he main vatroom at Chateau Figeac contains 10 oak vats which are unusual in that they are left entirely open on top. With no cover, a wooden grid can be put on top to keep the cap submerged in the grape juice

hese vats have numerous advantages in terms of quality, especially the ability to soften the harshest tannins in Cabernet grapes.

owever, ten vats are not enough to house all of Figeac's production. The owner, Thierry Manoncourt, doubled the capacity nearly 30 years ago by creating a new vatroom with 10 stainless steel tanks. He was one of the first in the region, along with Chateau Latour and Chateau Haut-Brion, to use this new material. He also had underground cellars dug.

he hydraulic winepresses have been kept at Chateau Figeac. Their main advantage is to make wines that are neither too astringent nor overly herbaceous. They also produce high-quality press wine.