CHÂTEAU FIGEAC
2014 1er Grand Cru Classé Saint Emilion
We tasted this with a life-long Figeac afficionado. For him the Michel Rolland influence was too clear in 2014. It is indeed polished and glossy. Full, ripe-fruited and tightly-packed, very 'of the vintage' here. Slick, intense and attractive plump plums in the dense core, brightened by the odd lick of perky acidity. Certainly impressive, this is a head-turner, but perhaps signs of a new dawn here that will not win the hearts of all. Rating: 93-94 L&S (Mar 2015)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
The 2014 Figeac has a nose that is a cut above some of its peers, fresher and more vibrant, in for the long haul with raspberry and wild strawberry, autumn bonfire, pencil box and just a touch of meat juices. Lovely! The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins, focused and classic in style, with greater body and firmness on the finish than its peers. A wonderful mélange of Left and Right Bank, which is what Figeac essentially is. Recommended. Tasted at Bordeaux Index's 10-Year-On tasting. Drinking range: 2024 - 2050 Rating: 94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2024)
Quite different in feel to most of the St Emilions in this lineup, lovely balance, focus on cassis and juicy dark fruits, with liqourice and slate. Feels ripe without losing any of the integrity of the fruit character, poised and at a brilliant moment to start enjoying, juicy finish and plenty of length. 33hl/hyield, 100% new oak for aging. Harvest September 9 to October 12. Last tasted two years ago, and this has really opened up. Drinking range: 2024 - 2042 Rating: 95 Jane Anson, Decanter (Feb 2024)
We return here to succulence and power, after a tricky 2013 vintage. Still young at this point, it will benefit from a few more years in bottle. Majoring on dark spices, rosemary, sage and mint leaf, along with cassis and bilberry fruit. Cabernet dominant in character even though Merlot is the majority grape in this year. Good persistency through the finish, with the tannins stetching out and staying present. 33hl/hyield, 100% new oak for aging. Harvest September 9 to October 12, making the most of excellent September and early October weather ater a cooler summer. Drinking range: 2024 - 2042 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2022)
The 2014 Figeac is showing splendidly. Vivid, red berry fruit, raspberry, Tay berry and strawberry intertwine with rose petal and crushed rock. There is less “smoke” than I have noticed in previous bottles. The palate is medium-bodied with a fresh entry, crisp acidity, a lovely underlying salinity with a clean and precise finish. It is not a complex or multi-dimensional Figeac…that was to come, but it serves as a delicious precursor to what was to come. Tasted at the château. Drinking range: 2022 - 2045 Rating: 95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Dec 2021)
The 2014 Figeac has a classic Saint-Émilion bouquet with pure raspberry and crushed strawberry scents, wet stone and smoke, wonderfully defined and vibrant. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, poised and focused, good backbone with a linear and precise finish that suggests it will require several years in bottle. It is predestined to be overshadowed by the subsequent 2015 and 2016, but you would be foolish to ignore this gem. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. Drinking range: 2024 - 2055 Rating: 95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2018)
The 2014 Figeac is shaping up to be a real jewel of a wine. Powerful and structured, with plenty of tannic spine, the 2014 won't start hitting its stride for at least a few years. Even today, though, it is impressive for its energy and overall intensity. Plum, smoke, spice, graphite and leather build into the huge, expressive finish. Figeac is one of the stars of the vintage. There is real density and gravitas here, not to mention considerable personality. Drinking range: 2024 - 2054 Rating: 96 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2017)
A big, ample wine, the 2014 Figeac is bold and intense to the core. Black cherry, plum, smoke, new oak and licorice flesh out in a beautifully layered, resonant wine endowed with superb richness and power. The style is both modern and classic, with bold fruit and plenty of supporting structure. Mint, lavender, violets and cloves wrap around the powerful, structured finish. My sense is that the 2014 is going to require considerable cellaring. Today it is inward, tightly wound and massively tannic, with a level of explosive energy that should allow it to develop beautifully in the cellar. The blend is 40% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28% Cabernet Franc. Rating: 92-95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2015)
The Château Figeac 2014 is a blend of 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot picked from 29 September and 12 October. It is matured in 100% new oak from six different coopers, the alcohol level 13% with a pH 3.7. I tasted the wine twice at the property and once more at a négoçiant. The first time, it did not quite possess the precision on the finish that I was looking for, whilst the oak felt too prominent and blurred away that distinctive Figeac character. The 2nd and 3rd samples tasted one week later showed much better. Superb delineation on the nose, the oak here nicely integrated and allowing the Figeac character to be expressed, lifted red cherries and fresh strawberry dallying with cold stone and undergrowth scents, a touch of graphite courtesy of the Cabernets. The palate is medium-bodied with typical Figeac traits of cedar and undergrowth coming through with aeration, joined by blackberry and boysenberry. The finish here displayed more precision. Yes, just a little reserved and austere but the Cabernet is on song and imparting a structured finish. There are scurrilous rumours that the Figeac style is being forsaken. On the contrary, under winemaker Frédéric Faye and the Manoncourt family, it is retained and enhanced. Rating: 93-95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2015)
40% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Cabernet Franc. Stylistically still finding its way. Dark fruit nuance. Mid-palate fuller and rounder than in the past but with a firm tannic line behind. 100% new oak fully absorbed. Only 13% alcohol. Needs time. Drinking range: 2022 - 2035 Rating: 92 James Lawther MW, decanter.com (Apr 2015)
The fruit is ripe the nose has depth with a mix of black and red fruits. The start of the palate has red fruited freshness but the mid palate is richer more black fruits, hints of liquorice the sweet, ripe fruit giving fleshy richness on the finish. Drinking range: 2020 - 2030 Rating: 91-94 Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (Apr 2015)
Deep crimson. Quite opulent nose. Much more intense and opulent on the palate. Round and gentle tannins. Much more obviously charming at this stage than the old Figeac. Tannins almost imperceptible. Quite savoury on the finish. Lively. Certainly much more Figeac than ‘Rolland stereotype’. Drinking range: 2024 - 2040 Rating: 17.5 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2015)
A beautiful Figeac with stones, oyster shells, chalk and fruits. Full-bodied and compacted with ultra-fine tannins. This is compressed and compacted with a wonderful style. The 32% cabernet sauvignon should give a unique structure here. More structured than the 2012. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2015)
When this château employed Michel Rolland, allegedly in the search for higher scores, some people feared the worst. But they (and I) were wrong, because this is a fantastic 2014. Rich, plush and densely oaked, but with mineral, lead pencil-etched freshness, fine tannins and a real sense of purpose and precision. (One of Tim's Top 10 Right Bank Reds.) Drinking range: 2022 - 2035 Rating: 95 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2015)
Château Figeac
Figeac is a very ancient estate dating from the Gallo-Roman period. Its origins go back to at least the 2nd century, at which time it belonged to the Figeacus family, who gave their name to the “villa” located on this site. Château Figeac has been in the family of the present owner since 1892. Thierry Manoncourt, later assisted by his wife, Marie–France, took great pains to renovate the vineyards in order to bring Figeac up to the level of the very greatest Bordeaux. Today, his daughter Laure and his son-in-law Count Eric d’Aramon have joined them in managing the estate, and perpetuating the family tradition. Figeac is located in the “Graves de Saint Emilion”. It has an unusual topography and outstanding terroir consisting of three gravelly outcrops. This explains why Figeac is the right bank wine chateau with the highest proportion of Cabernet grapes. It is a great but atypical wine, often called “the most Médoc of Saint Emilion wines”.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those of the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do call us, but see the 'practical notes' below.
Ordering
Prices are per case as listed 'in bond London'.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment from you to buy the wines you order on release, subject to the price being below the upper price of the estimated band on our website. You may also set your own upper price limit, lower or higher than ours. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability. Providing this firm commitment to us effectively gives you priority.
Wines listed on the website (after any pre-orders and allocations have been fulfilled) can be ordered in the usual way via the website order form or by email or telephone 020 7221 1982, always subject to stock remaining.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are contractually binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of the confirmation date, apart from pre-orders which are binding if the release price is below the top estimate or other price you have set.
Invoices are raised at the In Bond price, excluding any duty and VAT which will become payable at the prevailing rates on arrival of the wine if required duty paid.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or credit transfer. We reserve the right to charge 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £1000, orders below this total will be charged £16.50+ VAT when the wine invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery for 2016 Bordeaux primeurs will probably be completed by October 2019, but we make no guarantee as to specific delivery times, and some of the Sauternes may be later.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes) for immediate payment. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option, but do please note that confirmed orders are still binding as above even if the final invoice has not been issued.
When the wine is shipped, unless previously specified we will assume that delivery is to be to bonded storage with Elephant Storage, but in any case, we will contact you requesting any alternative instructions. If you have another bonded delivery address you would like the wine to go to, please tell us at the time of ordering. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue invoices at the rates prevailing at the time for the excise duty (currently £25.98 per case) and the VAT (currently at 20%) on the total of the wine cost and the duty.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the bottle size you want. Even if a wine is only listed in one size, you can order any bottle or case size you want if the property supplies it, but you must order the case/bottle size you require and check that the correct size has been invoiced.
Additional charges are as follows:-
- +£15 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£15 per case of 6 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£35 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£45 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.