Last Saturday I flew into Hong Kong for a very special wine dinner that we had organized for one of Farr Vintners' longest-standing customers and his friends at China Tang restaurant. We are fortunate that Jean-Valmy Nicolas (whose family has owned Chateau La Conseillante since 1871) is now also the 'co-gérant' of Chateau Figeac. Thus we were able to source a fantastic range of vintages direct from the cellars of both Chateaux. We started with two great young vintages - 2010 and 2009 - and travelled back in time to two great mature vintages - 1959 and 1949. Valmy was with us for this special event, as was Hortense Manoncourt whose family has owned Figeac since 1892.
Despite the fact that Figeac is a Saint Emilion and La Conseillante is a Pomerol they are actually just a few hundred metres apart, divided by Cheval Blanc. In fact nearly 30% of La Conseillante's vines are located in Saint Emilion.
La Conseillante 2009 and 2010
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Nevertheless, La Conseillante's wines are classically Pomerol thanks to the vineyard being planted with a majority of Merlot and just a little Cabernet Franc. La Conseillante's 3 other neighbours are Pétrus, L'Evangile and Vieux Chateau Certan. The wines are always plush and quite approachable when young yet they age extremely well (as we found when we tasted 40 vintages a few years ago http://www.farrvintners.com/blog.php?blog=85)
Figeac, is a unique vineyard whose wines are often mis-understood, mainly because it was re-planted by Hortense's father , Thierry Manoncourt, (after the devastating 1956 frosts) with one third each of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The Cabernet Sauvignon, very unusual on the right bank, is planted in the highest and hottest parts of the vineyard. A consequence of this high proportion of Cabernet is that the wine tastes more firm and less opulent than its neighbours when young and is frequently under-estimated in its early life but, once mature, is often exceptional in quality.
Figeac 2009
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The wines were tasted in the following order, ie from young to old, with a Chinese banquet:
2010 Figeac - This has an impressively deep colour (deeper than La Conseillante). There is big black fruit here with some firm tannins. This needs 10 years plus! Very masculine in style with richness of fruit but a strong structure. Dark chocolate, black truffles, tar and cassis. At the moment it is dis-jointed, tight and unyielding but one senses that it could become a classic. It is interesting to read the reviews of the critics on this wine where scores range from 88 to 98 points!
2010 La Conseillante - This has a dark crimson (rather than black) colour and a little light fade at the rim, certainly less dark than the Figeac. This is big and strong for La Conseillante but it still has a delicately fragrant nose with hints of violets (or is that me looking at the capsule?). Plummy fruit fills the palate with some hints of liquorish, black cherries and Asian spices. A well-balanced marriage of ripe fruit and firm tannins. This is one La Conseillante that needs time to blossom albeit not as long as some of the blockbuster wines from this great vintage.
2009 Figeac - This has nearly as deep a colour as the 2010 with a little more fade at the edge. More opulent on the nose with more sweetness and plumpness on the palate. Maybe not the depth of the 2010 but it will be ready sooner. There is a sweet core of plummy ripe fruit and good balance. Neither too rich nor too dry. This does not have the immediate appeal of some 2009's but should develop well.
2009 La Conseillante - There is already some fade at the rim here but this wine has a sensational soaring nose of decadent ripe fruit. Very opulent on the palate and full of cream and spice. Notes of cinnamon, tar and vanilla. Very sexy with low acidity and ripe, rounded tannins. Give this a few years and it will be gorgeous.
Figeac and La Conseillante corks
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2005 Figeac - This still has a deep colour and is pretty dumb on the nose. Still tight and unyielding, there are hints of leather, black pepper, cassis and earth. This is a wine with hidden depth and great potential, but it's not singing today. Needs another 5 years +
2001 La Conseillante - Some fade here and sweet fruit on the nose. Lovely and ripe on the palate with black and red fruits, coffee, spice and cream. Drinking really well now, there is no need to wait to enjoy this lovely, round Pomerol. Smooth and mellow. Drinking perfectly. Lovely stuff.
2000 Figeac - Quite a developed colour (despite this being served from magnum). A very unusual nose. This is incredibly herbaceous. On the palate it is really rather green and stalky. This tastes of Cabernet Sauvignon that was picked unripe from high yields. Weedy and herbal, this is a poor wine for the vintage. Hortense admitted that the 2001 Figeac is better. A disappointment.
2000 La Conseillante - This has a deeper colour than the 2001 vintage. A bit dumb, one gets the impression that this is not quite ready yet. Not especially powerful but not quite showing its best either. Some ripe cherry fruit with leather and vanilla notes, not as open as the 2001 for sure. A bit awkward.
Hortense Manoncourt and Hong Kong friends
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1985 Figeac - This has a fully mature colour and a sensual nose of smoke, leather and exotic spice. A pot pourri of flavours here. Velvety-textured, very open-knit and seductive. Sweet and raisiny at the finish. A lovely, fully-mature Figeac.
1982 La Conseillante - Despite being made from yields of more than 60 hl/ha and with no second wine, this is a fabulous La Conseillante that is now at its peak. A mature colour with a brown edge. Silk and velvet on the palate, decadent with forest floor notes and sweet red cherries. Seamless, smooth and succulent. Round and lovely.
1982 Figeac - (from magnum) - This is sweet and silky with a herbal twist. Fabulously smooth and plush with exotic hints of tobacco leaf, cigar box, tar and wood-smoke. Multi-dimensional and ripe with just a tiny hint of green. A complex and splendid Figeac, showing at its very best from this ex-chateau magnum.
1966 La Conseillante - This looks like Burgundy with a rusty red/brown colour. Earthy, forest floor notes with roasted meats and the sweetness of age. Fine and decadent, this is a Pomerol at its peak and it certainly won't improve, but good now.
A great line-up
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1966 Figeac - This has a deeper colour than the Conseillante. A fantastic nose that reminds me of La Mission Haut Brion - really tarry with spice and barbeque notes. Classic cigar box and cedar. The palate is rich and has a milk chocolate texture. Absolutely gorgeous and still has strength and power. A great Figeac that Hortense says was undrinkable for 20 years (it's her vintage but her father didn't let her try it until she was in her 20's)
1959 La Conseillante - This still has an impressive deep colour. Sensational richness with layers of sweet, plummy fruit. So opulent on the palate and probably more intense than the 1982 today. I made sure that I had a large pour of this as it's my vintage! I was not disappointed. A fantastic Pomerol that has more than a hint of Musigny to it. Magnificent.
1949 Figeac - What a privilege to drink this classic vintage from bottles that had never left the Chateau until a month ago. A good solid colour, despite the age. A soaring nose of roasted coffee beans, chocolate and Asian spices. On the palate there is incredible intensity and sweetness. There is impressive black fruit, leather and cedar. Long, lingering and unforgettable. They don't make wines like this any more - or do they? Maybe our grandchildren will have the same pleasure from the 2009 in another half a century?
The Legendary Figeac 1949
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