Château Figeac: 2016, 2009, 2000, 1995, 1990, 1988, 1985 & 1982

The Jürade de Saint-Émilion du Singapour was able to meet again on 14 July 2020 (Bastille Day!) at Shang Palace, Shangri-la Singapore, under socially-distanced conditions to enjoy a vertical of Château Figeac, fronted by a mini promenade of burgundy whites and champagne. The wines of this Right Bank maverick are actually seldom encountered in retail shops and prices nowadays are distinctly higher than ever, even for en primeur. The line-up that evening turned out to be quite stunning, for almost all the milestone vintages of the past forty years are represented. Many thanks, everyone, for your contributions.

Champagne Forget-Brimont Brut Premier NV, courtesy of Sandy. Attractive bouquet of intense white fruits with a minty effervescence though the palate is surprisingly relaxed with an easy feel, layered with yellow citrus and smooth bubbles that yielded fine transparency.

Champagne Möet & Chandon Brut Imperial NV, courtesy of Marc. Surprisingly alluring in its bouquet of walnuts, toast, smoldering  ember and yeasty tones. Equally well-endowed  on the palate, showing fine presence and definition with subtly layered nuances.

2012 Domaine Joseph Drouhin Puligny-Montrachet Pucelles 1er. Dull light golden. Notes of brioche and honeysuckle on the nose amidst a dash of crème de la crème and recessed chalk, developing more of white floral fragrance over time while the medium-bodied palate has a certain relaxed feel, displaying delicate lime and citrus fruits of lovely depth and intensity, yielding subtle detail and obscure minerals. Very fine but definitely a step behind the 2014.

2015 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Meursault Les Narvaux, courtesy of Kieron. More pronounced bouquet of brioche with a perfumed fragrance, quite beguiling. Medium-bodied, beautifully transparent in texture with rounded white tones that display gentle intensity with an equally gentle depth of focused fruit, all very subtly shaded with superb harmony, painting the palate with Impressionist strokes as it finished with good persistence and linearity. This is not your usual densely chiseled PYCM. Excellent.

2015 Domaine Francois Mikulski Meursault Poruzots 1er, courtesy of Russ. Pale but very correct at once in its tonal balance of white floral characters and crème, marked by a superbly controlled focus and intensity on the entry, never ever threatening to overwhelm the lovely delicacy and transparency of the medium-bodied palate. Finished very well in a splash of olives and tangy citrus, nuanced with great subtlety. Excellent.

2016 Château Figeac, courtesy of Sandy. Bright purple. Some earthiness is evident, shrouding the abundance of red fruits and currants lurking beneath, resulting in some restraint on the nose. Medium-bodied. Surprisingly open, highly supple and fleshy, still laced with discernible vanillin though superbly harmonious and utterly seamless in its layering of fruit, acidity and tannins, exerting tremendous control and precision as it traversed the palate with great linearity to a quiet finish. Great potential.

2009 Château Figeac, courtesy of KC. Deep garnet red. Superb on the nose, evoking ripe dark plums, currants and red fruits with some early complexity. Deeply nuanced as well on the medium-full palate, characterised by chocolate, mocha and capsicum that exude great suppleness and harmony throughout its length, revealing fine detail. Still youthful. Excellent.

2000 Château Figeac. Open with superb transparency, ease and suppleness, displaying a lovely complex of dark currants, plums, red fruits, haw and cinnamon that exude fabulous shades and subtle nuances within its layers, supremely agile with a teasing quality. Doesn’t quite truly plumb the depths but its mesmerizing multi-dimensional profile is most compelling.

1995 Château Figeac, courtesy of Melvin. Crimson. Great feminine bouquet of mature red fruits amidst overtones of incense and ash. Fully developed, displaying gentle complexity as it traversed the palate with supreme grace and elegance, glowing with an alluring lift of tertiary characters all the way to its lasting finish. Outstanding. This fiftieth vintage of Manoncourt is marked by a special label.

1990 Château Figeac, courtesy of Kieron. Crimson. Superb perfumed fragrance of rose petals that exerted tremendous lift. Softly rounded, layered with superb complexity of fruit with a deep tangerine core that yielded great detail amid a distinct note of capsicum. Subtly structured with superb length, finishing with a trace of sweetness. Caught at its absolute peak.

1988 Château Figeac, courtesy of Marc. Lovely lift of evolved tertiary characters. Poised with great harmony and regal elegance, almost ethereal, displaying infinite dimension with a seemingly unfathomable depth. Outstanding.

1985 Château Figeac, courtesy of Stephen. Outstanding feminine fragrance of rose petals and mature fruit. Wonderfully supple, displaying a most unexpected exuberance of red fruits that still imparted exciting intensity and freshness, traversing the palate with great swagger and linearity as it finished with traces of capsicum. Outstanding.

1982 Château Figeac, courtesy of Russ. Evolved crimson. Great lift of tertiary characters, a heady complex of currants, cinnamon, dark plums, tangerines and violets tinged with crème that’s almost hedonistic. Open, highly supple with an elegant understated intensity and acidity, superbly balanced though a tad short. Great stuff, at its best.

2002 Alois Kracher Trockenbeerenauslese No. 10, courtesy of Melvin. Rather full. Suitably mature with a great expanse of nectarines and apricot that exerted a controlled sweetness amid overtones of ember, imbued with lovely depth and velvety textures. Excellent.

2007 Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner Auslese, courtesy of Stephen. Pale. Dominant bouquet of diesel tones and black earth, almost peaty in character though this wine is astonishingly agile, highly engaging in spite of its delicate tread on the palate. Quite excellent.