2016 Château Figeac, St Emilion, Bordeaux

The 2016 Figeac was bottled at the end of July 2018 since Frdéric Faye wanted to give the wine more time in barrel to develop more harmony. The stunning 24-carat bouquet rivets you to the spot with brilliant delineation and mineral-rich red fruit that articulates its terroir and any Right Bank you will find.

The palate is medium-bodied with svelte tannin, perfect acidity, wonderfully integrated new oak and enormous depth toward the fresh, pencil-box- and cedar-infused finish. This is a classic Figeac, up there with the 1947 and 1949, both recently re-tasted and testifying to a wine that genuinely belongs among the elite Saint-Émilions. Faye believes it is the best Figeac he has ever made. He is correct.

Drink 2023 - 2060

Tasted blind. Very deep crimson. Quite sweet, rich and charred. Rather glorious, luxurious fruit in beautiful harmony. Ch Cheval Blanc? Super-appetising, even if not big. Dry finish. Subtle.

Drink 2025 - 2050

The 2016 Figeac is comprised of 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and 26% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, the nose is a little broody and reticent at this very youthful stage, slowly unfolding to reveal profound plum preserves, crème de cassis, black raspberries and star anise with hints of moss-covered bark, truffles and tilled loam plus a waft of red currants and raspberry leaves sparks.

Medium to full-bodied, the palate is practically quivering with energy, offering glimpses at tightly wound black fruit and mineral/ferrous layers, framed by very firm, ripe tannins and wonderful tension, finishing long with the spices coming through. This will need a good 7-8 years to come round and then should cellar for 40+ years. Very serious, beautifully poised and sophisticated personality this vintage.

Drink 2025 - 2065

Owned by the Manoncourt family since 1947, with Frédéric Faye as general manager and Michel Rolland as a consultant since 2013, Figeac is one of two properties ranked premier grand cru classé A in the 2022 St-Emilion Classification but was not in 2016). Uniquely for Bordeaux’s Right Bank, its 40ha of vineyards are on mainly gravel soils, so Cabernet grapes dominate over Merlot. The 2016 blend comprises 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, and 26% Cabernet Franc, aged in 100% new oak.

Georgie Hindle: It does not give ‘drink me now’ vibes, but it’s super-refined, deep and layered. Power and concentration, a stunning, very complete wine.

Vincenzo Arnese: Delicate yet ripe aromas of plum, dark cherry, blueberry and blackcurrant, oak, cloves and star anise. Balanced.

Arthur Coggill: Rich, heady redcurrant and damson, very in-your-face red cherry. Supple, gentle palate with walnut. The length gives you time to savour the flavours.

Drink 2023 - 2051

The 2016 Figeac is simply extraordinary—a wine of pure energy and vitality, the 2016 pulses with a real sense of drive. Lavender, mint, crème de cassis and cedar start to develop in the glass, but what is most remarkable about the 2016 is its total sense of harmony. Natural tension, a sort of push and pull, between the wine's intense fruit and structural underpinnings makes the 2016 a marvel to taste and contemplate. It was positively stunning in two separate tastings. Technical Director Frédéric Faye and his team made an epic Figeac in 2016.

Drink 2026 - 2066

Another brilliant wine from the genius of Frédéric Faye, the 2016 Château Figeac is 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, which spent 19 months in new French oak. Roughly 75% of the production made it into the grand vin. This deeply coloured beauty is a legendary wine in the making and offers ultra-pure aromas and flavours of crème de cassis, smoke tobacco, dried herbs, chocolate, truffle, and graphite.

Showing more violet notes with time in the glass, it builds incrementally on the palate, with flawless balance, incredible elegance, no hard edges, and a finish that won't quit. Readers will have a blast comparing the 2016 and 2015 vintages over the coming 3-4 decades, and this estate is firing on all cylinders. This will most likely merit a triple-digit rating in 7-8 years and keep for four decades or more.

Drink 2026 - 2066

Damson in colour and aromatics, this is reserved but not subdued at 6 years old. It is not yet ready to be drunk but already showcases the ripe texture and layers of powerful blackcurrant pastille, blackberry, and bilberry fruits. The minerality and salinity are striking, too, with touches of mandarin peel, cigar box, espresso, and lemongrass—pulses of fresher acidity that give poise and lift. Clearly exceptional, muscled, and concentrated. 100% new oak.

Drink 2026 - 2050

Incredibly deep and complex nose with a slew of black fruit, plus savoury and bitter-chocolate notes woven subtly into the extraordinary tapestry of aromas. Titanic concentration, but it still remains so incredibly fresh and poised. It's such a pure finish that goes on and on and on.

Drinkable now, but best from 2024.