2017 Figeac

During en primeur week, a special dinner was held in the original barrel cellar at Figeac, the final time it will be used before it is demolished to create a brand new, much large facility that will thrust Figeac into the 21st century. Fortunately, examining the 3-D model of the plans, the maison where Marie-France Manoncourt still lives will not be changed and it will enjoy a splendid garden out the front. But there is a practical need. Conditions are rather cramped at Figeac and the barrels still have to be layered three or four tiers high in an abundant vintage. They plan to have everything ready for the 2019 harvest...good luck with that! In the meantime, there is the 2017 vintage to contend with. Two astonishing performances in 2015 and 2016, vintages that returned Figeac to the top echelons of Saint-Émilion, were always going to be difficult to match, not least because its vines were located in the direct firing line of frost damage that extended down from Cheval Blanc.

“We used the helicopter during the frost,” estate manager Frédéric Faye told me when I made an impromptu visit. He was not the only one – see also Pavie and La Conseillante. “The main problem was the wind. It was zero degrees but the feeling was -5° Celsius because of the wind which is why the frost was in the middle [of the vineyard]. We had three nights of frost and afterwards it was important to clean the vineyard. It had especially affected the Cabernet Franc as some of the vines are planted in the lower parts. We also used a drone to look at the vineyard and help us mark individual vines touched by the frost. Around 20,000 vines were marked, around 4-hectares, which helped during the harvest. May and June was great and there was a lot of growth. It was perfect for the Cabernet Sauvignon. We harvested some parcels two or three times. Jean-Pierre Romain, our technical director, had never tasted so many vines. The second-generation fruit was used, and it was picked around two weeks later than the first generation, vinified separately in stainless steel vats. We had to check every vat before blending with the first generation vats. In the end there is 10% second-generation fruit in the Grand Vin and the total production is around 4,000 cases instead of 10,000 on average.” The 2017, tasted on three or four occasions, showed extremely well considering the traumatic episode in April. That event curtailed any expectations of matching the previous vintage and my score reflects this, but the judicious use of second-generation fruit seems to have paid dividends. It might not be imbued with the structure and concentration, the profundity of the 2016 but it is certainly a worthy follow-up.