Wine Advisor
Figeac 2009
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A sample tasted in London at Bibendum's primeur tasting, this has a lucid ruby/garnet core. The nose is very well-defined and driven by the ripe Cabernet Sauvignon that has occasionally come across a little green in recent vintages. Not this time. A melange of red and black-berried fruits, cedar, a hint of freshly rolled tobacco and a tincture of vanilla. The palate is full-bodied with an admirable density, grippy tannins (thanks to the Cabernet), very cohesive with good weight, leading to a masculine, structured finish that counterpoised the lush merlot. This is a stunning Figeac. Tasted April 2010.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the Château Figeac vertical at the property and two or three times over the subsequent 12 months. The 2009 Figeac has shown very variably in the past, although my last encounter in 2013 was very positive. How about now? The 2009 seems to have closed down a little since I last tasted it: gravelly and smoky, what you might describe as austere for the vintage. Stylistically it is actually similar to the 2008 Figeac with an appealing savory entry, grainy tannin, a pinch of black pepper and a slightly clipped, but focused finish. This is one of the few Right Bank wines whereby the terroir is more expressive than the growing season, so it will appeal to those that appreciate the style of Figeac, though not necessarily to those that prefer the voluptuousness of the 2009s. Additionally, comparing it directly to the 2010, I suspect that it might not have quite as much longevity as the succeeding vintage. That said, this is still a knockout Saint Emilion that is going to bestow a lot of drinking pleasure over the years. Tasted July 2016.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the Union de Grand Cru in London. The 2009 has a muted, slightly herbaceous bouquet that does not quite have the purity of the vintage. Touches of hot brick, a dash of dried herbs. The palate is simple on the entry with brusque tannins, but my main criticism is the lack of breeding and complexity. Nice cohesion towards the finish, but where is the exuberance? Tasted October 2011.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Cropped at 36hl/ha, the 2009 is composed of one-third of each variety. This remains a controversial, divisive Saint Emilion and it vacillates wildly from bottle to bottle. Here, it certainly does not have the same fruit intensity as Cheval Blanc ‘09, although it is nicely defined. It needs more personality and drive. The palate is better with very firm, brusque tannins. This is slightly pinched with a citric fresh finish that needs more persistency, although there is a pleasant chestnut note on the aftertaste. Tasted December 2012.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. This is probably one of those most controversial scores. After a topsy-turvy showing in barrel followed by an enervated display just after bottling, under single blind conditions this bottle verifies one of my showings in barrel. There is some lovely Cabernet Franc on the nose here: bay leaf and hints of burnt toast infusing the ripe black fruits. This has real character and charm. The palate is medium-bodied with firm, grainy tannins. This is nicely balanced: fresh and very composed on the finish with savoury hints beginning to emerge. Classy. Could this be a wine that you have to treat on a bottle-by-bottle basis? Tasted January 2013.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
The medium garnet colored 2009 Figeac features a very pretty perfume of rose hip tea, lilacs and cinnamon stick over a core of red and black currant preserves plus hints of dried herbs and sweaty saddles. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers bags of savory fruit layers with plenty of floral sparks, framed by rounded tannins, finishing on a earthy note.
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
Deep ruby-red with purple tinges. Very spicy, complex nose hints at blackcurrant, rose, Christmas cake and raisin, with black pepper and minty fresh herbs providing lift. Then juicy and moderately dense in the mouth, with good energy but modest flesh to the red fruit, mineral and bitter chocolate flavors. Finishes very fresh and light on its feet, with firm, slightly dry tannins and a note of licorice.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2009 Figeac is a gorgeous wine that is really coming into its own. It has quite a precocious bouquet with wild strawberry, blood orange, fig jam, marmalade and gravelly aromas courtesy of the Cabernets. There is real depth on what is quite lush aromatics. The palate is beautifully balanced, very pure with a velvet texture, plenty of ripe red fruit, white pepper, clove, blood orange and kirsch notes, building wonderful towards a powerful yet controlled finish. This is drinking supremely well now, but it will cruise at high altitude for a number of years. Tasted at the château.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2009 Figeac has an attractive bouquet with black cherries, boysenberry jam, hints of fig and crushed stone, the Cabernet component less expressive than other vintages (as has always been the case.) The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin. It seems to have lost a bit of its puppy fat compared to two or three years ago, but retains a silky smooth texture and very composed and quite persistent finish. Very classy. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits' annual Ten Year On tasting.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2009 Figeac is a wine that was so inconsistent in its youth, though miraculously since 2013 it has developed into a gorgeous Saint-Émilion, a late flowerer so to speak. Here it has a wonderful bouquet with blackberry, gravel, tobacco and a little more glycerine than previous bottles. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated ripe tannin, a bewitching marriage of Merlot and Cabernet Franc/Sauvignon with an unusually plush and velvety smooth finish. It should give three decades, maybe four decades of unadulterated drinking pleasure. Tasted at Christies' Figeac dinner with Marie-France Manoncourt.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(a very moderate 13.5% alcohol for the vintage): Red-ruby. Aromas of redcurrant and plum are complicated by gravel, tobacco, wild herbs and cedar. Lush, suave and seamless, with noteworthy energy and a restrained sweetness to the fine-grained flavors of red fruits, tobacco and herbs. Insinuating tobacco and cedar notes perfume the mouth as the wine opens in the glass. Very firm wine, finishing with noble, edge-free tannins, lingering spiciness and sneaky length. Quite ripe for Figeac but without any excesses.
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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