unmatched purity and depth, ahead of the 2015 (96pts) and a stunning 2018 (96pts) which tells a lot about how well they coped with the hot vintage.
TN: The palate is marked by quite ripe but not too ripe fruit. On the palate there are green notes mixing with the fine fruit underneath. The tannins are fine but the slightly too high acidity which disturb the picture a bit. Many right banks excelled in 2008 and are drinking beautifully today. Figeac was not one of them. 89/90 pts.
Decanting: Not decanted. My guess is that 1-2 hours in the decanter would have been good.
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Chateau Figeac - 35 year vertical tasted blind 1985-2019: Ripe nose here, forest floor but also jammy elements and a touch of torrefaction or was that rather oak toast. In any case the fruit could not fully carry the structure either as with so many pre-2010 Figeac.
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Wow - this has really come along in the last 2 years. Previously this had been angular and grumpy - now, after some air, it is showing its potential. Dark black fruit infused with a spine of fine tannins. A touch of coconut whispers on the finish. Serious stuff. Needs more time of course. Years ahead of it.
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2008, Château Figeac, Saint-Emilion. Leuchtendes Rubin, jugendlicher Glanz. Die Nase anfangs verhalten, sehr verschlossen, öffnet sich, baut aus im Glas, mit der Luft kommen florale Töne, rotfruchtig anmutend, komplex. Der Gaumen ist straff, noch wild und jugendlich, viele rote Beeren, dann auch etwas warm anmutende, leicht eingekochte Erdbeere, die Frucht wird getragen von einem markanten Tanningerüst sowie einer schön eingebundenen Säure. Endet würzig und angenehm lang. Irgendwo zwischen Baby und reifem Teenie – leider mit etwas wenig Tiefgang. Trinken (dekantieren) bis 2030+. 18 vvPunkte (91/100). vvWine.ch
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Not much more to add to my 19 Feb note other than this bottle was even fresher, purer with no hint of green leafy cab franc elements. Great drinking over Cantonese lunch!
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92+. Solid ruby. Immediately open with vanilla cherry laced spicy fruit. Bright and fresh, nice truffle, soil notes but more dominated by red, crunchy cranberry, cherry fruits. Touch of Figeac Cabernet Franc pepperyness but in a good way! Lovely mouthful, mid-weight plus, great balance. Drinking very well already and plenty of healthy fruit life left in this wine. Drink with pleasure for the next 20 years with additional complexity as time goes by.
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(Bei Biago) Magnum; zu Beginn eine erdige Note, die sich beim Essen dann wunderbar einfügt und einen milden, leicht würzigen Wein mit mittlerem Körper ergibt - sehr schöner Essensbegleiter.
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The nose starts off with truffle, wet earth, leaf, thyme and dried pit fruits. Medium bodied, the tannins are firm, the fruit is bright and earthy. Even though the color shows age and you find secondary aromatics, another 5 years or more in the cellar should help soften the tannins and perhaps add a bit more flesh.
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Checking in every couple of years on these wines just to see.... and so far I can report that indeed this one is built for the long haul. Still clenched and tight with a core of black fruit but as you would with one of your own children, you will this on to be something better. Sure enough, a couple of houors later this starts unwinding and the nostrils get notes of menthol and the palate has the sexiest fine grained tannins to play with. Just just just just starting to develop - I think it will be a very good wine, but right now these needs a good sleep.
Red and black cherry, cassis, eucalyptus, ripe and cool fruits, hint of cigar, gravelly tannins, young and medium bodied; good balance, but young, and straight forward, a bit hard; one dimensional, lacking complexity or elegance, but still solid. May improve over time. With Frederic Faye, winemaker. Notes: One of the largest estates on the right bank, same family since 1892, whole cluster; The planting of roughly 1/3 each CS, CF, M started in the late 1950's after the 1956 killer frost.
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De mémoire... Ouvert et servi. Couleur grenat foncé, brillant. Nez sur le bois noble, le tabac blond, les fruits noirs. En bouche, belle attaque, vive et sapide. Beaucoup de matière, de tanins que seul le temps mettra en place. Bouteille moins explosive que celle de 2014... repli? Note pour le présent.
