Château Figeac

The drive out from the centre of St Emilion to the western reaches of the appellation, and to Pomerol, is a fairly straightforward one; it is really a case of follow your nose, and there is only one turning you need to watch for. Hang right and within a minute or so Château Cheval Blanc will come into view, its admittedly rather understated château still a prominent feature of this corner of the appellation, especially so since the addition of new cellars, inaugurated in 2011. It sits here on the very edge of St Emilion, pointing the way towards Pomerol, to Château L’Évangile, Château La Conseillante and others. Hang left, however, and your eye is likely to be drawn to the dramatic facade of Château Grand Barrail, a luxury hotel. Continue on and you will soon find yourself on the main road that skirts the edge of the Libourne suburbs, wondering how you are going to get back among the vines once more.

Between these two routes there lies a triangular slice of the St Emilion vineyard but I confess, with Château Cheval Blanc on one side and Château Grand Barrail on the other, I am usually looking in the opposite direction. And yet here, hidden behind the trees that line the Ruisseau du Taillas, the stream that runs from the town of St Emilion and which forms in part the eastern boundary of the Pomerol appellation, lies another estate of great interest.

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