2007 Château Figeac

Tobacco and soft brambled fruit on the nose, this is delicate and enticing, at a sweet spot for drinking. Expect touches of white truffle, campfire smoke, saffron strands, black pepper, blackberry and raspberry puree, and fresher pulses of cranberry and white pepper. 33hl/h yield, 100% new oak for ageing. Harvest September 24 to October 2.

Having tasted the 2007 Figeac a few times, I was intrigued how this bottle would show. The nose does not possess the intensity of the 2008. The Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon impart tobacco scents, autumn leaves and a touch of ash. You kind of wish there was more fruit. The palate is slightly better since there is more fruit than the nose suggests, quite peppery and maybe a little rigid towards the finish. It lacks some finesse on the finish, but at least there is decent length. Tasted from a bottle from my own cellar.

Tasted at BI Wine & Spirits' 10-Years-On tasting, the 2007 Figeac is a disappointing wine that really puts into context how far this estate has travelled in recent years. The aromatics take a while to really coalesce, eventually offering herbaceous red and black fruit, melted tar and bell pepper aromas, the latter emanating from the Cabernet component. The palate is medium-bodied with rather brittle tannin, very masculine in style with a firm backbone, but it comes across as rather mean and raw on the finish. I would be drinking bottles in the near future. Tasted February 2017.