Chateau Figeac Dinner - Organized by Panos Kakaviatos, featuring Eric d'Aramon

On January 18, I attended an 11-vintage vertical dinner of Chateau Figeac Ruth’s Chris Steak House near Dupont Circle. The dinner was hosted and organized by Panos Kakaviatos, and Figeac owner and winemaker Eric d’Aramon flew in for the event. (The wines were donated by the Château.)

• 2006 Château Figeac 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  A very expressive nose, but with muted fruit. The wine opens with pencil lead, rocky earth, and sweet green pepper, and underneath you can find green olives, cedar, dried floral herbs like lavender, and a hint of dark cherries and blackberries. Those looking for sweet, concentrated fruit may be disappointed by this one, but the nose is amazingly seductive -- and I suspect the wine will continue to evolve for quite some time.

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• 2005 Château Figeac 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  Right away, this wine is much richer than the ’06. Ripe licorice and crème de cassis, dark plums, sweet molasses and caramel, and oak. This wine is obviously well made – with a velvety mouthfeel and good structure – but it’s quite awkward right now. The oak isn’t well enough integrated and the fruit is too ripe.

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• 2000 Château Figeac 87 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  This wine opens with nice herbaceousness – driven by black currant, green pepper, and green olive – but the wine soon became too vegetal, and reminded me more of rotting vegetables and spinach. That said, underneath the herbaceousness one could find dark fruits, blackberries, dark slate, and mocha. On the palate, the tannins were noticeably aggressive. I’d love to revisit this one in a decade to see if it evolves into something more pleasurable to my palate.

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• 2001 Château Figeac 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  Now we’re talking! On the nose, an amazingly elegant Bordeaux. The fruits are bright – with juicy raspberries and cherries and some ripe black currant. Underneath the fruit is pencil lead, wet leaves, gray rocks, and forest floor. There’s a faint hint of barnyard. On the palate, the wine is well-balanced and wonderfully juicy. Very approachable.

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• 2004 Château Figeac 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  On the nose, this wine reminds me of a Napa Valley Syrah – as the fruits are blue and purple. Sweet, ripe blueberries and plums, with a healthy dose of lavender, eucalyptus, and vanilla, and a hint of gray minerality. Very primary right now and fruit-driven.

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• 1999 Château Figeac 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  A pretty wine – the nose explodes with delicate violets and potpourri. Red and black fruits are present, but there are all sorts of other interesting notes in this wine – slate, cinnamon, and coffee cake. The finish is slightly bitter, but overall, a beautiful, feminine Bordeaux.

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• 1998 Château Figeac 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  A lush, hedonistic nose of sweet black currant, deep red raspberries, blueberries, and plums – but somehow elegant. Not remotely overripe or overextracted. Some pencil lead, spicy oak, and tobacco, with just a touch of something metallic. On the palate, perfectly balanced with a lingering finish.

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• 1995 Château Figeac 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  Right away, I love this wine. Dried herbs, sweet red fruits, nutmeg and cinnamon, with an extremely seductive foundation of raw meat, pencil lead, tobacco, cedar, and slate and rocky riverbed. The palate is bright and balanced – the wine really seems to be in its optimal drinking window.

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• 1990 Château Figeac 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  This wine is open for business. The wine explodes with fresh red fruits – cranberries cherries, and raspberries – and it also displays cigar box, coffee, sweet floral notes, gray rock, and a hint of eucalyptus. On the palate, the wine is concentrated but extremely light on its feet, with refreshing acidity and fully integrated tannins. An excellent wine.

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• 1986 Château Figeac 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  A fully matured wine – and more reminiscent of a Barolo or Burgundy, as it’s extraordinarily red and floral. While mostly tertiary, red currant and red cherries are still present. The wine is incredibly complex, with crushed mint, rose petals, tobacco, and vanilla. Incredibly high acidity, which makes the wine fresh and food friendly – but it lacks the concentration one might expect.

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I didn't take notes on the 2009, as it was too young to really get into. The dinner made me a believer in the wines of Figeac -- all were marked by freshness and balance, and marked by a beautiful gray minerality. An excellent evening!