Château La Tour Figeac: Vineyards
Château La Tour Figeac is situated at the very western limit of the St Emilion appellation. Just a hundred metres to the west lies Clos Beauregard, and anything further in that direction is also Pomerol. Indeed, directly north of Château La Tour Figeac we can find Clos du Clocher, Château Beauregard, Château Petit Village. Along the southern edge of the domaine is the Ruisseau de Taillas, which flows westwards past Château du Tailhas and Château Taillefer, and which defines in part the Pomerol appellation. Beyond that there are vineyards, entitled to the St Emilion appellation, although there are none of any great renown. Indeed, it is only by looking to the east that we find the estate’s St Emilion neighbours, in particular Château Cheval Blanc (north a little) and Château Figeac (south a little).
The vineyard today comprises 14.5 hectares, of which about one-quarter, the section closest to Château Cheval Blanc, possesses the valuable gravel terroir which gives the region of Graves St Emilion its name. As one travels across the vineyard there is an increasing proportion of sand and loam. The vines are predominantly Merlot which accounts for 60% of the vineyard, the rest being entirely Cabernet Franc, with an average age of 35 years. The vines are planted at a fairly standard 6,500 vines per hectare and benefit from drainage which was installed under the direction of Otto Rettenmaier. The vine husbandry is biodynamic, as the prior involvement of François Bouchet would suggest; this means no chemical pesticides or treatments of any sort, and only biodynamically raised treatments.
