FIGEAC 2019

Reminding me of the 2016 with its pure, classic style, the 2019 Figeac checks in as 36 Cabernet Franc, 34 Cabernet Sauvignon, and 30 Merlot, and the Cabernet certainly takes center stage at this point. Deep purple, with an incredibly pure bouquet of crème de cassis, spring flowers, tobacco, lead pencil shavings, and damp earth, you'd be excused for guessing Pontet Canet (or maybe Lafite) blind as it has a distinctly Left Bank style. Full-bodied and flawlessly balanced, with beautiful concentration, it's one of those wines that offers serious power and richness, yet no sensation of weight or heaviness. In addition, the tannin quality is off the charts and could not be any better. If you love classic Bordeaux (or just great wine for that matter), you should buy this wine.

The 2019 Figeac was picked from 13 September to 7 October, a total of 4 weeks picking. There is a little more emphasis on the Cabernet Franc this year - 36% of the blend. It is quintessential Figeac on the nose, that is to say that the enticing mélange of Merlot and Cabernet together creates more than a sum of their parts. Here the blackberry, crushed stone and graphite elements are seamlessly enmeshed with the more ravishing red fruit aspects delivered by the ripe Merlot. It is exquisitely defined. The palate is medium-bodied. First impressions are of a Figeac that leans more to the Cabernet/Left Bank side of its personality, quite structured with black fruit dominating, saline and marine-influenced. The Merlot really comes through towards the close delivering that almost clinical mineral-driven finish. Winemaker Frédéric Faye and his team have conjured a deeply impressive, intellectual Figeac this years, amongst the canon of greats that stretch back to the 1940s. Drink 2028-2060

This is one of the most structured and linear Figeac with very fine tannins, yet at an intense level. So complex on the nose with notes of white flowers, blueberries and graphite. It’s full-bodied, very balanced and agile. So transparent and linear with brightness and raciness. 36% cabernet franc, 30% merlot and 34% cabernet sauvignon.

The 2019 Figeac is composed of 30 Merlot, 34 Cabernet Sauvignon and 36 Cabernet Franc, harvested from the 13th of September to the 7th of October. The alcohol this year is 14.1 and the pH is 3.7. Steal-your-heart scents of mulberries, black raspberries, Black Forest cake and cassis prance ever so gracefully out of the glass, followed by nuances of plum preserves, red roses, cinnamon toast and clove oil plus just a waft of lavender. Medium to full-bodied, the palate shimmers with electric energy, framed by a solid backbone of wonderfully ripe, grainy Cabernet-led tannins and bold freshness, finishing with fantastic persistence and with tons of emerging earth and floral layers. This is a simply stunning, seemingly effortless, beautifully harmonious expression of the vineyard and the vintage - bravo!