Château Figeac

Like many estates in St-Emilion, Château Figeac dates back to the Roman times. The estate took its name from Figeacus, the Roman who owned a villa on the site of the present château and gave his name to the town. Despite several plots of vines being sold off over the years, including some to its neighbour, Cheval Blanc, Château Figeac remains the largest estate in St-Emilion, with 40 hectares under vine. Its gravel-dominated soils are more suited to Cabernet Sauvignon, despite Merlot being the key grape in St-Emilion, so the vines are split equally between the two Cabernets with 30% Merlot. Its current owners, the Manancourt family, have overseen the estate since 1892, and introduced pioneering changes to keep Figeac at its finest. Thierry Manancourt was the first Right Bank winemaker to use stainless steel in the fermentation process and the first Right Bank estate to produce a second wine. Its well-regarded reputation and fine quality St-Emilion suggest that Figeac is a strong contender for promotion to the coveted 1er Grand Cru Classé (A).