Figeac 2018

Love this vibrant, succulent and welcoming Figeac, great reflection of an excellent vintage in St Emilion. Has plenty of juicy damson and raspberry fuits on the opening beats, with gourmet black pepper and smoked caramel, and velvety tannins that wrap themselves around the fruit and carry it right through the palate. Drawn out finish also, with flecks of lemongrass acidity and slate minerality. Well balanced yet succulent, a little atypical perhaps of Figeac in its upfront charms, but hard to disagree with - and the mint leaf finish brings things back into line. Harvest Sptember 17 to October 12, 100% new oak for ageing.

Tasted blind. Slightly simple crimson. Angular on the palate. Sweet but still a baby. Very long. 14.5%Drink 2030 – 2050

Inky with purple rim. A little bit spicy on the nose, scented and ripe but not overripe, that touch of nutmeg that I found on the Nénin. Ripe and pure. Very smooth and rich on the palate, remarkably soft when you know the quantity of tannins. Smooth and accessible, rounded and luxurious but balanced by the freshness. Grainy texture but fine grained. Second tasting of a cooler sample (the temporary tasting room was a tent and the samples warmed up quickly when the sun was out): fragrant with small black berries, opens up to a more scented beauty, still some spice but also a hint of roses. Greater finesse and freshness at a cooler temperature. Concentrated but so round on the finish. More Cabernet Sauvignon would have given a hardness on the finish, says Faye. Cool chalky finesse. Fine-grained persistence and freshness with a surprising juiciness on the finish.Drink 2024-2034

This is pretty gorgeous, with a velvety texture that lets nearly exotic cassis, plum and blackberry fruit reduction flavors roll through. Has a beautiful bass line of warm earth and smoldering tobacco notes all while keeping its sensational mouthfeel. The encore on the finish makes you realize this is the serious gourmet stuff. One of the highlights of the vintage.

The 2018 Figeac was picked 17 September to 12 October. Winemaker Frédéric Faye told me that he vinified at a lower temperature compared to previous vintages with no pigeage or déléstage. It offers a classic Figeac bouquet with blackcurrant, raspberry coulis, touches of graphite from the Cabernet, marmalade and orange pith. The oak, 100% new, is well integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins and wonderful freshness. This is a dense Figeac with impressive body. Frédéric Faye managed to imbue this with elegance and the classic leitmotifs of this château. Cool, calm and collected on the finish, this is one of the wines of the vintage. Drink 2024-2055.

This shows wonderful precision and focus with dark-berry, tobacco, and blueberry character. Full-bodied, tight and vivid. Solid and structured. Really powerful for Figeac. The real new style here of Figeac that harkens back to the great wines of the 1950s and 1940s. This year, equal parts of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc.

The 2018 Figeac is composed of 37% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Cabernet Franc, harvested September 17 to October 12 with a 3.7 pH and 14% alcohol. Deep purple-black in color, it charges out of the gate with vivacious black and red cherries, cassis, warm plums and wild blueberries scents plus fragrant hints of violets, star anise, tilled soil and forest floor with wafts of Ceylon tea and chocolate box. Full-bodied and jam-packed with energetic, crunchy black and blue fruits, it has a rock-solid, firm, grainy frame and loads of bright, refreshing sparks lifting the dense layers on the very long, savory finish. Wow—the Cabernet really makes itself known this vintage, and it is good. The signature of this wine is so clear, so defined, that this is a Bordeaux wine without peers. In my view, this is the finest Figeac ever produced.

Back to a more traditional blend after last year's frost impact, Figeac has done a wonderful job of harnessing the opulence of the vintage while maintaining freshness. This is extremely focussed and precise, with a silky texture and inky depths, developing complexity as the flavours unfurl. These are big tannins but they steal up on you, doing that subtle creep that's such a marker of the vintage. Powerful, utterly gorgeous and clearly a wine that will age well, this is equal to the estate's excellent 2016. Harvest ran from 17 September to 12 October, giving a 39hl/ha yield (with 70% organic farming, 30% bio-control). 65% of the crop went into the grand vin. 3.7pH.Drinking Window 2027 - 2042

Tasting like a hypothetical blend of the 2015 and 2016, the 2018 Château Figeac offers that rare mix of elegance and sexiness that makes it the most Médoc-like wine from the Right Bank. Checking in as a blend of 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and 26% Cabernet Franc that will spend 19 months in new oak, made from 75% of the total production, it offers a saturated purple color as well as incredible notes of liquid violets, exotic flowers, crème de cassis, and spice box. Full-bodied, multi-dimensional, flawlessly balanced, and with awesome purity of fruit, it’s going to flirt with perfection in 4-5 years and keep for 3-4 decades or more. Hats off to director Frédéric Faye for another viscerally thrilling wine that’s up with the crème de la crème of the vintage.