Figeac 1995

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.

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. Drink: 2015 - 2035