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Appearance: Bright and clear, it has deep ruby color, with a slight garnet rims and legs. Nose: Clean, with medium (+) intensity aromas of black fruit such as cassis, blackberry and plum, pungent spice of licorice, sweet spice of cloves, oak notes of cedar, animal notes of leather and meat, mineral notes of earth and graphite, maturity notes of savory. The wine is developing. Palate: Dry with medium (+) acidity, the wine has medium (+) tannin of ripe and velvety texture, with medium (+) alcohol and full body. It has medium (+) intensity flavors of black fruit such as cassis, blackberry and plum, oak notes of cedar, pungent spice of licorice, kernel notes of roasted nuts. The wine has a medium finish. Conclusion: Very good quality St-Emilion with good intensity on the nose, showing nice complexity and particularly the more cassis than plummy element which is rather unique for the right bank, the wine has a good structure, robust yet elegant, with good acidity supporting the concentrated flavors, and the finish was reasonable. It is ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 2-3 years.
Drank in Bordeaux This is wonderful and shows amazing well for the vintage. Go out and buy some. I think Mr Parker was having a bad day when he was rating this wine. After touring St Emilion for a couple of days the one thing that every Vigneron agreed was that this should be GCCA. By the way Cheval Blanc is on land that used to be part of Figeac.
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Lots of controversy around this wine since RP stopped rating it. Clearly with terroir equal to Cheval Blanc this estate could do much better but the 2008, like the 2007 are quite well made wines. Dark purple still. Nose of blue fruit with some oak and spices. On the palate this is soft and clean with very good balance. A pleasure to drink now and with some time to further develop. Not quite a mid 90 in my mid but for sure not at 80-85 as some inordinate notes suggest here...
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Based on previous differing tasting notes on this wine (and subsequent discussion) I thought I'd give it a go. This was much darker and meatier and previous bottles - there is a lot of matter here that will take some time to come round. Black fruits smashed together with rock and minerals - taut but certainly not lean. A lot of blackness to this wine - broody with a touch of oak coming through. This will take quite some time to come round and really open up but I found it excellent and much deeper than expected. Good stuff.
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This bottle of the 2008 Figeac performed somewhat better than the first one I tasted but I remain underwhelmed - despite the overdone passion of some of the other reviewers on this site. Displaying a thick, deep ruby core, the wine has some promising fragrant aromas of cassis, chocolate and graphite. It is full bodied and pleases the palate with a soft and silky texture. However the tannic structure is alarmingly light and the flavours muted and hollow; and while there are some enjoyable notes of raspberry, burnt tar and caramel to speak of it clearly lacks the concentration, depth, precision and intensity I would expect from a wine of this stature. The fairly long finish does make up somewhat for the overall shortcomings of this disappointing Figeac. A good wine? Yes. A great wine? Surely not - and for similar value the vintage has far, far better to offer. Drink it over the next five years as it does not possess the structure or complexity to last beyond that.
Trying this wine again you have to ask if this is at all the same wine as the guy below reviewed. It only highlights the importance of trying more than one bottle if a particular wine performes way differently than expected. Bad bottles may behave in other ways than the typical TCA-notes. The tannic structure on this wine is in fact massive and I get the feeling that this will probably outlive me even though I've barely hit 30 myself. The nose is filled with inky cassis, led pencil shavings, subtle but forward minerality and leather. The palate is medium bodied with, again, huge structure. The emphasis is on cool, dark fruitiness and minerals. The finish is good. This wine will be magical in a few years time. My previous score (for potential) stands. Expect more body, intensity, harmony and complexity as this wine starts to hit its drinking window in 5-10 years. It'll probably still be good in 50 years time.
Disappointingly lightweight and lacking the depth and structure that typically characterize Figeac. There are some promising black currant, chocolate and lead pencil aromas but the wine falls short on the palate with fading flavors and a virtually non-existent finish. The weak, already scarce tannins suggest this will not keep long, open-up or improve with age either. Drink now as it's likely all downhill from here.
Bordal à Châteauvieux (Geneva): Au restaurant, pas de notes formelles, non décanté sur conseil du chef sommelier. Magnifique couleur grenat, tirant sur le violet, brillant. Nez sur des arômes de torréfaction, de fruits noirs, de santal. En bouche, le vin présente un beau gabarit, avec des muscles fins qui s'étirent longtemps tout au long du palais et de la gorge. Le vin est déjà très agréable à boire mais tiendra des années.
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Cracked one to see how it is evolving. Unsurprisingly this is quite shut down at the moment, but the raw ingredients are there - will never be a blockbuster kind of wine, but this should evolve into quite an elegant wine. Needs 10 years to loosen up.
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Complex, spicy, vanilla nose. Strong fruit with long, quite astringent finish, and silky tannin. Something quite smooth and creamy in the texture. Not in a particularly good place now but should be delicious in 5-10 years.
