The 2018 Figeac is a regal, aristocratic Saint-Émilion. Vertical in feel, Figeac possesses stunning energy and vibrancy right out of the gate. Dark cherry, plum, mocha, licorice, rose petal and spice all open with a bit of coaxing. Figeac is a bit restrained today, but it won't be an issue in another few years' time. Figeac is not an obvious wine, but it is superb.

Inky dark in color, the wine offers a new aromatic display featuring nutmeg, spice, espresso, blackberry, black cherry, and cigar box notes. Opulent, velvety, rich, and deep, the fruit comes in layers, coating your palate. The salinity in the finish stands out in the long series of endnotes. With the 2018, you need patience, so wait at least 5-6 more years and enjoy the wine over the next 30 or more years after that! The wine blends 37% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2028-2060. Tasted July 2022

Reminiscent of the 2016 with its incredible purity and elegance, the 2018 Château Figeac offers a terrific perfume of crème de cassis, redcurrants, dried earth, tobacco, lead pencil, spring flowers, and exotic spice-driven nuances. Playing in the medium to full-bodied end of the spectrum, it's flawlessly balanced, has silky, polished tannins, and a stunning sense of purity. It doesn't have the sexiness of the 2015, but it's very much in the style of the 2018 vintage with its pure, elegant, haut couture-like style. And it doesn't show a hint of its 100% new oak élevage. Give bottles 4-5 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following 20-30 years. It's not the biggest or richest Saint- Emilion, yet the balance, finesse, and elegance are something to behold. I think it's going to check in behind the 2015 (and maybe the 2019) when all is said and done, but it's unquestionably one of the greatest Figeac in the past 20-30 years. The blend is 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc, raised all in new oak. Another big “Bravo” to the talented director, Frédéric Faye!

Great richness and intensity on the nose with so much complex minerality and character. So much intensity and drive in the mid palate - such great sweetness of fruit and clarity of mineral expression. It's so focused and Figeac! The finish is dense and beautiful with a weightless but pure fruit style, giving way slowly to chalky minerality. - April 2019

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 unveiled 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. LPB

The 2018 Figeac continues to not put a toe, let alone a foot, wrong under head winemaker Frédéric Faye. The bottle is closed initially, and in fact it was only the following morning that it began to unfold and reveal its true character. Quintessential Figeac on the nose, it offers blackberry, briar, pencil shavings courtesy of the Cabernet Sauvignon, and touch of terracotta. Beautifully defined, as we have come to expect these days; I might well confuse it for a Pomerol. The palate is medium-bodied and has soaked up the 100% new oak. Lithe tannins render this more approachable than the Figeacs of yesteryear, yet it maintains the same DNA. Elegant and refined, it gently fans out with pure, slightly tertiary black fruit and traces of clove and bay leaf. To quote my conclusion from barrel, it is still "cool, calm and collected" on the finish. Divine.

Great minty coolness and focus for this vintage! So much vitality and drive! I love the elegant dryness of this wine, which has only a hint of the opulence of this vintage. Very long and energetic finish with wonderful, herbal and mineral freshness. Excellent potential. Drinkable now, but best from 2025. Château Quintus vertical tasting. SP

Sleek and tightly focused, this is a racy style marked by a pure beam of cassis and cherry purée and infused with red tea, bergamot and bay hints. Very fresh and refined through the finish, with a long chalky thread lingering after everything else. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2024 through 2038. 10,830 cases made. — JM

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. - Julia Harding, jancisrobinson.com, April 2019

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. Bravo. Drinking Window 2025 - 2050
Tasted by Yohan Castaing (at Château Figeac, 20 Sep 2021)
Part of Tasting Château Figeac: 17 vintages from 1947 to 2019