A Janus with Soul: Figeac 1943–2016

BY NEAL MARTIN | DECEMBER 07, 2021

First impressions count. Almost two decades ago, I attended a wine event in London and arrived early on a Sunday morning to avoid the crowds. Flitting around the stands, I chanced upon a Bordeaux gentleman, advanced in years, tall and aristocratic, his wife by his side, making sure the bottles were primed. Nobody else was there, so after introducing myself, I asked if I might taste their 1988, 1989 and 1990. Though I was excited about sampling that trio, what made a lasting impression was Thierry and Marie-France Manoncourt’s congeniality, their infectious, youthful enthusiasm, and the time they were willing to spend with this nobody. They even invited me to drop in next time I was in Bordeaux. 

And I have “dropped in” countless times over the years. Sadly, Thierry Manoncourt is no longer with us, but his legacy lives on. Marie-France Manoncourt stepped up to the plate and guided Figeac toward the opening of a new chapter. My plan has always been to publish an article to mark the moment their new winery project was completed. This report examines the history of Figeac, the composition of the vineyard, and particularly the winemaking, with attendant tasting notes stretching back to World War II.

Early History

The etymology of Figeac has Gallo-Roman origins, perhaps deriving from someone named Figeacus, though no one has identified who that person might have been. There is an alternative theory that it originates from figue (“fig tree”). A maison noble was located on the present site, owned by the Lescours family, who presided over Ausone (lending credence to the idea of Roman origins, since that estate is named after Ausonius). During the Religious Wars, under the proprietorship of Henri de Navarre, the estate burned to the ground and the land was subsequently acquired by the Cazes family. Marie de Cazes’s marriage to François de Carle in 1654 saw the estate pass into the de Carle family six years later, when it became known as Carle-Figeac. In the 17th century, Élie de Carle invested heavily in the property. Between 1730 and 1755, he expanded the estate to around 200 hectares in size, with approximately 30 hectares of replanted vines. Figeac rapidly became one of the most prominent names in the region. After a military career, Élie de Carle retired to Figeac and spent 26,000 livres renovating the château. 

In 1803, a distant relative of Élie de Carle, André de Carle-Trajet, took over the estate and introduced a polyculture of vines, clover and madder, encouraged by a British blockade that stymied sales to that important market. He pursued a policy of quantity over quality, widening rows and zealously applying fertilizer while frittering away his fortune. When he died in 1825, his widow Félicité struggled financially and had no choice but to sell parts of the estate. The sale of one parcel in 1832 is the genesis of Cheval Blanc, and other parts went to form La Conseillante. In 1838, Félicité sold the remaining nub of land to a Parisian, Monsieur Lebel, for the sum of 155,000 francs. 

The second edition of Féret (1868) lists Figeac as an estate belonging to Loyer and producing between 50 and 70 tonneaux per annum. Its ranking above Cheval Blanc is an indication of its esteem. In 1875, some 37 hectares were sold off and divided between two proprietors that begat La Tour Figeac and La Tour-du-Pin Figeac, the latter now part of Cheval Blanc. Figeac was reduced to 30 hectares. Up until 1892, the château was poorly managed and burdened by misguided decisions that took decades to recover from. Most critical was selling the gravel croupes that are the foundation of Cheval Blanc, ostensibly giving away almost all the crown jewels.

In 1892, Henri de Chèvremont, an architect based in Liège, and his wife, Elizabeth Drake (a descendant of English mariner Sir Francis Drake), purchased Figeac. A portrait of Elizabeth Drake hangs in the living room, and as Marie-France Manoncourt pointed out, Elizabeth bears a striking semblance to Manoncourt’s daughter Hortense. Henri preferred to reside in Paris, leaving the daily operations to an old school friend and agricultural engineer, Albert Macquin, owner of Château La Serre. Macquin tended the vines, wishing to eventually acquire Figeac himself. That never transpired, but he did oversee a successful replanting program using American rootstock to protect the vineyard from phylloxera. 

In the hallway of the château, I always pause to examine an original document that details the composition of the estate from 1895. Within its 48.14-hectare boundary, 32.86 hectares were given over to vines, the remainder consisting of buildings, gardens, woodland, grassland, plowed land and vimières (a kind of willow that grows in wet habitats). The document illustrates the polyculture of Figeac, which, unusually for Bordeaux, has always been maintained in order to preserve biodiversity. By the 1893 edition of Féret, the plantings had increased to 42 hectares, suggesting Albert Macquin’s long-term project was successful. Henri de Chèvremont's daughter Henriette married André Villepigue, the man who, as head of the prefecture, oversaw the laying of the first tracks of the Paris Métro. Villepigue’s son, Robert, inherited the château in 1907. Robert’s lasting contribution was to redesign the label, creating the current distinctive, eye-catching design with its bold vermillion and gold typeface that distinguishes it from others. 

Thierry Manoncourt celebrating his ninth decade at Taillevent in Paris. I guess there was not a huge budget for the birthday cake, but the birthday boy was in his element that day.

The Reign of Thierry Manoncourt