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Fragrant, telling and a dense, concentrate nose which showed good level of weight even in the first sniff. The fresh, dense black currant fruits on the palate has also some integrated earthy, herbal notes. Nicely layered and structured wine, with gripping tannins yet rounded texture. The finish is long and lingering as well - a particular serious 2008 for me and will only improve with age.
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Beautifully classical but still quite opulent, polished and refined with depth and fragrance. Cool minerals and bell peppers with herbalness and a lovely dark fruit coupled with licorice on the nose. The palate is lush and balanced with massive but fine grained tannins, lively acidity and a long finish. I don't care what Parker says, this is a world class wine. Just lovely and with great potential.
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I am so weak. Couldn't resist to see how this wine tastes right at the start of its long life before sending the rest down to the cellar for 10 years. Firm, tight fruit of course, but there is great promise here with the cabernet elements coming to the fore. Already there is balance and restraint here. Not as big or tannic as I was expecting - this will age wonderfully for 20 years. This is never going to be a blockbuster, which is all the more reason to buy it.
Second time tasting this. Generous and complex nose - giving scents of oak, cake and blackfruits all harmoniously interplaying. Nice and open. Silky entry, then builds into a minty and fruity (red) mid-palate. Lush, mid-bodied. Finish still q tannic and bitter. Classy and balanced. http://sgbordeaux.blogspot.com/2011/12/figeac-2008.html
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Pretty balanced. Medium finish but plenty of fruits. Citrus, berries, bit of oak. A bit of earth tones. Very approachable. Can smell a hint of flowers. Bit young but drinking already.
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Tasted at Zachy's Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux's 2008 Bordeaux Vintage Tasting @ Metropolitan Pavilion on 1/28/11. Opaque purple hue. Aromas of black & red cherries & plum. Smooth & silky w/sweet red & dark cassis fruit . Integrated ripe tannins. This is finessed & elegant; one of my faves of the night's tastings.
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Another contender. Has an immediate appeal to the nose, owing to the cab franc which has a pretty, herbal sense to it. The palate is riper than you might expect given the nature of the nose – not greenish on the palate. Very good, on par with the Canon La Gaffeliere, in a different style. 92.
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Bright and full fruits that had a silky and inviting perfume that got better with a few minutes in the glass. Cherry, currants, great texture with fine but full tannins.
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UGC 2008 Bordeaux (The Drake, Chicago IL): nose: elegant and balanced nose filled with red currants, berries, green peppers, spice tones, red cherries and bits of tobacco. Well layered and aiming more for finesse on the nose
taste: gorgeous and silky medium feel with medium+ acidity and velvety tannins set the base. Polished feel with finessed tones of red currants, berries, spice tones, red cherries and some bits of green peppers
overall: the tannins on this may deceive. This will need a good amount of time to fully round itself together and be as beautiful as it can be. This is one of the wines that really caught my attention in a good way
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Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2008 Tasting (The Barker Hangar – Santa Monica, CA): There are beautiful restrained aromas of strawberry, raspberry, and stones in a delicate floral style that is so ethereal. The palate offers superb delicacy to the fresh fruit flavors of berries and minerals. The balance is tremendous and I really love the elegant nuanced style of this wine.
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Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2008 Vintage Tasting (Santa Monica Airport Barker Hangar, Santa Monica, California): Deep ruby robe with red rim. Clean, moderately intense nose showing aromas of cherries, licorice and vanilla. Full-bodied on the palate, with low-to-medium acidity and generous, fairly sweet tannins. The flavors are primarily red fruit and mineral-driven, with the oak being a bit heavy-handed. The middle palate thins just a bit but a medium-length, smooth finish is resurrected. Some time in bottle will likely help to fill in the blanks. This wine may merit a higher score in the future. Drink 1/16-12/30.
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Bordeaux 2008 (Bordeaux): This is a real winner in 2008. Tasted blind and non blind in April, with consistent notes in June: lovely notes in fact, of mint and white flower and cassis. The palate is somewhat closed, but there is sap and concentration, with fine tannic grain, with a pleasingly perfumed aspect. A wine to buy without hesitation. 93-95+
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Bordeaux 2008: First Glimpse (Averys, Bristol): 4.75. Phew, very very concentrated, high acidity and tannin, tonnes of fruit, beautiful mouthfeel and a long finish. Left a smile on my face. Best red of the tasting.
