Château Figeac 2018

This still exudes the freshness and exuberance that the wine had during the primeur stage with its scents of blackcurrant, raspberry, and crushed strawberry along with a delicate floral touch. The new oak is perfectly integrated while imparting a subtle smoky note. The attack is surprisingly creamy, announcing a full-bodied texture wrapped around perfectly polished tannins allied with fine-judged acidity that together provide thrust leading to a finish that is intense yet light-footed and infused with freshness. This is a truly remarkable wine that will surely develop an even more velvety mouthfeel in years to come. Well done. - Yohan Castaing.

Dense garnet red with purple reflections. Beautiful intensity of the bouquet with freshness and fruit. Floral notes, licorice wood and red berries. Elegant, inviting character. Juicy and delicious attack. Lots of precision and character on the palate. The wine has a tension which highlights the freshness and the fruit, while the tannins slowly reveal themselves and display a clean, clear, tight and fine character. Very beautiful aromatic intensity, from the mouthful to the finish. Perfect harmony between the breed of the structure and the tannins. These mark the finish, but not in an exuberant way; they are just imposing in the way they sit and take place, subtly, thanks to the fineness of the grain. Beautiful symbiosis with the acid structure which reinforces the aromatic expression of the finish which underlines the freshness of Figeac 2018. A very great success. 2026-2048.

The 2018 Figeac is composed of 37% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Cabernet Franc, with a 3.7 pH and 14% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple in color, it soars out of the glass with opening notes of freshly crushed red and black cherries, mulberries and ripe, juicy plums, followed by hints of violets, damp soil, cedar chest, crushed rocks and pencil shavings. The medium-bodied, elegantly styled palate features bags of freshness and exquisitely ripe, beautifully poised tannins to support the bright, energetic black and red fruit layers, finishing on a lingering fragrant earth note. This is absolutely recognizable as being cut from the same cloth as old-school Figeac, but all the recent vineyard and winemaking improvements have revealed the beautifully ripe, intense, nuanced potential here. Bravo to managing director/winemaker Frédéric Faye and his team! Although there is a lot to love about this wine right now, give it 5-6 years for the oak to fully integrate and the underlying perfume suggestions to emerge, then enjoy over the next 20-25 years or more. -Lisa Perrotti-Brown