The 2020 Figeac was bottled in mid-July. It has an exquisite bouquet that unfolds effortlessly in the glass with blackberry, crushed stone, graphite and fresh fig scents. It blossoms with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly edgy tannins on the entry that frame the pure black fruit. It's very harmonious and silky smooth in texture that almost disguises what Frédéric Faye terms the "verticality" of the wine. Fresh and saline on the finish with just a light black pepper touch on the aftertaste. An absolute treat. 02/2023 The 2020 Figeac was picked from September 4 to October 1 and underwent vinification free of SO2. Deep purple in color, it is initially backward and sultry on the nose, necessitating 60 minutes before it really opens. It then reveals intense scents of cranberry, raspberry and touches of cassis intermingling with white pepper. Given that the Cabernets comprise 63% of the blend, this has a typical Left Bank personality but with Right Bank precocity. The palate conveys a sense of vibrancy and vigor on the entry, a dash of black pepper and allspice mingling with the mélange of red and black fruit. The tannins are satin-like in texture, and there’s dark berry fruit and hints of pencil lead and black truffle shavings toward the Pomerol-like finish. This is a magnificent Figeac from head winemaker Frédéric Faye and his team. This sample really came into its own 2–3 hours after opening.

The 2020 Figeac is incredibly polished and refined. Bright saline underpinnings and lively acids shape the 2020 beautifully, lending notable energy throughout. This is the last vintage made in the transitional cellar before the new winery became operational with the 2021 vintage. My only question mark is a slightly gritty quality in the tannins that lurks beneath. There's terrific purity and drive, though. Figeac is a wine of saline tension and energy more than size. The 2020 will need a number of years in bottle to be at its best. 02/2023 A super-classic wine, the 2020 Figeac sizzles with vertical energy. The château has made a number of tremendous wines in recent vintages, but I don't remember a Figeac with this much saline-drenched intensity and mineral drive. The 2020 is superb, but it won't be ready to drink anytime soon. The mixture of soil types and varieties, with the high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, that is such a signature here, was a huge help in maintaining balance and energy in the wine. Technical Director Frédéric Faye certainly seems to have gotten the most out of the vintage.

The 2020 Figeac is a blend of 37% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc and 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, weighing in with an alcohol of 13.9% and a pH of 3.7. Opaque purple-black colored, it bursts from the glass with a beautifully vibrant initial wave of pure, pristine black fruits: fresh black cherries, juicy black plums and ripe blackcurrants. With swirling, a whole array of floral and spice notes is unleashed: lavender, ground cloves, cumin seed, cardamom and rose oil. The medium-bodied palate is surprisingly graceful for the intensity of aromas, featuring ethereal, perfumed black berry notes, framed by a seamless line of freshness and ripe, grainy tannins, finishing on a lingering fragrant earth note. Far more cerebral and quietly introspective than it is hedonic, this could only be Figeac. So, I caught up with Frédéric Faye on a Zoom call from his Paris hotel room, where he was participating in very detailed (and, no doubt, extremely heated) discussions surrounding the forthcoming Saint-Émilion reclassification. As a reminder, Figeac has been ranked Premier Grand Cru Classé B since the very first classification, in 1955. But given recent changes—30% of the vineyard replanted since 2009 and a whole new winery—and its clear upward trajectory in quality in recent years, all eyes are now pointed toward the realm of Premier Grand Cru Classé A for this estate. I got stressed just imagining how stressed Faye must have been. If he was about to spontaneously combust, it certainly didn’t show. “Everyone thinks that if you have a drought, it must be bad for Figeac,” Faye began. “But we have a lot of clay in our soils and we have a lot of older vines. Still, this vintage was not really easy. The weather conditions were extreme. The Cabernet Franc started to suffer—but then the little bit of rain in August finally pushed the Cabernet Franc through veraison. It was one of our longest harvests ever. We harvested over five weeks! We started on 4th September with just one plot of Merlot—to maintain that freshness. Then we waited. I knew what I wanted. We are a large estate and we have a lot of plots, so I need to begin to do the blending in the vineyard. In the end, it was a vintage of terroir and of decisions—human decisions.” As a reminder, Figeac is a little unique in its blend, being composed of nearly equal parts Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. This year, the blend has a plush, juiciness from the Merlot, a brightness from the Cabernet Franc and a taut, structural element from the Cabernet Sauvignon, all knitted together beautifully and truly singing, “FIGEAC!,” loud and clear. Deliciousness aside, it’s a wine I highly recommend for this evocative attribute alone.

Couleur sombre, intense et pourpre. Nez très aromatique, fin, fruité, subtil, parfumé et délicat. Bouche tout en grâce tactile, avec une folle élégance dans le toucher et une texture noble qui m'a donné envie d'un peu plus de puissance entre le milieu et la finale, d'un peu moins de prudence. Belle persistance incrachable. Assemblage : 37 % merlot, 32 % cabernet franc, 31 % cabernet sauvignon. Degré d'alcool : 13°8 - pH : 3,7. Rendement : 40 hl/ha. Production : 75 % de premier vin.

This is a really sophisticated young wine with tobacco, crushed stone, currants and dark chocolate on the nose, following through to a medium to full body with intense yet linear tannins and a spicy, fresh finish. Some cloves and black pepper. Graphite at the end. Very long. 37% merlot, 32% cabernet franc and 31% cabernet sauvignon.