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Bordeaux En Primeur 2008; 3/27/2009-4/3/2009 (Bordeaux): 2008 Barrel sample tasted blind at a 10 wine presentation of Premiers Grands Crus Classés de Saint-Emilion at Chateau Trottevieille. Color: Medium dark intensity. Looks heavier in the glass, swirling ripples. Nose: Pretty nose, sweet black fruits, ripe. Floral notes, too. Palate: Soft attack, round. Solidly constructed. Generous fruit basket, and a good back end. Fairly long. Nice wine. Best of first four. Result - one of top two in the blind taste today.
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11/29/2023 - natap Likes this wine: 92 Points
Zu jung, noch mindestens 5 Jahre liegen lassen. Tannine sind noch nicht schön integriert. Wein zeigt aber jetzt schon seine grosse Klasse.
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8/19/2023 - JBL19 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Je prosté výborné. Nejdrsnější a nejvýraznější.
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2/22/2023 - Wine.ape Likes this wine: 94 Points
Chateau Figeac is a beautiful and elegant wine from St. Emilion. It has a red color that is starting to turn brown in the core, indicating its age.
On the nose, this wine is very ripe and yet still retains an elegant profile. Creamy aged dark fruits, truffle, flowers, and toast notes all combine to make a complex and enjoyable aroma.
On the palate, there is a lot of sweet ripe fruit that is well balanced with toasty notes and very well integrated tannins. The wine is drinking very well and provides a delightful experience.
This wine was drank next to a Chateau Palmer 2008. Compared to the Palmer it was lacking some depth and complexity, and was overpowered. Lovely wine nonetheless.
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2/11/2023 - Cailles wrote: 89 Points
20 Vintages of Figeac (1985-2019): All wines tasted blind. A few observations: 1) Compared many other right bank peers, Figeac never fell into the trap of producing very high ripeness/high extraction wines. The low(er) Merlot content plays a role, but the wines clearly speak of a conscious decision of not going there. But in the 2000s the fruit profile is darker and only more recent vintages go back to the beautiful bright red fruit. 2) The hype is real: The level of greatness this winery achieves since the 2015 vintage is stunning. The complexity, delineation, purity and textural depth are miles ahead of what the company produced before. 3) Figeac shows that it is among the 15 best wines produced in Bordeaux today and considering the En Primeur prices, probably only Montrose and Pichon Lalande have an equally good value proposition in this top group. 4) Winner was the 2019 (97pts) with an unmatched purity and depth, ahead of the 2015 (96pts) and a stunning 2018 (96pts) which tells a lot about how well they coped with the hot vintage.
TN: The palate is marked by quite ripe but not too ripe fruit. On the palate there are green notes mixing with the fine fruit underneath. The tannins are fine but the slightly too high acidity which disturb the picture a bit. Many right banks excelled in 2008 and are drinking beautifully today. Figeac was not one of them. 89/90 pts.
Decanting: Not decanted. My guess is that 1-2 hours in the decanter would have been good.
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2/6/2023 - Collector1855 wrote: 92 Points
Chateau Figeac - 35 year vertical tasted blind 1985-2019: Ripe nose here, forest floor but also jammy elements and a touch of torrefaction or was that rather oak toast. In any case the fruit could not fully carry the structure either as with so many pre-2010 Figeac.
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1/1/2023 - JBL19 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Čím déle od otevření tím lepší. Na začátku (bez dekantace) bylo úplně zavřené
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9/11/2022 - JBL19 Likes this wine: 94 Points
2 hodiny dekantace. Sneslo srovnání s Casanovou TN
Naprosto bravurní. Skvělé.
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3/1/2022 - JBL19 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Otevřená láhev 24 hod, bez dekantace, velmi dobré ale na konci hodně kyselinky... proč?
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11/14/2021 - pjaines Likes this wine:
Black fruit pulled taut so there is no looseness or flab anyway. A mineral spine gives an element of strictness - beautifully understated.
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8/10/2021 - pjaines Likes this wine:
Wow - this has really come along in the last 2 years. Previously this had been angular and grumpy - now, after some air, it is showing its potential. Dark black fruit infused with a spine of fine tannins. A touch of coconut whispers on the finish. Serious stuff. Needs more time of course. Years ahead of it.
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9/16/2019 - JBL19 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dneska říká Šárka že
Jenom 92, ale je to fakt dobré!
Ps: chytila myš takže 93!
