Chateau Figeac (Futures Pre-sale) 2009
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James
Suckling - Decanter
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Wine
Spectator -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
The aromas in this are amazing, with blueberries, blackberries and fresh mushrooms. Black olives. So aromatic. Full-bodied, with super velvety tannins and lovely depth of ripe fruit. Balanced. Wild flavors on the finish of, meat, berries and forest fruits. Hints of decadence. 33% Cabernet Franc, 33% Merlot and 33% Cabernet Sauvignon. Best Figeac ever. Try after 2020.
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Decanter
This is an excellent vintage to drink now, with huge amounts of liquorice, cedar, crème caramel, bilberry and black cherry, with a fleshy texture to the fruit but just starting to show more tertiary notes of earth, crushed stone and soft mint on the finish. Feels like the pefect Right Bank take on a Left Bank, generous and open but with a steely core and tannins that remain sure to take this wine forward over many decades to come. This was Thierry Manoncourt's last full vintage, as he died in 2010 (his first had been 1947). Drinking Window 2021 - 2048
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Wine Spectator
Distinctive, with atypical (for St.-Emilion) force and drive to the black currant, roasted cedar and maduro tobacco flavors, which are supported by a dense, loam-tinged structure. Terrific roasted espresso, ganache and fig paste notes wait in reserve. Very muscular, but with the cut for balance. Best from 2017 through 2035.
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Wine Enthusiast
A ripe year like 2009 is kind to the Cabernet Sauvignon of Chateau Figeac. The wine is perfumed with new wood and sweet fruits, delicious black currant flavors giving both ripeness and freshness. The wine has weight and impressive density. A start of the vintage.
Cellar Selection -
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2009 Château Figeac is the normal blend of close to equal parts Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a beautiful wine that has classic Figeac style, yet is more reserved and backward than most in the vintage. Forest floor, truffle, blackcurrants, cigar ash and green tobacco notes all emerge from this full-bodied, ripe, yet pure, elegant Saint-Emilion that has good acidity and plenty of length. The tannins are ripe, yet firm, it’s nicely balanced, and it blossoms with time in the glass. Nevertheless, it needs another 4-5 years of cellaring to hit prime time, and it should keep for 2-3 decades.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Tasted at the Château Figeac vertical at the property and two or three times over the subsequent 12 months. The 2009 Figeac has shown very variably in the past, although my last encounter in 2013 was very positive. How about now? The 2009 seems to have closed down a little since I last tasted it: gravelly and smoky, what you might describe as austere for the vintage. Stylistically it is actually similar to the 2008 Figeac with an appealing savory entry, grainy tannin, a pinch of black pepper and a slightly clipped, but focused finish. This is one of the few Right Bank wines whereby the terroir is more expressive than the growing season, so it will appeal to those that appreciate the style of Figeac, though not necessarily to those that prefer the voluptuousness of the 2009s. Additionally, comparing it directly to the 2010, I suspect that it might not have quite as much longevity as the succeeding vintage. That said, this is still a knockout Saint Emilion that is going to bestow a lot of drinking pleasure over the years. Tasted July 2016.
Figeac is a very ancient property. In the 2nd century, the Figeacus family gave its name to the estate. Traces of their Gallo-Roman villa still exist today. In the 15th century, Figeac was one of five noble houses in Saint-Emilion and passed from the Lescours family, who at that time also owned Ausone, into the hands of the Cazes family, who transmitted it through marriage to the Carles in the 17th century. Acquired by the Manoncourt Family in 1892, it was a son of the family, Thierry Manoncourt, who realized the estate's enormous potential upon his arrival in 1943. An agricultural engineer, he was a prioneer in viticulture and oenology, implementing many new technologies and methods – many of which are still used today. Thanks to his ceaseless efforts, Château-Figeac was classified as a Premier Grand Cru Classé in the first Classification of St. Emilion in 1955. After his passing in 2010, his wife, Madame Manoncourt, and two of their daughters still live on and run the estate, ably supported by highly skilled team. New technical facilities, including a large vat-room, two barrel cellars, an R&D cellar, and much more, were inaugurated in 2021. In 2022, Figeac received the "A" distinction in the Classification of Saint-Emilion, becoming one of two 1er Grand Cru Classé "A," fulfilling the life-long dream of M. Manoncourt and affirming the estate's exceptional terroir and wines.
Figeac is among the largest estates of Saint-Emilion, covering 54 hectares (133 acres) in one block, including 41 hectares (101 aceres) of vineyards as well as its preserved green spaces, including forest, prairie, waterways, and a plethora of flora and fauna. Figeac's terroir is unique within the appellation, principally composed of deep, pure gravel over blue-clay subsoil. This unusual terroir allows for a very rare planting in the vineyard: just one-third of Merlot, one-third Cabernet Sauvignon, and one-third Cabernet Franc. Its wines are renowned for their purity and freshness, with complex aromatic structure and extremely long ageing potential.