Château Figeac - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 1996 6b11bd6ba9341f0271941e7df664d056

Jancis Robinson

17 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe6/1/2015

Very rainy growing season. 50% of grapes selected. Magnum. Solid, masculine nose. Looks much older than the 1998 magnum just tasted! Mid ruby. Strong fibre of minerality. Relatively light weight. Marked acidity and very cool. Some might call this skinny but it opened out in the glass and became sweeter. Jancis Robinson

Wine Advocate

82 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/1999

I know the proprietors of Figeac think I am unduly tough on their wines, but I am a huge fan of Figeac. When it is exceptional, I purchase and drink it with great pleasure. However, too many Figeacs lack concentration and evolve too quickly. Such is the case with the 1996. Medium ruby-colored, with a mature nose of cedar, tobacco, fruitcake, and cherry fruit, it is a light, medium-bodied wine with evidence of dilution. The finish is abrupt with light tannin, Drink it over the next 7-8 years.

Wine Spectator

85 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe1/31/1999

A light '96, but offers some very pleasant berry and chocolate aromas and flavors. Medium- to light-bodied, with fresh fruit and a light finish. Best after 2000.

Wine Advocate

84-86 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe9/1/1998

The medium dark ruby-colored 1996 exhibits light to medium body, good but uninspiring concentration, and attractive sweet curranty fruit in its cedary, spicy nose. Hard tannin in the finish is unlikely to melt away over the next 3-4 years. This wine should evolve quickly for a 1996. Figeac is a great estate with a fabulous terroir that seems to make approximately two profound wines per decade (1990 and 1982). Given how well Cabernet Sauvignon, and, to a certain extent, old vine Cabernet Franc performed in 1996, I had expected Figeac to shine.Anticipated maturity: 2002-2010. Last tasted 11/97

Wine Advocate

83-86 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe2/28/1998

This intriguing wine possesses 90-point aromatics and 75-point flavors. I love a great Figeac (i.e., 1990 and 1982), but too often this wine comes across as anorexic and undernourished. The knock-out nose of tobacco, fruitcake, Asian spices, and incense is captivating. However, once the wine hits the palate it is angular, lean, and light-bodied without enough fruit and flesh to cover its structure. If it deepens and puts on weight, my score should rise significantly, but the astringent tannin and empty mid-palate are worrisome. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2008.

Wine Advocate

84-86 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/1997

Figeac is another great estate with a fabulous terroir that seems to make approximately two profound wines per decade (1990 and 1982). Given how well Cabernet Sauvignon, and, to a certain extent, old vine Cabernet Franc performed in 1996, I had expected Figeac to shine. The medium dark ruby-colored 1996 exhibits light to medium body, good but uninspiring concentration, and attractive sweet curranty fruit in its cedary, spicy nose. Hard tannin in the finish is unlikely to melt away over the next 3-4 years. This wine should evolve quickly for a 1996. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2010.