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7/19/2019 - vvWine.ch Likes this wine: 91 Points
2008, Château Figeac, Saint-Emilion. Leuchtendes Rubin, jugendlicher Glanz. Die Nase anfangs verhalten, sehr verschlossen, öffnet sich, baut aus im Glas, mit der Luft kommen florale Töne, rotfruchtig anmutend, komplex. Der Gaumen ist straff, noch wild und jugendlich, viele rote Beeren, dann auch etwas warm anmutende, leicht eingekochte Erdbeere, die Frucht wird getragen von einem markanten Tanningerüst sowie einer schön eingebundenen Säure. Endet würzig und angenehm lang. Irgendwo zwischen Baby und reifem Teenie – leider mit etwas wenig Tiefgang. Trinken (dekantieren) bis 2030+. 18 vvPunkte (91/100). vvWine.ch
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3/12/2019 - dchain Likes this wine: 92 Points
Not much more to add to my 19 Feb note other than this bottle was even fresher, purer with no hint of green leafy cab franc elements. Great drinking over Cantonese lunch!
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2/19/2019 - dchain Likes this wine: 92 Points
92+. Solid ruby. Immediately open with vanilla cherry laced spicy fruit. Bright and fresh, nice truffle, soil notes but more dominated by red, crunchy cranberry, cherry fruits. Touch of Figeac Cabernet Franc pepperyness but in a good way! Lovely mouthful, mid-weight plus, great balance. Drinking very well already and plenty of healthy fruit life left in this wine. Drink with pleasure for the next 20 years with additional complexity as time goes by.
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10/17/2018 - Axelpeter wrote: 91 Points
(Bei Biago) Magnum; zu Beginn eine erdige Note, die sich beim Essen dann wunderbar einfügt und einen milden, leicht würzigen Wein mit mittlerem Körper ergibt - sehr schöner Essensbegleiter.
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9/17/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 89 Points
The nose starts off with truffle, wet earth, leaf, thyme and dried pit fruits. Medium bodied, the tannins are firm, the fruit is bright and earthy. Even though the color shows age and you find secondary aromatics, another 5 years or more in the cellar should help soften the tannins and perhaps add a bit more flesh.
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6/9/2018 - pjaines wrote:
Checking in every couple of years on these wines just to see.... and so far I can report that indeed this one is built for the long haul. Still clenched and tight with a core of black fruit but as you would with one of your own children, you will this on to be something better. Sure enough, a couple of houors later this starts unwinding and the nostrils get notes of menthol and the palate has the sexiest fine grained tannins to play with. Just just just just starting to develop - I think it will be a very good wine, but right now these needs a good sleep.
Try again in 3-4 years - will last decades.
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1/15/2018 - peternelson wrote: 91 Points
Red and black cherry, cassis, eucalyptus, ripe and cool fruits, hint of cigar, gravelly tannins, young and medium bodied; good balance, but young, and straight forward, a bit hard; one dimensional, lacking complexity or elegance, but still solid. May improve over time.
With Frederic Faye, winemaker.
Notes: One of the largest estates on the right bank, same family since 1892, whole cluster; The planting of roughly 1/3 each CS, CF, M started in the late 1950's after the 1956 killer frost.
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1/12/2018 - JBL19 Likes this wine: 94 Points
4 hod otevřeno, 2 hod v dekantéru
Famózní. Naprosto vybalancované, žádné narušení.
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7/13/2016 - DrakkarNoir Likes this wine:
Reticent nose - earthy, plum, slight fennel. Elegant, with silky tannins. Next to an 08 Pichon Baron, this was was very feminine. 13.5% abv.
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12/24/2015 - Ericsson Likes this wine: 92 Points
De mémoire...
Ouvert et servi. Couleur grenat foncé, brillant. Nez sur le bois noble, le tabac blond, les fruits noirs. En bouche, belle attaque, vive et sapide. Beaucoup de matière, de tanins que seul le temps mettra en place. Bouteille moins explosive que celle de 2014... repli?
Note pour le présent.
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7/9/2015 - peterchoy wrote: 92 Points
Appearance: Bright and clear, it has deep ruby color, with a slight garnet rims and legs.
Nose: Clean, with medium (+) intensity aromas of black fruit such as cassis, blackberry and plum, pungent spice of licorice, sweet spice of cloves, oak notes of cedar, animal notes of leather and meat, mineral notes of earth and graphite, maturity notes of savory. The wine is developing.
Palate: Dry with medium (+) acidity, the wine has medium (+) tannin of ripe and velvety texture, with medium (+) alcohol and full body. It has medium (+) intensity flavors of black fruit such as cassis, blackberry and plum, oak notes of cedar, pungent spice of licorice, kernel notes of roasted nuts. The wine has a medium finish.
Conclusion: Very good quality St-Emilion with good intensity on the nose, showing nice complexity and particularly the more cassis than plummy element which is rather unique for the right bank, the wine has a good structure, robust yet elegant, with good acidity supporting the concentrated flavors, and the finish was reasonable. It is ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 2-3 years.
