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2005 Château Figeac, St Emilion, Bordeaux

  • Red
  • Dry
  • Full Bodied
Ready, but will improve
Jane Anson MW
95/100
Jancis Robinson MW
17/20
Neal Martin MW
90/100
Product: 20051009769
2005 Château Figeac, St Emilion, Bordeaux

Description

Horizontal Tasting of 2005s on 12/11/09.  Because of its high proportion of Cabernets, Figeac is always the most restrained (and sometimes misunderstood) of the best St. Emilions, with a lacy quality in lighter years, but with a beguiling presentation in the best.  In 2005 the wine has majestic harmony for, although the tannins are exceptional, they are also perfectly ripened.  The finish is lifted by a creamy, fresh acidity whilst the multitude of scents and flavours of black fruit, leather, dried spice and liquorice swirl and ascend on the palate.  This is an impeccable Figeac, almost accessible now, but glorious in 10 years (and for many more after that).
Mark Pardoe MW, BBR Wholesale - Tasted at the St Emilion, Pomerol, Graves and Sauternes Cellar Tasting, 03/12/09

Fabulously fine and ripe tannins coat this intense kernel of highly defined fruit. Screamingly good and in direct competition in quality terms with St Emilion rivals 10 times the price. The only downside is you cant really open it up now and get on with it...very frustrating! However have a little bit of patience and tuck it away with your other 05's and you're in for a total treat. Sumptuous!
Simon Staples - Fine Wine Director - 25-Oct-2008

Colour Red
Sweetness Dry
Vintage 2005
Alcohol % 13.5
Maturity Ready, but will improve
Body Full Bodied
Producer Château Figeac

Critics reviews

Jane Anson MW 95/100
The tightrope stage of a wine as it shifts from young to mature, the tertiary notes coming to the fore are very welcome in its second decade, although it is perhaps just a little more evolved than I would expect. But this is stunning, there is so much hidden power, with layers of complex cedar, rose petal and soft woodsmoke. As it opens in the glass, the slight dryness on the finish becomes more apparent, but so does the sweet gentleness of this vintage. It can clearly still age for a good few decades, but would also be ready to drink with some decanting first. The 36hl/ha yield in this vintage is due mainly to the extremely dry summer.jane_anson_mw, Decanter
Jane Anson MW, Decanter.com
Jancis Robinson MW 17/20
Dark purplish crimson. Looks younger than many. Very solid and intriguing on the nose. Much less developed than most. Full and bloody on the palate entry–very dry – quite a different build, Angelus and Figeac are chalk and cheese…. Extremely dry rather than sweet. Firm tannins. Needs lots and lots of time. jancis_robinson_mw - JancisRobinson.com - 10-Dec-2007
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (Dec 2007)
Neal Martin MW 90/100
Tasted at the Chteau Figeac vertical at the property. While I enjoy the 2005 Figeac, there is still a sense of a potential great Saint Emilion falling short of what it could have been. Now with ten years on the clock, the nose is cool and focused, very Pauillac-like in style, the Cabernet Sauvignon driving it along. With time it begins to open up and loosen its tie, revealing a pleasing licorice scent. The palate is medium-bodied with a pleasurable, supple, fleshy entry. It seems to offer black rather than red fruit at the moment, the acidity well judged. So why the parsimonious score? Well, it doesn't build on this promise, as if it runs out of ideas two-thirds of the way through. It takes the easy option and declines to offer that tension and complexity on the finish that certainly the aromatics deserve. In fact, this might well be the only wine where I prefer the 2006 to the 2005. Tasted June 2015.Neil Martin - 31/08/2016
Neal Martin MW, (Aug 2016)

About this wine

Château Figeac

Château Figeac is one of the leading St. Emilion estates and its wine, with its high Cabernet content, has often been described as the most Médoc-like in St-Emilion. The estate is located in the north-west of the appellation with its vineyards adjoining those of Cheval Blanc. Its 54 hectares of vineyards lie on a deep, Médoc-like gravel topsoil over a flinty, iron-rich subsoil. Figeac was promoted in 2022 to the level of Premier Grand Cru Classé A, the top tier of the St Emilion classification.
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