1945 and 1949 Château Figeac

Château Figeac originates from an ancient estate that traces its roots back to the 2nd century, when a Gallo-Roman villa was built on the estate and named after a Figeacus. In the late 18th century, the property was close to 200 hectares (490 acres) in size, but was sold and subdivided several times in the 19th century until 1892, when Henri de Chevremont bought it. Henriette, the daughter of de Chevremont, married André Villepigue and became the owner of Figeac. The estate was managed by Alfred Maquin, as the Villepigues lived in Paris. In 1905, their son Robert Villepigue took over the running of the estate. After Henriette's death in 1942, it was unclear if Robert Villepigue or his sister Ada Elizabeth (who had married Antoine Manoncourt) would inherit the estate, but in 1946 it passed to Ada Elizabeth Manoncourt. In January 1947, Thierry Manoncourt (son of Antoine and Ada Elizabeth Manoncourt) took over the running of Château Figeac, and it was under his leadership that the estate rose to the front ranks of Saint-Émilion estates. He continued to run or be actively involved with the estate until his death in 2010, although his son-in-law Comte Eric d'Aramon took over the daily running of the estate in the 1980s. From Wikipedia.


1945 Château Figeac:
Mis en bouteille par R. Villepigue proprietaire. Top shoulder fill, old mouldy cork. Deep ruby, thin brick rim. Dark berries, leather, figs, floral hints, almost spicy. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, nice texture, nose far greater than palate that lacks fruit. Short would be to exagerate it, but not that long either, a bit dry and rustic. Already in 1989 Broadbent states the following: 'extraordinarily sweet, almost Mouton-like power and fragrance. Overtaken by tannins'. Spot on for me, the nose excites and had the palate followed suit, this could have been towards perfect. Can it come around? The lacking fruit at 65+ years now indicates not. 89


1949 Château Figeac:
Mid-shoulder fill. My third bottle, and finally! Deep ruby, orange rim. Rich, heavy nose, difficult to see the nuances on this one, its like a ball. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, intense fruit. Powerful if mature. Blueberries, cherries, figs, almost massive. Rich palate as well, but nuanced. Very long. 'A particular feature is its extravagant fruitiness and glorious fragrance' in september 1998 from Broadbent. Spot on for the fruit, not quite on the fragrance. But I imagine this wine (bottle) should have been decanted for a few hours, and it would probably have been a few points higher. 95