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6/5/2015 - RayOB Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank in Bordeaux
This is wonderful and shows amazing well for the vintage. Go out and buy some. I think Mr Parker was having a bad day when he was rating this wine.
After touring St Emilion for a couple of days the one thing that every Vigneron agreed was that this should be GCCA. By the way Cheval Blanc is on land that used to be part of Figeac.
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5/22/2015 - Collector1855 wrote: 93 Points
Lots of controversy around this wine since RP stopped rating it. Clearly with terroir equal to Cheval Blanc this estate could do much better but the 2008, like the 2007 are quite well made wines. Dark purple still. Nose of blue fruit with some oak and spices. On the palate this is soft and clean with very good balance. A pleasure to drink now and with some time to further develop. Not quite a mid 90 in my mid but for sure not at 80-85 as some inordinate notes suggest here...
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4/8/2015 - pjaines Likes this wine:
Based on previous differing tasting notes on this wine (and subsequent discussion) I thought I'd give it a go. This was much darker and meatier and previous bottles - there is a lot of matter here that will take some time to come round. Black fruits smashed together with rock and minerals - taut but certainly not lean. A lot of blackness to this wine - broody with a touch of oak coming through. This will take quite some time to come round and really open up but I found it excellent and much deeper than expected. Good stuff.
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11/11/2014 - walkerjfw wrote:
At a dinner arranged by David S at the Lotus Club NYC, fantastic evening. One of the guests was from the family of proprietors for this vineyard
Nose is dark fruits, graphite, pencil. Red and dark fruits, some raspberry, smoke, tar, graphite, leather. Medium finish...
Tannins are still very big here, clearly needs some time to develop. No doubt this will improve. Would revisit in 5-7 years.
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10/16/2014 - Wineguy76 wrote: 84 Points
This bottle of the 2008 Figeac performed somewhat better than the first one I tasted but I remain underwhelmed - despite the overdone passion of some of the other reviewers on this site. Displaying a thick, deep ruby core, the wine has some promising fragrant aromas of cassis, chocolate and graphite. It is full bodied and pleases the palate with a soft and silky texture. However the tannic structure is alarmingly light and the flavours muted and hollow; and while there are some enjoyable notes of raspberry, burnt tar and caramel to speak of it clearly lacks the concentration, depth, precision and intensity I would expect from a wine of this stature. The fairly long finish does make up somewhat for the overall shortcomings of this disappointing Figeac. A good wine? Yes. A great wine? Surely not - and for similar value the vintage has far, far better to offer. Drink it over the next five years as it does not possess the structure or complexity to last beyond that.
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10/15/2014 - HenrikJ wrote: 94 Points
Trying this wine again you have to ask if this is at all the same wine as the guy below reviewed. It only highlights the importance of trying more than one bottle if a particular wine performes way differently than expected. Bad bottles may behave in other ways than the typical TCA-notes. The tannic structure on this wine is in fact massive and I get the feeling that this will probably outlive me even though I've barely hit 30 myself. The nose is filled with inky cassis, led pencil shavings, subtle but forward minerality and leather. The palate is medium bodied with, again, huge structure. The emphasis is on cool, dark fruitiness and minerals. The finish is good. This wine will be magical in a few years time. My previous score (for potential) stands. Expect more body, intensity, harmony and complexity as this wine starts to hit its drinking window in 5-10 years. It'll probably still be good in 50 years time.
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9/13/2014 - Wineguy76 wrote: 82 Points
Disappointingly lightweight and lacking the depth and structure that typically characterize Figeac. There are some promising black currant, chocolate and lead pencil aromas but the wine falls short on the palate with fading flavors and a virtually non-existent finish. The weak, already scarce tannins suggest this will not keep long, open-up or improve with age either. Drink now as it's likely all downhill from here.
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7/24/2014 - Ericsson Likes this wine: 95 Points
Bordal à Châteauvieux (Geneva): Au restaurant, pas de notes formelles, non décanté sur conseil du chef sommelier. Magnifique couleur grenat, tirant sur le violet, brillant. Nez sur des arômes de torréfaction, de fruits noirs, de santal. En bouche, le vin présente un beau gabarit, avec des muscles fins qui s'étirent longtemps tout au long du palais et de la gorge.
Le vin est déjà très agréable à boire mais tiendra des années.
