CHÂTEAU FIGEAC

One of the real standouts of the vintage, the 2015 Figeac soars out of the glass with stunning aromatic presence and beautifully layered fruit. Powerful and yet also light on its feet, it is wonderfully complex from start to finish. Plum, mocha, spice, new leather and menthol gradually open up, but the 2015 is most remarkable for its sensual perfume and exceptional overall balance. This is the first vintage the winemaking team followed a new protocol designed to maintain purity of fruit and aromas by reducing contact with oxygen during the first year of aging. The 2015 Figeac is magnificent. Drinking range: 2025 - 2055 Rating: 97 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2018)

29% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Franc, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon. Lovely combo of opulence and freshness. The Cabernet Sauvignon surely helps. Real drive and Figeac character. Real savour. Sappy. 14% Drinking range: 2025 - 2045 Rating: 18 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2016)

This has the second highest ever percentage of Cabernet Franc, as well as its customary backbone of Cabernet Sauvignon, giving the wine a freshness, perfume and structure that some St. Emilions lack in 2015. Plush, concentrated and built to age, with very fine tannins, classy oak and impressive length. Drinking range: 2022 - 2040 Rating: 96 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2016)

Classic style but added precision this year. 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Cabernet Franc, 29% Merlot. Fragrant floral and dark fruit notes. Lovely depth of fruit on the palate. Ripe, enrobed tannins provide a velvety texture as well as persistence and length. Overall freshness and harmony. The 100% new oak is completely integrated. Drinking range: 2025 - 2045 Rating: 95 James Lawther MW, decanter.com (Apr 2016)

This is the most structured Figeac in modern times. I tasted wines from this estate from the 1920s and 1910s but this is something. Full and powerful. Pure and focused. Extracted cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc. Rating: 97-98 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2016)

A classic Figeac blend here, with 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Cabernet Franc and 29% Merlot, quite close to the plantings in the vineyard which are 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Cabernet Franc and 32% Merlot. The soils here are mostly gravel of course, with perhaps 7-10% of the vineyard being clay, and Frédéric Faye felt that the vines coped well with the early summer drought. They removed bunches from the young vines to protect them, otherwise they had no problems. The Merlot was picked from September 21st to 25th, the Cabernet Franc October 12th to 14th, the Cabernet Sauvignon October 5th to 14th. The alcohol is just 14%, showing the freshening effect of a Cabernet-dominated assemblage. This accounts for 65% of the crop. There was a pre-fermentation cold soak lasting eight days. A very perfumed nose, very precise, expressive, bright and pure, dark fruit but with floral, perfumed nuances. A fresh, very pure, tense palate, cool and bright, with contrasting dark, spicy and perfumed fruit, backed up by ripe and pointed tannins. These tannins feel ripe, fresh and bright, sitting in a fine lacework through the wine, with a fresh and bright acidity. So beautifully perfumed, elegantly composed, with a rich and ripe and confident structure. Those tannins come through at the end. It has real density and elegance, which Figeac fans surely look for. Fresh, cool, and very long. Not quite a finished assemblage, as some barrels are still undecided, and this only include 3% press wine at the moment. Rating: 17.5-18.5/20 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2016)

This has eye-opening power and depth, with a well of currant, fig and blackberry fruit that is supported by fresh tobacco and warm stones notes. Grippy through the finish, with a loam note adding more bass, this still stays focused and integrated. Rating: 94—97 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2016)