Wine Advisor
Figeac 1995
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Deep garnet colour. Complex nose of warm blackberry, hung meat, tobacco, cloves and cinnamon. The medium bodied palate is elegantly styled and well balanced with medium acidity and soft, silky tannins. Still plenty of ripe, rich, dark berry fruit complimented by a suggestion of truffles. Long finish. Drink now – 2012.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
This has turned into a rather curmudgeonly Saint Emilion. A deep garnet hue with light brick rim, the nose is dominated by nutty, cedar and tobacco aromas, the medium-bodied palate lacking a little definition and harmony. A little tough and abrasive with Cabernet Sauvignon dominating the finish that is laced with a touch of green pepper. Very dry on the finish when it appeared so fleshy a few years ago. I am a little disappointed how this Figeac has evolved. Tasted September 2008.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A huge nose: chocolate, almonds and a little nuttiness. Very expressive. The palate doesn't match the nose: nice rounded fruits, medium to full-bodied. Fine depth. Not a profound wine but very good. Will be quite approachable early in its evolution. Tasted July 2000.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 50th anniversary release of the proprietors, the Manoncourt family, the 1995 Figeac is a gorgeously complex, dark ruby-colored wine that is all delicacy and complexity. The multidimensional, alluring, smoky, toasty, Asian spice, menthol, and cherry-scented nose is followed by soft, round, rich, kirsch-like flavors intermixed with black currants, herbs, and weedy tobacco. While it is less impressive in the mouth, the nose is outstanding. This is a soft, forward style of Figeac that can be drunk young or cellared. Anticipated maturity: Now-2010.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Figeac has a superlative terroir, but the high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc planted in the vineyards seems to guarantee frightful inconsistency. When it is great (1982 and 1990), this is one of the most compelling wines made in Bordeaux, offering the texture of a sumptuous Pomerol, yet the aromatic complexity of Cabernet-based Medoc. One of the finest Figeacs produced over the last 15 years, this opaque ruby/purple-colored wine exhibits a penetrating, intense, complex fragrance of balsamic wood, blackcurrants, Asian spice, and smoky, toasty oak. Rich and medium-bodied, with beautifully integrated tannin and acidity, this is Figeac at its best. Let's hope it is not excessively fined and filtered at bottling. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2018.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the Château Figeac vertical at the property from one of the last remaining imperials, one could argue that the six-liter format would have benefit the 1995 Figeac. Even so, that should not take anything away from this, the best vintage of that decade. Firstly, one notices that it is deeper in color than the underwhelming 1996. Then you fall into the aromatics, a beguiling concoction of blackcurrant pastilles, melted tar and tobacco all beautifully preserved after two decades. What differentiates it from the succeeding vintages is that here there is the fruit to back it up. The palate is fresh and quite dense in the mouth. The acidity is perfectly matched to the fruit, lively with a touch of piquancy on the ebullient, red cherry and wild strawberry finish that still has a bit of glycerin. The 1995 is the best vintage between 1990 and 2001, and represents a worthy wine to celebrate Thierry Manoncourt's 50th vintage. Tasted June 2015.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Elegance, finesse, and a very forward style, particularly for this vintage, make this a delicious wine to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the proprietors, the Manoncourts. The wine is medium-bodied with distinctive weedy, tobacco, and red as well as black currant notes, along with cherry, vanilla, and cedar. The wine is soft, forward, seemingly fully mature, but the cunning thing about Figeac is that it can last for longer than it seems to suggest when young. This is Bordeaux at its most elegant. Anticipated maturity: Now-2012. Last tasted, 12/02.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Figeac, which always appears to be on a roller-coaster ride in terms of quality, has produced a strong effort in 1995. The healthy dark ruby color is followed by plenty of jammy black fruit aromas intermingled with scents of Asian spices, new wood, and Provencal herbs. Medium-bodied, ripe, and fruity, with undeniable elegance and grace, this soft, round, low acid, flavorful wine is a strong effort from Figeac. It should drink well for 12+ years. All of the wines in this segment were tasted between March 19 and March 28 in Bordeaux. Most of the important wines from both the 1994 and 1995 vintages were tasted three separate times during my ten-day stay in Bordeaux.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 1995 Figeac was poured from jeroboam. It has an open and slightly tertiary nose, even from large format, and is less complex than the 2001 when judged side-by-side. A touch of cola and brown spices emerge with time, but it needs to be more fully knitted together. The palate is balanced, not tremendously complex, but there is substance and sinew here, gritty tannins with sour cherries and a dash of black pepper on the finish. Maybe a bit short. Good, but not a top-class Figeac. Tasted at Château Figeac at their celebratory dinner marking the opening of the new winery.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Very good full color. Lively, thoroughly ripe aromas of redcurrant, sweet butter, minerals and spices. A step up in concentration from the last two wines; full and sweet, with a mineral pungency brightening the fruit. Offers lovely finishing sweetness and dusty, ripe tannins that reach more of the mouth. Very rich but graceful wine.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Very good deep ruby-red. Black fruit and mint on the nose, along with a chocolatey-ripe merlot character; still, this has a cooler aroma than its neighbor Cheval Blanc. Dense but fresh and delineated; notes of spice and fresh blood. But not yet particularly interesting in the mouth. Has a firm structure for aging, and some dusty, slightly dry tannins.
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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