Michel Rolland to consult Figeac

Just spoke to Michel Rolland: he has signed on to be consultant with Château Figeac with the mission to make it a premier grand cru classé A in Saint Emilion’s classification which is revisited every 10 years… Does it need to be said that the two estates promoted last year to that coveted status (Angélus and Pavie) both benefit from his consulting? Details coming later.

Well, the style of the wine will certainly change, and while the latter two are not my preferred style, Figeac as it is now is quite enjoyable, so that’s unfortunate.

It be interesting to see how the wine will evolve, having so much Cabernet, it is not a typical Saint Emilion… Certainly Parker numbers are expected to rise.

I’ve always liked Figeac, it’s one of the few Bords I still hold.

The move doesn’t please me, but I’m not buying Bordeaux anymore, so my vote is irrelevant.

Yitgadel v’yitkaddash…

Cute joke, but April fools is next week.

This is a disaster for all fans of Figeac.

agreed, most unfortunate.

No joke… I rather like Figeac the way it is now. Here a video from the not so distant past, from a vertical dinner in January 2012.

On the bright side, I wouldn’t be buying any new releases anyhow so it’s already dead to me. It really only makes sense to back fill Bordeaux this point.

This is sort of old news. It was announced a while ago. But regardless, at least to me, today, and probably dating all the way back to 1982, or earlier, Figeac is has been producing one of the most boring wines in St. Emilion. This can only be good news for the estate. FWIW, Figeac is also now receiving advice from the team that produces La Conseillante.

I’m curious… Of all the people in this thread extolling the virtues of Figeac and excoriating Michel Rolland, how many of you actively purchase Figeac?

Too funny.

I buy older vintages at reasonable prices when I can find them.

I’m curious… Of all the people in this thread extolling the virtues of Figeac and excoriating Michel Rolland, how many of you actively purchase Figeac?

raises hand

I’ll be a little less cavalier opening them now, seeing as I fear the Pape Clement route for them (another estate whose wines I love - from a certain era - and find undrinkable today.)
Maybe I should put that '95 back in storage.

If you by any chance have some of those boring wines in your cellar that you’re not interested in drinking, whether a '98, '95, '90, '86, hell, pretty much any vintage, I’ll be happy to take if off your hands so that you don’t need to drink those bores, and can focus your energy on more exciting wines.

Jeff, it happened last week; not so old I would say. And I certainly would not call Figeac boring. In any case I respect the work of Rolland without loving everything he does. And I have bought Figeac, including bottles from the excellent 2001, 2004 and 2005 vintages. I would be interested in seeing how Rolland will advise the estate because of its high Cabernet Sauvignon content. In any case I am hardly alone in appreciating the freshness coming from Figeac wines. Not to say there have not been missteps. I wonder about the 2000 vintage, which I also purchased. But there is no question that Figeac can be very exciting and certainly unique.

Every time I try Figeac I wonder why they’re bottling and labeling a $20 Loire Cab Franc as a $200+ Bordeaux.

Sal, I exchanged them already with a friend that loves their style of wine. Else I would gladly have worked something out with you. The key to a good cellar, is having it filled with wines you like.

Snicker…

Oh come on. The wine hardly tastes like $20 Cab Franc from the Loire (although I agree that pricing since 2009 is nutty, but Figeac is hardly the only “culprit” here). The aforementioned 1986 is great, as has been the 1982. And recent vintages like 2009 and 2010 are excellent. But the pricing that the estate introduced with the 2009 vintage, without the support of high Parker numbers, seemed ill advised. It certainly did not lead to a promotion in 2012. Rolland said that his specific goal is to achieve Premier A status for the château. It is no mystery that Parker likes Rolland’s winemaking, which will no doubt lead to more points … with the hope for greater sales and the coveted A status next time around. So there you have it, the reasoning sans doute behind the decision to have Mr. Rolland as consultant.

sad news.