CHÂTEAU FIGEAC

The 2016 Figeac has a nose of real pedigree, featuring very well-defined, ferrous black fruit with hints of truffle and tobacco and conveying exceptional mineralité and tension. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, a fine bead of acidity and wonderful structure and density toward the finish. This is a seriously fine proposition, although it is a surly Saint-Émilion that may well close down for a while before blazing brightly in 15–20 years’ time. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. Drinking range: 2023 - 2060 Rating: 98+ Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Aug 2020)

Another brilliant wine from the genius of Frédéric Faye, the 2016 Château Figeac checks in as 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc that spent 19 months in new French oak. Roughly 75% of the production made it into the grand vin. This deeply colored beauty is a legendary wine in the making and offers ultra-pure aromas and flavors of crème de cassis, smoke tobacco, dried herbs, chocolate, truffle, and graphite. Showing more violets notes with time in the glass, it builds incrementally on the palate, with flawless balance as well as incredible elegance, no hard edges, and a finish that won't quit. Readers will have a blast comparing the 2016 and 2015 vintages over the coming 3-4 decades and this estate is firing on all cylinders. This will most likely merit a triple-digit rating in 7-8 years and keep for 4 decades or more. Drinking range: 2026 - 2066 Rating: 98+ Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Feb 2019)

A gutsy, fully endowed wine, brimming with dark currant, warm fig and steeped blackberry notes, as well as waves of smoldering tobacco and warm gravel. Features a serious bass line, but everything works together, while flecks of savory and iron dart in and out. Drinking range: 2025 - 2040James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Jan 2019)

The 2016 Figeac is simply extraordinary. A wine of pure energy and vitality, the 2016 pulses with a real sense of drive. Lavender, mint, crème de cassis and cedar start to develop in the glass, but what is most remarkable about the 2016 is its total sense of harmony. There is natural tension, a sort of push and pull, between the wine's intense fruit and structural underpinnings that makes the 2016 a marvel to taste and contemplate. It was positively stunning in two separate tastings. Technical Director Frédéric Faye and his team made an epic Figeac in 2016. Drinking range: 2026 - 2066 Rating: 98 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jan 2019)

The 2016 Figeac is a blend of 36% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Franc and 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, picked from 23 September until 20 October at 49 hectoliters per hectare with 13.9% alcohol. The acidity is 3.67 pH, and it matured in 100% new oak (focused on five cooperages). This is a property that opened a new chapter in 2013, when Michel Rolland's services as a master blender have been called upon and engendered far greater harmony between the three grape varieties, now all singing from the same hymn sheet. It has a crisp blackberry nose, a little closed at first, opening nicely in the glass and offering raspberry coulis, pencil box and subtle mint aromas—classic Figeac in many ways. The palate is extraordinarily well balanced with a fine lattice of tannin sculpted to perfection. There is a slight edginess to this Figeac that I adore, the Cabernets very expressive, more so than the 2015, with graphite infusing every pore of the black fruit. This Figeac has an outstanding structure and a saline finish that beckons you back for another sip. The 2015 Figeac was stunning and the 2016 no less. Tasted on four separate occasions, and in the end, only one (banded) score became inevitable. Drinking range: 2026 - 2060 Rating: 98-100 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2017)

36% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Franc, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon. No pigeage, more like an infusion with gentle remontage. Lively and very Figeac. Just as it should be. Zesty and confident and of the place. Rich palate entry and then lovely freshness. Firm and glorious. Like an arrow. Very pure. Frédéric Faye and the Manoncourt family should be very proud. Classic. Racy and juicy and beautifully balanced. Long. 14% Drinking range: 2024 - 2040 Rating: 19 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2017)

Tight and backward, with a wall of cocoa and loam out front, but the core of cassis and blackberry fruit is prodigious, and the mix of charcoal, tobacco and warm paving stone notes making up the finish cuts a seriously wide swath. This needs to be tamed by its élevage though. Rating: 95-98 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2017)

Splendid texture and finesse to this young Figeac with a pure silk texture. Full-bodied and ultra-fine. Lovely combination of fruit and freshness. The polish is gorgeous to this. Precision redefined. Pretty follow-up to the 2015. Rating: 96-97 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2017)

2016 keeps Figeac on the trajectory set out in recent vintages, and is proof once again that power does not have to mean sacrificing precision and juiciness if it is done right. This is a great wine, with purity and focus from the balanced black fruit delivery. You don't feel anything drop through the palate - each element is held in suspension and it finishes strong with a mouthwatering flourish. 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and 26% Cabernet Franc aged in 100% new oak. 3.67pH. Drinking range: 2027 - 2050 Rating: 98 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2017)

The 2016 Figeac has been super-impressive on both occasions I have tasted it so far. A big wine, the 2016 exudes depth and power. Even so, the forbidding tannins are almost shockingly buried by the sheer intensity and purity of the fruit. Graphite, savory herbs, smoke, menthol, licorice and smoke are some of the many accents that infuse the huge finish. As good as the 2016 is today, it is clearly for readers who can afford to be patient, as it will likely be many years before the wine is ready to drink. Technical Director Frédéric Faye, consulting winemaker Michel Rolland and the team have done a superb job with the 2016. Rating: 94 - 97+ Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2017)

The percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon is much lower than it was in 2015 (43% then), but is still among the highest in St Emilion. It’s a superb and beautifully judged Figeac from the new team, confirming its move back towards the appellation’s top tier. Grassy, elegant and textured, with effortless concentration. Drinking range: 2024 - 2036 Rating: 96 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2017)