2020 Chateau Figeac Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classe 750 ml

The Grande Dame of Saint-Émilion, Château Figeac has for decades produced wines idolized for their polished elegance, perfect tannic structure, and extraordinary cellaring potential. For 63 years, 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 most of his life and guided the estate’s rigorously classicist path to excellence.

When we visited Manancourt in 2009, the year before he passed away, he emphasized he didn’t even touch the bottles for himself or guests of Château Figeac until they’d been resting at least a decade—a testament to the incredible age worthiness of these magnificent clarets.

Beginning in 2013, the estate brought on Michel Rolland to some hand-wringing among traditionalists, apprehensive that the classic Figeac character, passed down through generations, was in danger of changing course. 

Those fears were unfounded. Rolland and current winemaker Frédéric Faye have only brought the wines into sharper focus, racking up big scores in Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. Early in the Rolland/Faye tenure, that publication declared: “Figeac continues along its upward trajectory in terms of heights of greatness and consistency.” 

Then, with this 2020, they achieved perfection. 

Château Figeac’s trademark rich, chiseled bouquet and unmatched sturdiness in the 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 fully. The singular terroir, in turn, is reflected in Figeac’s unusual blend of almost equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot.

There is no doubt this vintage will cellar beautifully for two decades plus, though thanks to Rolland’s influence, it’s already drinking beautifully.