2010 Chateau Figeac Saint-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classe 750 ml

98-Point Saint-Émilion That Will Astound

Collector alert: Few Right Bank 2010s are as sought-after as Saint-Émilion’s Premier Grand Cru Château Figeac, which drew a rave 96 points from Wine Spectator and 98 points by a gobsmacked James Suckling. Bordeaux’s 2015 vintage may soon enter the pantheon of epic and collectible years, but of the last two decades, 2005, 2009 and 2010 are the clear heavyweights. And 2010 yielded the most stunningly age-worthy specimens, which gives real credence to Robert Parker’s own praise: “I have tasted enough wines from 2005, 2009 and 2010 to realize that these may be the three greatest Bordeaux vintages I have tasted in my career,” said the venerable critic. In 2010, Figeac produced a Saint-Émilion that will astound now, and age effortlessly into the 2040s. A mere 75 bottles remain in our temperature controlled warehouse for the Wine Access clients fast enough to adopt them for their own cool, dark cellar.

The Grand Dame of Saint-Émilion, Château Figeac has for decades produced wines canonized for their polished tannic elegance and extraordinary cellaring potential. As châteaux on either side of the Gironde became host to a carousel of itinerant consultants and winemakers, Figeac had a relentlessly steady hand at the wheel. That hand was Thierry Manoncourt’s, one of the last legendary members of the Bordeaux old guard, who oversaw Figeac for 63 years and guided the estate’s rigorously classicist path to excellence.

Château Figeac’s trademark rich, chiseled bouquet and unmatched sturdiness in bottle can both be traced back to the property’s deep, tough, gravel soils — rare for the appellation — which allows Cabernet Sauvignon to mature and ripen full. The singular terroir in turn is reflected in Figeac’s unusual blend of almost equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot.

No Bordeaux collection is complete without a classic Château Figeac masterminded by Thierry Manoncourt, the Right Bank patriarch who passed away in 2010. Today is a chance to take home his final, unforgettable effort.

While the superstars of Saint-Émilion, from Cheval Blanc to Clos Fourtet, had a field day in 2010, for truly serious and patient collectors, the most extraordinarily age-worthy 2010 is unquestionably this Premier Grand Cru estate Château Figeac.

Jonathan Cristaldi

Editor-in-Chief, Wine Access