1955 Château Figeac

Tasted at Thierry Manoncourt's 90th birthday lunch at Taillevent in Paris, the 1955 Figeac sports a youthful-looking, deep-garnet core with a thin tawny rim. The Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the aromatics, imparting a delectable scent of sous-bois and wild mint that is overall so fresh and vigorous, it somehow attains more definition in the glass. The palate is very structured with great depth, slightly drier than the 1959 Figeac with sinewy tannins. It constitutes a majestic and imperious Figeac, one that has stubbornly stuck to traditional values with great length and persistence. Some commented that this is superior to Cheval Blanc 1955—I would agree. Tasted December 2007.

In magnum. Very, very dark blackish crimson. Very, very sweet and yet lively and fresh still! Maybe not as concentrated as the 1959. Rich, bright fruit. A bit more rustic than the 1955. Perhaps on its way downhill but impressive. (JR)

Tasted Once||The 1955 is one of those brilliant, unknown great wines of the century that no doubt appears from time to time at auction and is undoubtedly sold for a song given the fact that it has received so little press. From a chateau that tends to produce quickly maturity wines, this offering is more backward than the fully mature 1964, and even richer than the 1982 and 1990 (at least as they appear today). The 1955 offers an extraordinary fragrance of ripe plums, cassis, mint, herbs, smoke, and spices. Dense and concentrated for a Figeac, with some tannin yet to melt away, this wine is a candidate for a half century of aging. Wine Advocate.October, 1994