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(Château Figeac (St. Émilion)) The 2000 Château Figeac is one of the strongest examples of the vintage I have tasted in quite some time. The wine remains youthful, but its promise is self-evident, as it delivers a refined aromatic constellation of black cherries, dark berries, cigar wrapper, a superb base of soil tones, a touch of youthful Figeac herb notes, smoky new oak and an exotic topnote of celery seed. On the palate the wine is deep, complex and full-bodied, with a superb core of fruit, lovely balance and grip, suave, buried tannins and a long, nascently complex and very, very promising finish. This is very elegant for an example of 2000 claret. (Drink between 2025-2075),John Gilman | 94 JGFigeac has become a more consistent wine over the last few years. A profound effort, the surprisingly full-bodied 2000 Figeac has an opaque purple color accompanied by a terrific bouquet of camphor, graphite, black currants, licorice, and smoked herbs. With well-balanced, powerful tannin, concentration, and pinpoint precision, finesse, and purity, this expressive as well as textured effort will drink well between 2004-2018. When Figeac hits on all cylinders, one can understand why some tasters believe it is as complex as Cheval Blanc. This is undeniably the estate’s finest effort since 1996.Robert Parker | 93 RPSpices, herbs, plums, and meat on the nose. Full and round, with soft tannins and a beautiful finish. Chocolate and fruit everywhere. Give this another two or three years. Pull the cork in 2013.James Suckling | 93 JSOvert rosemary, bay and tobacco notes lead the way, backed by dark fig and steeped black currant fruit flavors at the core. The finish is loamy-edged, with a serious tug of earth. There’s nice flesh and density here, though I like where this is now, rather than wanting to wait too much longer.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2020. 8,333 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe 2000 Figeac is similar to the bottle tasted at the château just three months earlier. Still a tad rustic on the nose with singed leather and earthenware infusing the red berry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied, quite Left Bank in style, a little rough in texture with a slightly herbaceous finish. Maybe marginally better than the previous bottle, though it does nothing to dispel the idea that the 2001 is the better Figeac. Tasted at the Figeac vertical in Berlin.Vinous Media | 90 VM

This is amazing for the vintage. Full and silky, with velvety tannins. Long and rich, with a bright fruit character -- think black figs. The Cabernet Sauvignon gets to 35% of the blend in this vintage. This is delicious now, but it will be much better in five years. Pull the cork in 2015.James Suckling | 94 JSThis has a roasted, grippy-edged feel, with plum skin and licorice root notes framing the core of blackberry, fig and black currant confiture flavors. A touch chewy, but a strong tobacco accent lends this a hint of freshness. Shows the teetering balancing act of the vintage.—Blind '01/'03/'05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Drink now through 2032. 8,333 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe famously hot vintage, and a wine I have been lucky enough to try many times. It is still holding up, showing deeply spiced and exotic notes - more furniture polish and dried herbs than in many vintages, but strangely sexy because of it. The relatively low alcohol suggests impact of the Cabernets as well perhaps as some blocking because of the heat, but this is a great wine for drinking today, full of generosity and pleasure. Drinking Window 2017 - 2030Decanter | 92 DEC(Château Figeac (St. Émilion)) I have only tasted the 2003 vintage at Figeac on a single occasion, which was as part of a vertical back at the property on one of my last trips to the region to taste en primeur. While the note is a bit out of date now, I was quite favorably impressed with the wine and include the note here, as I have never written this wine up previously. The bouquet back in the spring of 2012 was really quite good, offering up a deep and fairly exotic blend of mint, sappy black cherries, dark plum, singed tobacco, chocolate and nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite plush on the attack, with very low acids, a very good, sappy core and a long, slightly chewy and quite smoky finish. There is a slightly dry edge to the tannins here that will probably always be part of the equation to some extent (as is the case with many 2003 Burgundies for instance), but this is a very good example of the vintage and one of the few 2003 clarets that I would be happy to drink any time. It was still a few years away from really drinking well back in March of 2012, but should be softened up nicely by now. (Drink between 2018-2040)John Gilman | 91 JG