Château-Figeac unveils new label for first vintage following promotion

Château-Figeac has unveiled the 2022 vintage, the first vintage since its elevation to Premier Grand Cru Classé A status two years ago. db’s Bordeaux correspondent Colin Hay was one of the lucky few invited to the release of the 2022 vintage in Paris last week, which revealed the new label design.

It is now over two years since new of Château-Figeac’s promotion was announced. But what was true then remains true today. As I noted at the time of the unveiling of the new classification in September 2022, there was no doubt that Figeac warranted its upgrade. Indeed, the question of its promotion became the litmus test of the credibility of a competitive and controversial system of classification for Saint-Émilion (in which dramas have had the unfortunate habit of spilling over in the courtroom).

The classification passed its test, Figeac is rightly promoted and an until recently rather unfamiliar calmness seems to have descended on the appellation.

Over two years on we are better placed to set Figeac’s promotion within its proper historic context. For the classification, at this level, is based on the evaluation of 15 vintages (2005 to 2019 inclusive). As Blandine de Brier Manoncourt, general secretary and co-owner of Figeac explained to db, “for the past fifteen years, most of our work has focused on Figeac’s unique ‘identity’, to strengthen and perpetuate it, while cultivating a genuine link with its followers. Giving ourselves the means to better understand it, how it works, so that we can adapt our growing and oenological methods, to multiply our environmental efforts, and finally, as part of our ongoing 360° agroecological vision, a vat room that matches the precision achieved in the vineyard”.

The promotion is the reward for and the culmination of that work and, as such, a symbolic milestone.

It seems entirely appropriate that the first vintage to be adorned with the epithet, ‘1er Cru Classé A’, is 2022 – as complete a vintage of Figeac as I have ever tasted. It is a vintage that, as the property itself suggests, “embodies the soul and authenticity of the estate”, a vintage referred to by Blandine de Brieur Manoncourt as ‘quintessentially Figeac’.

The subtle changes to the chateau’s label are no less quintessentially Figeac, with the aim being to symbolize continuity and respect for the values that have defined Château Figeac’s history, while paving the way for the future. As the family again wish to emphasise, “the classification represents a step rather than an end, a recognition of Figeac’s already established identity. It encourages us to continue with the same commitment to excellence and a great sense of responsibility”.

The history of an iconic label

• The Château-Figeac label has undergone an evolution marked by significant milestones, reflecting both the history of the estate and the values of the Manoncourt family.
• In 1906, Robert Villepigue, Thierry Manoncourt’s uncle, created a bold label, colourful and resolutely modern for its time. It quickly established itself as the timeless icon that it remains today.
• In 1953, as a tribute to his grandmother, Henriette, Thierry Manoncourt decided to add his family’s coat of arms to the label, placing it within the seal already present in the 1906 design.
• Forty years later, in 1993, to celebrate the 100th vintage produced by the family, a special band signed by Thierry Manoncourt was added to the label.
• Two years later, in 1995, a ‘Collector’ edition was created to mark the fiftieth vintage produced by Thierry Manoncourt, testifying to his commitment and attachment to Château-Figeac.
• The most recent changes were made in 2002 when a hot-stamped gold line was added, along with Thierry Manoncourt’s signature, with vintage-specific details moved to a specially designed back-label.
• Today, to celebrate Château-Figeac’s classification to 1er Grand Cru Classé “A”, a handwritten band signed by the Manoncourt family is added to the bottom of the label. The band expresses the joy and pride of this unique moment. While the changes to the label are minimal, they illustrates the desire to preserve the authenticity of the estate and the wines it produces, while honouring its excellence.

Tasting Note

Figeac 2022 (St Emilion 1er Grand Cru Classé A; 29% Merlot; 31% Cabernet Franc; 40% Cabernet Sauvignon; pH 3.7; 14.5% alcohol; tasted at La Réserve in Paris on the occasion of the unveiling of the new label). An historic moment and an historic wine, the culmination of well over a century of work and the strongest vintage of Figeac that I think I have ever tasted. As it was when first tasted en primeur this is truly remarkable and truly resplendent -a wine that rises to the occasion. It is gracious, elegant, charming and ethereal with incredible depth, the most plump, plush and sinuous of textures and a sheer purity and precision unmatched I think in the property’s august history. It is floral, perhaps rather more so than it was en primeur, with peony and lilac, intermingling with the dark black cherry, bramble, blueberry and mulberry notes. There’s loganberry too, a touch of sandalwood, graphite and a hint of cedar and also nutmeg and curry leaf. The quality of the tannins is truly exceptional and that gives this a dynamism and energy on the mid-palate that is truly breath-taking, with the subtle grip of the tannins seemingly unleashing vortices of sapid juicy freshness that recharge the palate and drive the wine on to an asymptotic finish on a long distant horizon. A wine to which it is difficult not to react emotionally. 100.

 

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