There is evidence of inhabitation with the
construction of a villa by Figeacus, although active viticulture was not
apparent. The existence of a medieval construction is likely to be erected by
the Lescours family, who owned the rights to the seigneurie prior to passing to
the de Cazes family in the 15th century.
The latter was responsible for replacing
the edifice with a new chateau in the end of the 15th century,
before the estate was passed to the de Carle family when Marie de Cazes married
one of their sons in 1654. The de Carle family further developed and
built the 3-storey chateau that stands as Chateau Figeac today.
Through the 19th century the
vineyards were gradually carved up and sold to meet the debts of the
proprietor, widowed Countess de Carle-Trajet. With the downturn
of the economy and the Napoleonic blockade, the 175 hectares estate was
whittled down, selling off most of the arable land and woodland, but also part
of what is today’s Beauregard and La Conseillante.
A sizeable portion was sold to the Ducasse
family in 1832 and formed eventually Cheval Blanc. What remaining was
eventually sold to the Lebel family in 1838 and then to Gabriel Leveine in 1842. It
further changed hands to Fournier family, and then to Henri de Chevremont in
1892
The vineyards were dissected with two
portions totaling 37 hectares to Corbiere, retaining half (becoming current
La-Tour-Figeac) and selling the rest to an associate called Marais, becoming
La-Tour-du-Pin-Figeac.
In 1892 it was acquired by Henri de Chevremont and his
daughter Henriette. In 1905 Henriette’s son Robert Villepigue took over, and eventually
Robert’s sister Ada Elizabeth, who married Antoine Manoncourt, took control.
The next generation, Thierry Manoncourt and
his wife Marie-France, took over in 1947 and today the estate remains in the
hands of the same family, with their daughter Laure and son-in-law Count Eric
d’Aramon who are in charge.
Of all the premier grand cru classe
estates, most are located on the famous limestone cotes around St-Emilion, with
just two in the western part of the appellation, Graves-St-Emilion, including
Cheval Blanc and Figeac. Of the five gravel mounds there, two bear the
vines of Cheval Blanc and three being entirely Figeac.
Beneath the gravel soil there is clay and
sand, and the gravel here has a tendency to favour Cabernet over Merlot, so the
vineyards are planted with 35% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc,
with the balance being Merlot. The vines average 35 years of age, with a
density of 6000 vines per hectare.
The selection of the varieties came as a
decision from Thierry Manoncourt who, bottled some of the Figeac wines
unblended so he could assess how wines from different varieties mature. The
fruit is harvested manually, pressed using hydraulic equipment and vinified in
the chai which includes both the original wooden and the new, stainless steel
fermenters
The oat vats are open-topped, and the cap
is submerged using a grid. The grand vin is Chateau Figeac, which goes
into new oak for 20 months. Second year oak is used for the second wine,
La Grange Neuve de Figeac.
I have
recently tasted the 2008 vintage and below is my tasting note:
Appearance
Bright
and clear, it has deep ruby color, with a slight garnet rims and legs.
Nose
Clean,
with medium (+) intensity aromas of black fruit such as cassis, blackberry and
plum, pungent spice of licorice, sweet spice of cloves, oak notes of cedar,
animal notes of leather and meat, mineral notes of earth and graphite, maturity
notes of savory. The wine is developing.
Palate
Dry with
medium (+) acidity, the wine has medium (+) tannin of ripe and velvety texture,
with medium (+) alcohol and full body. It has medium (+) intensity flavors of black
fruit such as cassis, blackberry and plum, oak notes of cedar, pungent spice of
licorice, kernel notes of roasted nuts. The wine has a medium finish.
Conclusion
Very
good quality St-Emilion with good intensity on the nose, showing nice
complexity and particularly the more cassis than plummy element which is rather
unique for the right bank, the wine has a good structure, robust yet elegant,
with good acidity supporting the concentrated flavors, and the finish was
reasonable. It is ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of
another 2-3 years.
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