CHÂTEAU FIGEAC
2019 1er Grand Cru Classé Saint Emilion
The 2019 Figeac has a wonderful nose, beautifully defined with black fruit, loam, black truffle shavings and light graphite scents. Very focused and plenty of vigor. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins, intense and almost pixelated towards the vibrant, tensile finish. Effortless and classy, this should evolve gracefully for many years. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. Drinking range: 2026 - 2060 Rating: 98 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
* 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.
This is a gorgeous Figeac, balanced and finessed and full of promise for the future - and interesting to note that its blend is almost back to the classic third-of-each-variety of the pre-Rolland days. Just love the clarity and the chiselled quality to the fruits, blueberries, bilberries, cassis - all smooth, concentrated, with excellent acidity but high sweetness, and muscular tannins. Clear smoked sandalwood also but not a hint of dryness, and will clearly melt together with another five or six years in bottle. Can't wait to follow this wine as it ages. Cigar smoke and grilled sandalwood on the finish, the poise and precision on display here is just unmissable. Harvest September 13 to October 17, 100% new oak. Drinking range: 2028 - 2050 Rating: 98 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2022)
The 2019 Figeac is without question one of the wines of the vintage. All the promise it showed as a young barrel sample, is all there in bottle, too. Estate Director Frédéric Faye crafted a towering, statuesque Figeac built on vertical energy and a feeling of vibrancy that never lets up. Deep layers of red/purplish fruit, cedar, tobacco, mint and dried flowers are framed by a super-classic expression of structure that keeps things in balance. There is a bit more Cabernet Franc in this year's blend, and that definitely comes through. Readers who can find the 2019 should not hesitate, as it is truly majestic. Drinking range: 2034 - 2069 Rating: 99 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)
The 2019 Figeac was bottled in mid-July. Deep in color, with a bouquet that is initially backward and reticent. It requires a few minutes to shake off the veil of oak from the élevage. As I observed last year, the Cabernet Franc is very expressive this year, contributing blackberry and graphite notes and lending a more Left Bank-style bouquet. The palate is very fresh from the first moment, and very well structured, delivering layers of black fruit struck through by a fine bead of acidity. The tannins are very fine, and that crucial saline element appears toward the persistent finish. This is overtly classic in style and will require cellaring to reveal its full potential. But what potential! Chapeau, Frédéric Faye and team Manoncourt. Drinking range: 2028 - 2060 Rating: 98 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)
The 2019 Figeac was picked from 13 September to 7 October, a total of 4 weeks picking. There is a little more emphasis on the Cabernet Franc this year - 36% of the blend. It is quintessential Figeac on the nose, that is to say that the enticing mélange of Merlot and Cabernet together creates more than a sum of their parts. Here the blackberry, crushed stone and graphite elements are seamlessly enmeshed with the more ravishing red fruit aspects delivered by the ripe Merlot. It is exquisitely defined. The palate is medium-bodied. First impressions are of a Figeac that leans more to the Cabernet/Left Bank side of its personality, quite structured with black fruit dominating, saline and marine-influenced. The Merlot really comes through towards the close delivering that almost clinical mineral-driven finish. Winemaker Frédéric Faye and his team have conjured a deeply impressive, intellectual Figeac this years, amongst the canon of greats that stretch back to the 1940s. Drinking range: 2028 - 2060 Rating: 97-99 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jun 2020)
The 2019 Figeac is composed of 30% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 36% Cabernet Franc, harvested from the 13th of September to the 7th of October. The alcohol this year is 14.1% and the pH is 3.7. Steal-your-heart scents of mulberries, black raspberries, Black Forest cake and cassis prance ever so gracefully out of the glass, followed by nuances of plum preserves, red roses, cinnamon toast and clove oil plus just a waft of lavender. Medium to full-bodied, the palate shimmers with electric energy, framed by a solid backbone of wonderfully ripe, grainy Cabernet-led tannins and bold freshness, finishing with fantastic persistence and with tons of emerging earth and floral layers. This is a simply stunning, seemingly effortless, beautifully harmonious expression of the vineyard and the vintage - bravo! Rating: 98-100 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Jun 2020)
30% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon. pH 3.7. Barrel sample. Exquisite wine. Fragrant, floral nose with a perfect pitch of fruit. Cool, minerally edge alongside. Very pure and precise, the crafting spot on. Lovely line and length with plenty of drive and persistence. Refreshing, saline finish. A classic Figeac in its elegance and restraint. Gets the nod over 2015 and 2018 and at least on a par with 2016. Drinking range: 2028 - 2048 Rating: 18.5 James Lawther MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Jun 2020)
This is one of the most structured and linear Figeac with very fine tannins, yet at an intense level. So complex on the nose with notes of white flowers, blueberries and graphite. It’s full-bodied, very balanced and agile. So transparent and linear with brightness and raciness. 36% cabernet franc, 30% merlot and 34% cabernet sauvignon. Rating: 98-99 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2020)
A higher amount of Cabernet Franc than usual in the blend, really get the Cabernet impact on the nose and on the attack, could easily say Left Bank with the liquorice root, menthol and leafy character. A rich creaminess comes in through the mid palate, with sappy raspberry fruits alongside salinity and minerality. The exuberance of a warm summer is there but it is well hidden under the precision of the tannic structure overall. An extremely impressive and signature Figeac. Juicy on the finish and oh so careful in its tannic delivery. 100% new oak. A yield of 34hl/ha, higher than 2018. 3.7pH. Drinking range: 2028 - 2046 Rating: 97 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2020)
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 on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at 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 £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2024 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2027. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
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). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2027. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.