Wine Advisor
Figeac 1986
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1986 displays a mineral and herbaceous bouquet, intermingled with scents of smoky new oak and blackcurrants. The wine displays fine extract, elegance, and complexity, and a long, smooth finish, with soft, rather than aggressive tannins. This wine drinks surprisingly well. Anticipated maturity: Now-2005. Last tasted, 5/93.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Moderate intensity on the nose with touches of leather and iron filings, chestnut becoming more evident in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied, not nearly as complex as one would hope, lacking just a little vigour and weight towards the finish. So-so. Drink now-2012. Tasted December 2007.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The nose on the Figeac ’86 is very dry and disjointed: faint notes of bay leaf, hot terracotta tiles and chestnut and fortunately it does become more cohesive with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with the Cabernet dominating the entry, leading structure and masculinity, but there is not the fruit or the fleshiness (i.e. the Merlot) to keep it in balance. I would not leave this too long. Tasted November 2010.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A brick red core. The nose has the personality of a Left Bank wine, dominated by the Cabernet Sauvignon with a touch of under-ripeness. The palate is medium-bodied, slightly medicinal with a distinct note of fennel. Fully-mature, not complex and lacking some harmony. Moderate length. I do not think this will improve. Tasted May 2004.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the Château Figeac vertical at the property. I am wondering whether I have underestimated the 1986 Figeac given the performance of this bottle, which was far superior to anything encountered previously. It has a compelling, almost Saint Julien-like nose with truffle and leather. It is not intense, but it is certainly full of personality. The palate is medium-bodied with fine acidity; foursquare and conservative, but balanced. It does not possess enormous length and one can still argue that its Cabernet component ought to have bestowed the finest Saint Emilion in a vintage that did not favor the Merlot-based commune. Nevertheless, this remains thoroughly enjoyable and shows class. Tasted June 2015.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Fully mature, this somewhat disjointed, austere Figeac shows plenty of amber at the edge and a nose of creosote, ashtray, and tobacco notes along with some herbs and sweet currant fruit. The wine is elegant, but lacking substance, flesh, and texture. Anticipated maturity: Now. Last tasted, 12/02.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
I overrated this wine in its youth hoping that more fat and ripeness would emerge with aging. The wine has continued to possess an earthy, minty/herbaceous bouquet intermingled with scents of new oak and black fruits. The tannin is still present, but the wine has not fleshed out in the mid-palate, and is somewhat austere, with noticeably hard tannin in the finish. This wine, which was delicious young, has continued to be a tasty, very good to excellent example of Figeac, but has not turned out to be as outstanding as I initially predicted. Anticipated maturity: Now-2006. Last tasted 11/97
About the Producer
During the ten years from 2010 to 2020, the team at Château-Figeac stepped up their efforts to craft consistently precise wines whose purity reflects the distinctive character of the terroir. Each plot and each grape variety, once fully expressed, brings a new element to the rich canvas created every year at blending, giving birth to a remarkable succession of great wines. Freshness is a hallmark of our 2015, 2018 and 2020 vintages, despite very hot and sunny weather. So-called classic vintages are reinterpreted with great subtlety and a mineral cast in the 2010, 2016 and 2019 wines. The singular gift of the Château-Figeac terroir comes to the fore in the 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2017 vintages, when the weather was less auspicious. They produced highly successful wines greatly appreciated by faithful connoisseurs. In 2021, Château-Figeac inaugurated a new 5,000 m² semi underground winery equipped with custom made stainless steel and wooden vats. The summit of elegance, a jewel of innovation and precision designed to meet High Environmental Quality standards, it also offers visitors two light and airy tasting rooms.
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