Château Figeac Saint-Emilion 2018 - 1er Grand Cru Classé B

Bettane & Desseauve

About wine:

The ultimate wine in terms of refinement in all areas, with more aromatic freshness than the legendary 2016 and a purity in the finish provided by sublime Cabernets.

About the estate:

With 35% Cabernet Franc and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, Figeac, located on the gravelly plateau bordering Pomerol, is often said to be the most Médoc-like of the Saint-Émilion wines. The originality of the vintage lies in its central terroir, which is composed of Günzian gravel, the same as that found in the grands crus classés of the Left Bank. As a result, this premier cru classé ages perfectly over time. Thierry Manoncourt, the soul of the estate for over sixty years, gave it a welcome boost. Since 2013, Marie-France Manoncourt, Thierry's widow, has formed a new board of directors with her daughters. With the competent director Frédéric Faye, the estate has reached the top of the Right Bank.

Decanter

About wine:

It still exudes the freshness and exuberance it had when first released, with aromas of blackcurrant, raspberry, and crushed strawberry, as well as a delicate floral touch. The new oak is perfectly integrated, adding a subtle smoky note. The attack is surprisingly creamy, heralding a full-bodied texture enveloping perfectly polished tannins, combined with a finely balanced acidity which, together, give momentum to an intense but light finish imbued with freshness. This is a truly remarkable wine which will certainly develop an even more velvety palate in the years to come. Bravo. 2025-2050

Guide Hachette des vins

About wine:

Figeac is unique in terms of its grape varieties, dominated by exceptional Cabernets. It is also unique in terms of its personality and structure, always guaranteed to age beautifully. In 2018, the vintage lives up to its reputation, charming from the outset with aromas of black fruits, sweet spices, and violets, enhanced by a hint of licorice. The energetic, very fresh attack immediately places the wine in a position of great intensity; the structure unfolds perfectly, with absolute class, unhindered, supported by accomplished tannins of great finesse. Complete and complex, measured in its power and endowed with exemplary aging, Figeac remains an absolute. 2025-2040

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the estate:

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the estate:

With an atypical blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot in equal proportions, Figeac's unique and personal style represents the quintessence of the elegance and refinement of the wines from the western plateau that Saint-Émilion shares with Pomerol. Figeac has a character all its own, often more austere and compact than its neighbors when young. These are wines of exceptional pedigree, easy to drink and long-lasting. Figeac shines in hot vintages (as proven by 2005) and only reveals its full potential after ten to fifteen years of aging. The construction of the new winery, completed for the 2020 harvest, has made it possible to go into even greater detail about the plots, including the intra-plot, and Frédéric Faye is delighted with the extreme functionality of the facilities. Semi-underground and close to the château, with which it shares the elegance of a grand cru, this new facility blends majestically but unostentatiously into the site, refreshing the location. The château thus confirms the extent of its "modern" classicism, its unpretentious integrity, and its rank: that of the rare first growths. Its history rooted in the legend of Saint-Emilion; the preserved trees in the park creating a perfect ecosystem; the power of its terroir with its unique relief and extremely high-quality clay soils; and the relevance of the new winery have earned the Manoncourt family's property a fourth star.

Wine Enthusiast

About wine:

With its rich layer of Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine has density and immense structure, balanced by stunning black fruit that promises an impressive future. This powerful wine is probably the greatest ever produced by this estate. Drink from 2027.

James Suckling

Le Figaro vins

About wine:

An invitation to travel, with a sumptuous nose of vibrant fruits, ranging from red to black and blue. Notes of blackcurrant, elderberry, and redcurrant, followed by sweet and intoxicating floral notes. On the palate, it is pure magic, beginning with breathtaking delicacy and ending with beautifully restrained power. The first in a trio of Figeac wines at the top of this beautiful terroir, the 2018 has the sensuality of luxurious black lace, corseting its fine, sumptuous and chiseled body. Voluptuous black fruit, incredibly fresh, gracefully gives way to swirls of exotic spices and mineral accents for a tantalizing finish.

Yves Beck

About wine:

A superb, brilliant bouquet of complexity displaying many facets. It reveals floral and spicy nuances with scents of violets and black pepper followed by fruity notes such as blueberries, raspberries, and cherries, respectively offering great freshness. Very nice tannic structure on the palate where the wine stands out for the finesse of its tannins and the breed of its structure. Such freshness, vigor, and energy. One could speak of a delicacy or even a delicacy in tune with the tannic power. The juicy touch becomes a saving grace; combined with the liveliness of the acidity and the powerful but polished tannins (they are well-bred!), the result is an exceptional symbiosis and an endless fruity persistence on the finish, where we find notes of cherries that support and underline the aromatic finesse. This is a very great Figeac. 2026-2058

Vert de Vin

About wine:

The nose is racy, elegant, and offers lovely definition, complexity, precision, purity of fruit, concentration (with finesse), and finesse of grain, as well as concentration (with elegance and complexity). There are notes of bright blackberry, small blue berries and, more subtly, graphite, bright blackcurrant combined with hints of ripe black plum, toast, nutmeg and a discreet hint of flowers, pepper and an imperceptible hint of camphor. The palate is fruity, fresh, balanced, smooth and offers a nice definition, purity of fruit, depth, elegance, fleshiness/pulpy, power, a nice touch, a certain straightforwardness (in finesse) and a nice sense of detail. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of juicy/fresh/ripe blackcurrant, blueberry and, more subtly, bright/fresh black berries combined with hints of red berries (cherry, raspberry) as well as hints of toast, chocolate, bright redcurrant, graphite, caramelization, toasted hazelnut, subtle hints of vanilla, blueberry, lily, racy minerality, and very subtle hints of sweet blond tobacco and mild spices. The tannins are well-defined, elegant, very finely firm and racy. Beautiful persistence and length. A subtle chewiness and a hint of crushed almonds on the finish.