Figeac 2000

robert_parker93

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

This has far more intrigue on the nose than the 2005 with the Cabernet Franc relishing this propitious growing season. Savoury fruits, a touch of fig and earth although perhaps it could just do with a little more harmony. The palate is very elegant with grainy tannins, firm grip with a tinge of espresso become more evident towards the finish. This is just beginning to develop character but it needs another decade. But great potential. Drink now-2020+. Tasted December 2007.

robert_parker93

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Figeac has become a more consistent wine over the last few years. A profound effort, the surprisingly full-bodied 2000 Figeac has an opaque purple color accompanied by a terrific bouquet of camphor, graphite, black currants, licorice, and smoked herbs. With well-balanced, powerful tannin, concentration, and pinpoint precision, finesse, and purity, this expressive as well as textured effort will drink well between 2004-2018. When Figeac hits on all cylinders, one can understand why some tasters believe it is as complex as Cheval Blanc. This is undeniably the estate's finest effort since 1996.

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

A profound effort, the 2000 Figeac's opaque purple color is accompanied by a terrific bouquet of camphor, graphite, black currants, licorice, and smoked herbs. With well-balanced, powerful tannin, concentration, and pinpoint precision, finesse, and purity, this expressive effort will drink well between 2004-2018.

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Very impressive when sampled at the UGC after bottling. Then at Wine Magazine blind tasting: deep ruby colour. Green pepper, blackberry, minerals and quite noticeable wood. Very smooth entry, very well-integrated with a dense core of black fruit and tobacco. Good grip, very tannic with a long, blackberry finish. The Figeac 2000 is a long-term Saint Emilion. Excellent – a vast improvement upon recent vintages. Tasted October 2003.

robert_parker91

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Tasted at the Château Figeac vertical at the property. It is some years since I last tasted the 2000 Figeac. There is a valid argument that it is being eclipsed by the 2001, but it is still a fine Saint Emilion. The nose is clean and fresh with strong graphite aromas, very Left Bank in style with black truffle and smoky notes developing. The palate is masculine and rather austere at first, though I notice that it gains fleshiness in the glass. It is nicely weighted, but does not quite deliver the sensuality or joie-de-vivre of the 2001 (which is actually like a lot of millennial Bordeaux). Let's see how it matures over the next few years, but my money would be on the 2001. Tasted June 2015.

robert_parker85

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

I rated this wine 93 in the post-bottling report for the vintage, but in two separate recent tastings, I scored the wine 86 one time and 84 the second time. A disappointment, for sure, and how I overrated it so dramatically begs many questions, but I certainly blew it on this one. Medium ruby, already displaying some rust and orange at the edge, the wines exhibits crushed and roasted vegetables, licorice, and black cherries in a herbaceous, thin, washed-out style. Of course, there are those who would defend this wine as a quintessentially elegant, old-style, classic wine, but dilution is dilution, vegetal is vegetal, and the wine frankly lacks concentration and is a major disappointment. I will keep my fingers crossed that there may be a few 93-point bottles out there, but neither of these were, and that’s calling it the way I see it. If you own it (and sadly, I do), try one and see what you think.

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

While always a wine of finesse, it can sometimes underwhelm tasters because of a sense of dilution. That is not evident in the gorgeous 2000, which boasts tobacco-tinged black currant fruit intertwined with Asian spices, new oak, and earth, fabulous purity, medium to full body, gorgeous freshness, and a long, concentrated, classy style. A wine of grace, purity, harmony, and complexity, it is a sensational Figeac. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2020.