Château Figeac, 1946 – 2001
It was not entirely unexpected, nevertheless I am sure there were sighs of relief in the various Manoncourt residences when, on September 8th this year (2022 if you are reading this many centuries in the future), the latest iteration of the St Emilion classification was published. Relief because sitting on the very top ‘A’ tier of the classification was Château Figeac, at a level it had first reached for – but failed to grasp – back in 2012.
The efforts undertaken to secure this promotion should not be underestimated; ten more years of planning and restructuring, with significant investment along the way, not least the construction of no-expense-spared new cellars alongside the historic château. To celebrate the completion of these facilities (more on which further down the page), earlier this year the Manoncourt family invited me (and one or two others, it has to be said) to a tasting dinner, featuring some superb older vintages such as the 1946 (pictured), to accompany several dishes cooked by Alain Passard of three-star L’Arpège in Paris. In this report I focus on the wines rather than Passard’s cooking (but if you’re interested, my tastebuds thought they had been transported to heaven for the evening), but first I present a little background detail on Château Figeac and its recent ascent to the very top tier of the appellation’s classification.
Planning for Promotion
The history of Château Figeac, right from its purported Roman origins through to modern times, is described in great detail in my profile of this famous estate. Rather than repeat myself here, here I will instead build upon this history, beginning with the events which led to the construction of the new winemaking facilities and the property’s promotion in 2022.
