2012 Château Figeac, St Emilion, Bordeaux

The 2012 Figeac is super-expressive. Dense and fleshy in the glass - yet with gorgeous aromatic lift - the 2012 is impeccable in its overall balance. Dark red plum, cherry pit, cloves, leather, sage and liquorice are all laced into the inviting finish. Within the context of the year, the Figeac has a fair amount of structure, so it is best cellared for at least a few years. There is a lot to like here. Michel Rolland blended the 2012 and took over the consulting at Figeac in full beginning with the 2013 harvest.

Drink 2020 - 2037

40% each Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, with 20% Cabernet Franc.

Medium ruby-red. Spicy aromas of blueberry, violet, liquorice and black pepper. In the mouth, concentrated but tightly wound flavours of fresh blueberry and blackcurrant come across as slightly subdued. This elegantly styled wine is impressively juicy and bright for the year, finishing with a lingering savoury quality.

A very direct, compact and muscular style, with a dark core of currant, steeped blueberry and plum notes, liberally coated with roasted vanilla and melted licorice accents. Rather rounded for the vintage and a step behind the 11, relying more on a caressing edge than vigorous drive.

Deep, savoury nose with plenty of blackberry fruit, plus notes of bitter chocolate and roasted meat. At once ripe and generous, but also lively and pleasantly dry, thanks to the moderate amount of fine tannin, this has more elegance and complexity at the finish than many wines of the vintage. 

Drink or hold

Tasted blind. 

Purplish crimson. The deepest colour? Cool, calm and collected on the nose. Lots of vivacity and contained, coiled-spring energy. Dry finish. Not rich but refined. Luscious texture. 

Drink 2022 - 2045

Ideal with a 2-hour carafe. 100% new oak for ageing, 40hl/h yield, harvest September 20 to October 13.

Far more open than the 2011, with generous blackberry puree and peony floral notes. A little less effortless finesse and balance than years like 2005 or 2010, but this has juice and character and is a highly successful Figeac. As it opens, you see that the tannins retain some austerity and resistance in them at this point. The first year where the blend begins to change and become more reactive to the individual vintage - and the first year where Frederic Faye took over as director. Michel Rolland arrived as a consultant in March 2013, so part of the blending team and there was also an optical sorting machine for the first time).

Drink 2022 - 2040

A step up over the 2014, the 2012 Château Figeac is a big, opulent, authoritative Figeac loaded with ripe black fruits blackberries, currants), smoked earth, roasted herbs, and truffle aromas and flavours. Rich, powerful, concentrated, and tannic, it’s a blockbuster that has 2+ decades of prime drinking ahead of it. The 2012s can still be found in the market and are smart buys.

Drink 2018 - 2038

The 2012 Figeac is really beginning to come into its own and entering a sweet spot. This is the best I've had. Now more open on the nose, it has a wonderful bouquet with black fruit, cedar and blood orange, perhaps still with a patina of new oak to be fully assimilated. The palate is very pure and well-defined, linear and "strict" in a Médoc manner, whereas previous bottles have more of a peacock's tail. This just makes it more enticing. 

Drink 2025 - 2048

This is a very strong effort from this great terroir. They finally seem to be making stricter selections and picking slightly riper fruit, thereby avoiding the vegetal underripe tones of the past as well as dilution from a lack of any selection. The 2012 Figeac performing much better from bottle) has a dense ruby/purple colour and a beautiful nose of graphite, blackcurrants, and spice box, followed by a medium-bodied, elegant yet still concentrated and authoritative style of wine. This is a beauty, and the great terroir that has existed for centuries comes through beautifully. Give it 3-4 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 20 years.

Drink 2018 - 2038

As ever with Figeac, this will benefit from longer ageing than most because of the proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in the blend. These give distinction, freshness and length to the flavour but also tannin, which needs time to soften. A wine that grows in the glass.

Drink 2025 - 2040