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7/10/2014 - rossi.wine wrote: 91 Points
Quite powerful, good fruit, fresh with a firm tannic frame, nice minerality, good length. Needs more time. 90-91+
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5/17/2014 - rossi.wine wrote: 92 Points
Again sweet and dark fruited, tannins slowly starting to soften great structure, quite long, needs more time but very good. 91-93+
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1/2/2014 - pjaines Likes this wine:
Cracked one to see how it is evolving. Unsurprisingly this is quite shut down at the moment, but the raw ingredients are there - will never be a blockbuster kind of wine, but this should evolve into quite an elegant wine. Needs 10 years to loosen up.
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9/22/2013 - OmiyaDrinker Likes this wine: 90 Points
Complex, spicy, vanilla nose. Strong fruit with long, quite astringent finish, and silky tannin. Something quite smooth and creamy in the texture. Not in a particularly good place now but should be delicious in 5-10 years.
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1/13/2013 - Vin Lover wrote: 92 Points
Fragrant, telling and a dense, concentrate nose which showed good level of weight even in the first sniff. The fresh, dense black currant fruits on the palate has also some integrated earthy, herbal notes. Nicely layered and structured wine, with gripping tannins yet rounded texture. The finish is long and lingering as well - a particular serious 2008 for me and will only improve with age.
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12/1/2012 - stadler Likes this wine:
Grand Tasting 2012 avec 5 membres de la SCO (Carroussel du Louvre, Paris, France): En 2008, c'est plus discret, sur le fruit rouge encore, tannique bien entendu mais frais en finale, un devenir à suivre sur ce millésime peu loué.
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12/1/2012 - cr84 wrote: 80 Points
Le Grand Tasting; 11/30/2012-12/1/2012 (Carrousel du Louvre, Paris): Lack any sense of complexity.
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6/15/2012 - HenrikJ Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautifully classical but still quite opulent, polished and refined with depth and fragrance. Cool minerals and bell peppers with herbalness and a lovely dark fruit coupled with licorice on the nose. The palate is lush and balanced with massive but fine grained tannins, lively acidity and a long finish. I don't care what Parker says, this is a world class wine. Just lovely and with great potential.
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12/22/2011 - pjaines wrote:
I am so weak. Couldn't resist to see how this wine tastes right at the start of its long life before sending the rest down to the cellar for 10 years. Firm, tight fruit of course, but there is great promise here with the cabernet elements coming to the fore. Already there is balance and restraint here. Not as big or tannic as I was expecting - this will age wonderfully for 20 years. This is never going to be a blockbuster, which is all the more reason to buy it.
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12/13/2011 - Andice wrote: 88 Points
Second time tasting this. Generous and complex nose - giving scents of oak, cake and blackfruits all harmoniously interplaying. Nice and open. Silky entry, then builds into a minty and fruity (red) mid-palate. Lush, mid-bodied. Finish still q tannic and bitter. Classy and balanced. http://sgbordeaux.blogspot.com/2011/12/figeac-2008.html
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10/8/2011 - Coollawyer wrote: 88 Points
Pretty balanced. Medium finish but plenty of fruits. Citrus, berries, bit of oak. A bit of earth tones. Very approachable. Can smell a hint of flowers. Bit young but drinking already.
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1/29/2011 - cpsmith33 wrote: 90 Points
nice bottle, good dark fruit, tannin not too overpowering. very good
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1/28/2011 - DRS-Inc wrote: 93 Points
Tasted at Zachy's Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux's 2008 Bordeaux Vintage Tasting @ Metropolitan Pavilion on 1/28/11. Opaque purple hue. Aromas of black & red cherries & plum. Smooth & silky w/sweet red & dark cassis fruit . Integrated ripe tannins. This is finessed & elegant; one of my faves of the night's tastings.
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1/28/2011 - ews3 wrote: 89 Points
Union des Grand Crus 2008 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC (Metropolitan Pavilion, NYC): bitter attack is replaced w/ soft plum notes. med(-) tannin. med finish turns hot after ~10s
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1/28/2011 - amateurwino wrote: 92 Points
Another contender. Has an immediate appeal to the nose, owing to the cab franc which has a pretty, herbal sense to it. The palate is riper than you might expect given the nature of the nose – not greenish on the palate. Very good, on par with the Canon La Gaffeliere, in a different style. 92.
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1/28/2011 - tkoby11 wrote: 92 Points
2008 Vintage Tasting Union Des Grand Crus de Bordeaux, Great Wines of Bordeaux, USA Tour New York City (Metropolitan Pavilion): As usual 1/3 Cab Franc, 1/3 Merlot, 1/3 Cab Sauv
Bright and full fruits that had a silky and inviting perfume that got better with a few minutes in the glass. Cherry, currants, great texture with fine but full tannins.
