Petit-Figeac: An outstanding 2nd wine from one of the top Bordeaux chateau

The most recent St. Emilion reclassification in 2022 had only two estates at the very top of the list as Premier Grand Cru Classe A: Chateau Pavie and Chateau Figeac.  We had the pleasure of visiting Chateau Figeac and having a wonderful lunch there last year and it is our favorite Right Bank wine and in our top three for all of Bordeaux. 

I believe Chateau Figeac is unique in their commitment to use an equal amount of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in the blend, generally about 70% the volume.  Merlot is the third wine that completes the blend.  While that makes it approximately one-third of each of the grapes, the amount of the two Cabernets is always equal but can vary slightly from vintage to vintage with Merlot completing the blend.  At our lunch they talked about what a challenge it is to have the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Cabernet Franc play nicely together; each one wants to be the primary grape.  They say that these two wines define both the content and the form of the wine.  To grow these three grapes they have 40 different parcels that fall into 4 microclimates.  The average age of their vines is 35 years.  Nearly 30 of their 133 acres are kept as a nature preserve to promote biodiversity and the estate has Level 3 High Environmental Value certification. 

The Premier Grand Cru Classe wines are made to have high aging potential.  At our luncheon we had decanted magnums of 2009 and 1981 and while both were delicious, the 1981 had aged beautifully and was spectacular. 

With our first course at that luncheon, we were served the 2018 Petit-Figeac, their second wine. Chateau Figeac started making a second wine in 1945 and it was renamed Petit-Figeac in 2012.  It has always been made exclusively from grapes grown on their property and uses some of the younger vines to make a lighter wine that shows its appeal earlier and is a great introduction to the spirit of the estate.  I put it right up with most of the Left Bank 1855 classification wines that we had tasted. 

I bought a bottle of the 2018 for $70 and we had it with the delicious dinner that Beth made to celebrate our 53^rd wedding anniversary.  I opened the bottle at 1:00 PM and left it standing up in our wine fridge until 4:00.  I then decanted it with an aerator and brought it to 60° F and served it at 7:30 to accompany our main course, Veal Osso Buco with Risotto Milanese.  It had opened up beautifully and as we sipped it, we relieved some of our great memories of our Bordeaux trip. 

I am not a fan of blind tastings, but I think this wine would easily hold its own with wines over $100.  I have two bottles of 2020 that are aging in my cellar and just replaced the 2018 for a special occasion to be determined in the next few years.  Given time to breathe and open up, I think a Petit Figeac can be served when it is fine years old.  I am very confident that no bottle in my cellar will get older than 10 years so I cannot put an upper boundary on how long to age it. and I did not see anything like that on the excellent Chateau Figeac website.  I would wait at least 10 years if I had any Chateau Figeac and it really should be 20 years.  As with all Bordeaux wines there are variations from year to year, but with the state of the art wine making facility they put in place in 2021 the variations are very small and I will happily drink any vintage someone wants to pour. 

Beth started our dinner with Fois Gras that had been sautéed in Sauterne with apple and prune slices.  It was delicious and we enjoyed the rest of the Sauterne with it.  For dessert she made a Pistachio Greek Honey Cake with Greek Honey flavored Greek yogurt.  The cake was soaked with a honey syrup made from the Greek honey which had a lovely flavor unlike any other honey I have had.  We had some Graham’s 30 year old Tawny Port with the cake.  Pictures are below and it was just a great meal to celebrate 53 years with the most wonderful partner to share my life. 

Fois Gras starter

Osso Buco with Risotto Milanese

Delicious Dessert