1979 Ch. Figeac - a wine from another era

1979 Ch. Figeac

Fabulous old-school Bordeaux. Chocolate, dark fruits, leather, balance and velvet. No fruit bomb, no alcohol bomb and no oak bomb. Pre-Parker era. Its not a jump-in-the-face wine, rather an unexcitedly wine which impresses by balance/harmony and elegance. Clearly a wine from another era.

Once upon a time………

Interesting, Martin,

I just drank an '83 of this wine this weekend. No fruit bomb either, but not a great experience; I don’t think it was the best bottle.

Interesting Joshua,

I drank ´83 around 10 years ago and it was mind-blowing.

Fair to say that Ch. Figeac has a lot of bottle variations according to the TNs I read from cellartracker etc. On the table was a danish wine merchant he also praised the wine and Figeac in general, clearly a Figeac lover. He said that he was in a restaurant and a Figeac blown away a Ch. Petrus from the table. I forgot the vintage.

OR maybe the Figeac-style could be easily overlooked?! Its not a jump-in-the-face wine, rather an unexcitedly wine which impresses by balance/harmony and elegance.

OR I am just a blind Figeac lover.

I have a '79 Figeac I’ve been sitting on and you have inspired me to open it in the next few weeks. Did you decant it or just pop and pour?

It was opened a few hours ago, no decanting. I really do not think decanting would be a good thing.

LOVE the old Figeacs!

Martin, I recall scoring the 1982 off the list at Alta in nyc (great tapas; great and reasonable wine list) maybe ten years ago for a song. I’ve been hooked ever since.

Cheers
K

I’ve had recent good experiences from old Figeac, notably 1978 and 1985, but echoing what Martin said, both faded within 60-90m following a double decant

Had the '83, too. Good, satisfying but not great, the 1990 is much better ! (and that’s post-Parker … right.?)

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the son-in-law from Monsieur Manoncourt brought the bottles directly from the Chateau to Berlin.

Regarding the `83 I have to look in my old notes whether it was really 1983?! But I am quite confident.

When I first started with wine, I did an incredible course in Bordeaux. Among the tastings was a 1979 horizontal, and Figeac was definitely the outlier with an strong asparagus nose.

Tasted it three times since, last in 2006, and the asparagus aromas were always front and center; wonder if they have dissipated with age.

I looked at cellatracker regarding 1983 and it is interesting to see the huge gap regarding scoring. You have people with 87-88/100 and people with 92-94/100.

“In short, Chateau Figeac is a (still) rather misunderstood wine that is perhaps – as Kevin Shin suggested – a most Burgundian style of Bordeaux!”

Sorry Figeac, Burgundian???!!!

Not in this universe. If Kevin had said the most Medocian Right Banker, where it would show its large percentage of Cabernet, I would be saying “Attaboy” and waving a few flags. But having tasted Figeac extensively as well as a lot of Burgundy, I cannot see any resemblance whatsoever.

Well I may understand where Martin is coming from in comparing it with Figeac now, though I trust your experience and knowledge, Mark, which is far greater than mine. My only point is that my bottle was not in good enough shape to judge from. I love Burgundy; that was not the issue.

Sorry that was a little direct (rude).
I have only ever really thought Beychevelle could be confused for a Burgundy. And the 1959 may be the best Richebourg ever made in Bordeaux.

FWIW, I had a 1950 Figeac over the Holidays and it was one of the most memorable “old wine” experiences I’ve had. Beautiful wines!

The old Figeacs can be some of the most profound wines I have ever tasted. For a number of dinners for journalists dinner at Vinexpo, the management used to pull out wines from the 1940s and 1950s. I do remember the 1950, a beauty.

In general, the high proportion of Cabernet ripens a little after the Merlot, so there is always a danger the wines will not be totally ripe. The risk/reward can be tough, but if you want to taste great Figeac, perfectly ripe, look for the 1998.

If my memories are correct also the Figeac-expert Panos Kakaviatos made this Burgundy comparison in Berlin with attendance of son-in-law Eric d`Aramon. I hope my memories are valid?!

I have only ever really thought Beychevelle could be confused for a Burgundy. And the 1959 may be the best Richebourg ever made in Bordeaux.
[/quote]

I have a couple of '85 Beychevelle; how do they rate Richebourg-wise?

Sorry Joshua, no. Good wine though.

La Conseillante, notably from 1981-90, occasionally has Burgundian overtones. I agree that Figeac does not, but that view could be communicated more tactfully.