Chateau Figeac 2013

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "This wine is a success for the vintage with its ripe Cabernet flavors and dark, dense tannins. It is fruity certainly, with a juicy, perfumed background. However, the structure and texture show best—firm and dry, indicating a good potential. This concentrated wine will not be ready to drink before 2024."

JAMES SUCKLING: "Aromas of dried oranges, currants and berries with hints of flowers. Medium body, fine and silky tannins and a very pretty finish. Already a delicious wine. And outstanding for a difficult vintage. Half cabernet sauvignon. Rare blend."

WINE SPECTATOR: "This packs a serious core of fig, blackberry and black currant fruit, along with dark tea, ganache and smoldering tobacco leaf notes. The finish is carried by loamy, well-embedded tannins, with a great tug of warm earth providing the final seduction. In many ways the wine of the vintage. Best from 2018 through 2028. 7,983 cases made."

DECANTER: "There's less depth than in 2015, but you see silky fruit here that is open and seductive. Some evolution is already evident, with softening around the edges and tannins that are far from fierce. It's good quality and has the polish that you expect from this level of property, but it does not have the depth and complexity of the best vintages, and certainly not the length. This was the first year with Michel Rolland as consultant and there was extremely careful work in the vineyards. Three rounds of green harvest were done to help vines drop enough fruit to get the remaining Cabernet Sauvignon ripe. It was a late harvest that went through to 15 October. In the cellar the key was long, cool temperature maceration. It was Romain Jean-Pierre's first vintage as quality manager - not an easy vintage for that job title, but an essential one. They used 100% new oak barrels, but for less time than in a more powerful vintage."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Tasted at the property, the 2013 Figeac was the first vintage that saw Michel Rolland assist with the blending. It has a very respectable bouquet for the vintage. Serve this blind and see if your guest would suggest it was from this derided vintage. The nose is delineated and fresh with blackberry, wild strawberry and minty scents emanating from the Cabernet component. The palate is well balanced with crisp tannin, well balanced with good substance for a 2013. What I appreciate here is that it maintains the style of Figeac: structured with just a touch of austerity, backed up by a crisp line of acidity and a cedar-tinged finish. If you are intending to purchase a 2013 Right Bank, then I would park you car here. Tasted June 2016."

WEINWISSER: "Aufhellendes Granat mit mittlerer Dichte, feiner Rand. Milchiges, verführerisches Waldbeerenbouquet, dezent laktische Anflüge, feine Kräuternoten. Im Gaumen absolut delikat, sanftmütig von den bereits angerundeten, samtenen Gerbstoffen her. Eine traumhafte Balance zeigend. Ich hatte Angst, dass der neue Berater (Michel Rolland) dem Figeac eine völlig neue Dimension geben würde. Die Grundregeln sind aber eingehalten worden. Sehr femininer Klassewein mit Eleganz."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarter Wasserrand, mit feinen Gewürznoten unterlegtes dunkles Beerenkonfit, feiner Nougat, ein Hauch von Orangen und Feigen. Saftig, gute Komplexität, frisch strukturiert, dunkle Nuancen auch im Abgang, gut integrierte tragende Tannine, hat Potenzial."

JEB DUNNUCK: "The 2013 Château Figeac is a tweaked blend (the blend is normally one-third each of Merlot, Cabernet and Cabernet Franc) and is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance a mix of Merlot and Franc. It sports a healthy ruby color as well as medium-bodied notes of dark fruits, leafy herbs, and earth. While a fair step back from the other vintages here, it’s nevertheless a beautiful, elegant wine I’d happily drink over the coming 10-15 years."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Medium bodied, finesse styled, elegant wine with a focus on fresh, sweet, red fruits, softness and floral accents. Give this a few years and it could be even better as it continues to fill out. Part of the reason for the success of the wine in this difficult year was the increased percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. In fact, with 50% of the blend devoted to Cabernet Sauvignon, this vintage holds the record for the most Cabernet ever used in the history of Figeac."