Château Figeac
The Château Figeac is one of the most important and traditional wineries in the French commune of Saint-Émilion in the Bordeaux region . In the hierarchy of red wines from Saint-Émilion, it belongs to the second highest level as Premier Grand Cru Classé B (see also the article Bordeaux wine (classification) ).
Location, soil and grape varieties
The château is located in the extreme northwest of the area of the appellation of Saint-Émilion, in the immediate vicinity of the municipality of Pomerol . The 40 hectare vineyards benefit from a geological peculiarity: They lie on up to seven meters thick gravel deposits that the Isle River brought from the Massif Central during the Günz Ice Age . Château Figeac shares its property with the neighboring Châteaux Cheval Blanc , La Tour-Figeac and La Dominique . The Figeac family has the luxury of a 13 hectare park.
The completely different soil type from the rest of Saint-Émilion also results in a different grape variety choice. While Merlot is predominantly grown in the rest of the appellation , this grape variety only accounts for 30% of the Figeac. The gravel soil is more suitable for growing Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc , which each account for 35%. That is why the Château Figeac is also known as the Médoc wine of Saint-Émilion. The grape variety mirror is the fruit of attempts that the owner Thierry Manoncourt began in the 1950s. He bottled separately vinified grape varieties from the individual locations in order to determine their respective development potential. Based on the results, the Malbec was eliminated and the number of Cabernets increased significantly.
The wine
Winemaking
The quality standards of the great Bordeaux apply at Château Figeac. The mean age of the vines is 35 years, the yield fluctuates around 40 hl / ha. The work in the vineyard follows the rules of integrated cultivation . The grapes are picked by hand, destemmed and re-sorted several times in the cellar. The fermentation takes place again today in oak vats. Château Figeac was one of the pioneers in the use of stainless steel tanks in the sixties , these are now only used for the second wine La Grange Neuve de Figeac and for the assemblage before bottling. Since 1998, the wine has been pre-fermented for several days at 14 ° C before fermentation begins. Fermentation takes place exclusively with natural yeasts . During the mash fermentation, the cap is dipped in and loosened several times. Even if the maceration time has been extended, the aim is still finesse rather than concentration. The wine from the gentle first pressing also goes into the “Grand Vin”, the second pressing is added to the second wine.
expansion
The wine is transferred quickly and without filtering to barrique barrels , where it remains for 18 months. Only new wood is used. The wine is drawn off every three months. It is refined with egg white and the bottle is bottled without filtering. The bottle cellar, built in 1971, was designed so that the wine can only be bottled using gravity. A total of around 160,000 bottles of Château Figeac and 65,000 bottles of the second wine are produced annually . They are only sold to wholesalers as "Primeur". 200-300 boxes are left in the Château for later tastings .
Character and vintages
The Château Figeac is one of the outstanding red wines of Bordeaux. Its taste is characterized by rich aromas of red fruits, notes of jam and a spicy fullness. Despite its strong tannins, it appears smooth and round in the mouth. It is characterized by great sustainability. It is typical for him that he seems quite light at first, but his intensity increases steadily in the air.
The Merlot portion makes it accessible after a short time, but its structure allows it to mature in the bottle for decades. He is known for the fact that smaller vintages also develop very positively. 2005, 2000, 1998, 1995, 1990, 1989, 1986, 1982, 1966, 1964 and 1949 can be considered as major years. According to Michael Broadbent , the 1971 wine is also one of the owner's favorite wines.
history
The origins of the estate are probably in Roman times, at least its name is traced back to a Gallo-Roman villa of the 2nd century called Figeacus . The property existed throughout the Middle Ages and belonged to various leading families in the region. The oldest parts of the castle building date from the 15th century. In the 17th century it came to the Carle family , whose member François de Carle was appointed mayor of Saint-Émilion for life by Louis XIV . In the 18th century, Élie de Carle expanded the Château Figeac into a large winery. He also had the lock renewed. At that time, the estate comprised 250 hectares of vineyards, forests and pasture land. The wine was delivered to wealthy customers across Europe. After his death, however, his widow's lavish lifestyle brought the estate into economic difficulties. Little by little, parts were sold which later became famous wineries: Château Beauregard and Château La Conseillante in Pomerol, Château Cheval Blanc and Château La Marzelle in Saint-Émilion. Some still use Figeac in their name today, such as Château La Tour-Figeac or Château La Tour du Pin-Figeac .
The rest of the estate changed hands several times in the 19th century. Powdery mildew and phylloxera added to the viticulture, so that Château Figeac lost its leading position among the Bordeaux wines. It was bought by André Villepigue , Thierry Manoncourt's great-grandfather, in 1896 . He was still a young agricultural engineer when he was assigned the management of the estate in 1947. His persistent, scientifically based work on vineyards and cellars brought Château Figeac back to its former position. Since 1988 he has been supported by his son-in-law Eric d'Aramon , who introduced cautious changes in winemaking.
Thierry Manoncourt, however, did not achieve his big goal: inclusion in the absolute top of the Premier Grand Cru Classés A from Saint-Émilion. During the regular revision of the classification in 1995, he was denied this ascent with the argument that the Château Figeac was not expensive enough! That may also be due to the fact that he is less popular with Robert Parker . It is important to Château Figeac that it has not been sent a sample from the 2004 vintage. The 2006 revision brought Château Figeac confirmation as Premier Grand Cru Classé B, but it did not get any closer to promotion.
literature
- Pierre Casamayor: L'irrésistible ascension d'un rescapé in: Revue du Vin de France No. 430, April 1999, pp. 104-108.