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1/26/2011 - hutch wrote: 88 Points
UGC Bordeaux Tasting (Boston): ripe, but it's balanced. Seems a little simple. This is fine, but I was a little disappointed. 88-90
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1/25/2011 - lumpyelbow wrote:
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2008 (Toronto - The Four Seasons): UGC Event
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1/24/2011 - KeithAkers wrote: 93 Points
UGC 2008 Bordeaux (The Drake, Chicago IL): nose: elegant and balanced nose filled with red currants, berries, green peppers, spice tones, red cherries and bits of tobacco. Well layered and aiming more for finesse on the nose
taste: gorgeous and silky medium feel with medium+ acidity and velvety tannins set the base. Polished feel with finessed tones of red currants, berries, spice tones, red cherries and some bits of green peppers
overall: the tannins on this may deceive. This will need a good amount of time to fully round itself together and be as beautiful as it can be. This is one of the wines that really caught my attention in a good way
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1/24/2011 - razmaspaz wrote:
UGC Chicago Bordeaux 2008 Vintage: brooding black fruit, this is tasty. very drying on the finish.
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1/22/2011 - Badfish wrote: 92 Points
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2008 Tasting (The Barker Hangar – Santa Monica, CA): There are beautiful restrained aromas of strawberry, raspberry, and stones in a delicate floral style that is so ethereal. The palate offers superb delicacy to the fresh fruit flavors of berries and minerals. The balance is tremendous and I really love the elegant nuanced style of this wine.
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1/22/2011 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 88 Points
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2008 Vintage Tasting (Santa Monica Airport Barker Hangar, Santa Monica, California): Deep ruby robe with red rim. Clean, moderately intense nose showing aromas of cherries, licorice and vanilla. Full-bodied on the palate, with low-to-medium acidity and generous, fairly sweet tannins. The flavors are primarily red fruit and mineral-driven, with the oak being a bit heavy-handed. The middle palate thins just a bit but a medium-length, smooth finish is resurrected. Some time in bottle will likely help to fill in the blanks. This wine may merit a higher score in the future. Drink 1/16-12/30.
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1/22/2011 - alanr Likes this wine: 90 Points
Bordeaux 2008 UGC tasting San Francisco; 1/21/2011-1/22/2011 (Palace Hotel, San Francisco): Decent medium dark fruit, OK finish, hint of acidity showing through.
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10/19/2010 - vespasian wrote: 83 Points
Quite closed/inexpressive; lean on the palate, hollow. Not much enjoyment here at all.
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10/17/2010 - Biggsy wrote: 91 Points
Deep purple with a pure cherry and plum fruit nose. Supple and very silky with sweet cassis and fine ripe tannins. Lovely elegance and delicacy.
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6/1/2009 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 94 Points
Bordeaux 2008 (Bordeaux): This is a real winner in 2008. Tasted blind and non blind in April, with consistent notes in June: lovely notes in fact, of mint and white flower and cassis. The palate is somewhat closed, but there is sap and concentration, with fine tannic grain, with a pleasingly perfumed aspect. A wine to buy without hesitation. 93-95+
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4/23/2009 - vespasian wrote:
Savoury slightly harsh nose; Palate is all over the place. Bad sample?
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4/23/2009 - Benj wrote:
Bordeaux 2008: First Glimpse (Averys, Bristol): 4.75. Phew, very very concentrated, high acidity and tannin, tonnes of fruit, beautiful mouthfeel and a long finish. Left a smile on my face. Best red of the tasting.
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4/22/2009 - thewineoceros wrote:
Bibendum Bordeaux tasting (Lord's Cricket Ground - London): Great nose - tobacco, plum, black fruit and spice. Very good and worth looking into. Too young and untouched by barrel to firm a score - hence the range 90-93
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4/3/2009 - City Wine Journal wrote:
Bordeaux En Primeur 2008; 3/27/2009-4/3/2009 (Bordeaux): 2008 Barrel sample tasted blind at a 10 wine presentation of Premiers Grands Crus Classés de Saint-Emilion at Chateau Trottevieille.
Color: Medium dark intensity. Looks heavier in the glass, swirling ripples.
Nose: Pretty nose, sweet black fruits, ripe. Floral notes, too.
Palate: Soft attack, round. Solidly constructed. Generous fruit basket, and a good back end. Fairly long. Nice wine. Best of first four.
Result - one of top two in the blind taste today.
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