Chateau Figeac Premier Grand Cru Classe A, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2019

The 2019 Figeac is a blend of 36% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 30% Merlot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it is a little sluggish and broody to begin, soon revealing glimpses at baked plums, blackberry pie, and chargrill scents, followed by hints of aniseed, unsmoked cigars, and dusty soil. The medium to full-bodied palate is an exercise in elegance and restraint, featuring loads of mineral-sparked black fruit layers and a velvety texture, finishing long and earthy. Don't even think about touching this for a good 5-7 years at least), when the experience promises to be mind-blowing.

Drink 2027 - 2067

The 2019 Figeac is without question one of the wines of the vintage. All the promise it showed as a young barrel sample, is all there in bottle, too. Estate Director Frédéric Faye crafted a towering, statuesque Figeac built on vertical energy and a feeling of vibrancy that never lets up. Deep layers of red/purplish fruit, cedar, tobacco, mint and dried flowers are framed by a super-classic expression of structure that keeps things in balance. There is a bit more Cabernet Franc in this year's blend, and that definitely comes through. Readers who can find the 2019 should not hesitate, as it is truly majestic.

Drink 2034 - 2069

This is a gorgeous Figeac, balanced and finessed and full of promise for the future - and interesting to note that its blend is almost back to the classic third-of-each-variety of the pre-Rolland days. Just love the clarity and the chiselled quality to the fruits, blueberries, bilberries, cassis - all smooth, concentrated, with excellent acidity but high sweetness, and muscular tannins. Clear smoked sandalwood also but not a hint of dryness, and will clearly melt together with another five or six years in bottle. Can't wait to follow this wine as it ages. Cigar smoke and grilled sandalwood on the finish, the poise and precision on display here is just unmissable. Harvest September 13 to October 17, 100% new oak.

Drink 2028 - 2050

The 2019 Figeac has a wonderful nose, beautifully defined with black fruit, loam, black truffle shavings and light graphite scents. Very focused and plenty of vigor. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins, intense and almost pixelated towards the vibrant, tensile finish. Effortless and classy, this should evolve gracefully for many years. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.

Drink 2026 - 2060

The 2019 Château Figeac checks in as 36% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 30% Merlot, and it's another brilliant wine from Frédéric Faye. This deep purple-hued effort offers a beautiful Pauillac-like bouquet of ripe black cherries, cassis, damp earth, leafy herbs, chocolate, and smoked tobacco. It has classic Figeac herbal, earthy goodness no doubt due to its high percentage of Cabernet) and is medium to full-bodied on the palate, has perfect tannins and flawless balance, all making for a brilliant Saint-Emilion that brings richness and power paired with finesse and elegance. Give bottles 4-5 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following 30+.

Drink 2026 - 2058

This is a really beautiful red with crushed-berry, plum, bark, mushroom and earth character. It’s full and creamy-textured with lots of tannins, but they are integrated and polished and flow across the palate. So much depth and intensity, yet there’s underlying grace and class.

Drink 2025+

The 2019 Figeac has turned out brilliantly. Wafting from the glass with aromas of blackberries, cassis, warm spices, violets and pencil shavings, framed by a deft touch of nicely integrated new oak, it's full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with terrific depth at the core, powdery structuring tannins and lively acids, concluding with a long, precise finish. Rich but vibrant, this 2019 reflects the new precision that Frédéric Faye has brought to Figeac; but while it's richer and more polished than the wines of yesteryear, the estate's identity hasn't been lost.

Drink 2029 - 2065