2021 Château Figeac
 1er Grand Cru Classé (B), St.Emilion

£978 per 6 bottle case in bond

Request To Buy

Well, there hasn’t been much excitement this en primeur season. Very few wines have delivered the quality or released at price levels that would draw client attention in order to sell before they are bottled. Thankfully, I am not a négociant with rafts of unwanted wine to sell!
 
Here is one release that is sure to be well-followed given the quality of the wine and new momentum behind the estate. Château Figeac has caught the wine-buying publics' attention these last seven vintages as the ambition of the owners of the estate is clear, and they are driving quality ever upwards as befits one of St.Emilion’s great terroir.
 
In terms of the growing season, Merlot had a rough ride in 2021, yet part of the key to Figeac’s success is the quality and quantity of its Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, both of which perform incredibly well on its gravelly soils. So, the proportion of Merlot in the resultant blend is lowered and the Cabernets stepped up. They harvested their final Cabernets on the 19th October and were not panicked by an erroneous weather forecast that predicted rain and inclined many to harvest early. You have to risk something in tricky circumstances if you wish to overcome the challenges of a difficult year. Simply put, the 2021 Figeac tastes like a wine from a different vintage to 99% of what we tasted on our tasting trip in May.
 
Simon Field MW, who has a far more appropriate turn of phrase than I, commented in The World of Fine Wine, ‘Figeac’s luck is clearly in at the moment, its 2021 is a symphonic study in poised self-belief and a magisterial refusal to buckle under the apparent pressure of crisis. What crisis?’. I couldn’t have put it better.
 
I would however add that the 2021 Figeac was neither flashy nor bold when we tasted the unfinished wine in Bordeaux. This will be an interesting one to follow and re-taste in time, as I have a feeling it will benefit greatly from the time in barrel and therefore may exceed early expectations; it is all to do with the finesse of those Cabernet components that account for over 70% of the blend.