HISTORY : The wine

 
18th century

Winegrowing at Figeac became a truly intense activity starting in the early 18th century under the aegis of the Marquis de Carle. His son, Elie, known as "The Knight of the Vines", was one of the pioneer winegrowers in the Libourne area. He was heavily involved with a revolution which contributed greatly to the reputation of Saint-Emilion. He targeted a select clientele living mainly in northern France (Marshal de Broglie, Count de Calonne, father of one of Louis XIV’s ministers etc.). Exemplary care was taken with this thriving vineyard. The wines proved very successful and were very expensive.

In 1815, a strict selection process was brought in, sorting out only the best grapes to use for the grand vin. This led to the creation of a "second wine", sold at a third of the price of the former.

Style and elegance reigned at Figeac until the Continental Blocade and the difficulties it created in selling the wines forced Countess de Carle-Trajet to sell off several plots of land, including Cheval Blanc in 1838.

Eventually, she sold the remainder of the estate, 130 hectares, which would pass into the hands of five different owners in fifty years.

Throughout the different changes of ownership, the vineyard managers and cellarmasters continued to maintain the high quality of Château Figeac.

The owners of the vineyards that formerly belonged to the main estate continued to sell their wines under the prestigious name of Figeac. Thus, Cheval Blanc only started to sell its wines under its own name in 1853, and other vineyards appended the name "Figeac" to their own.

In 1853, Chaumas Frank rated Figeac as "a very good growth", while Victor Rendu qualified it as "remarkable" in 1854.

It was at this time that odium first appeared in the Médoc and Graves districts, which led to the start of intense trading between the Saint-Emilion-Pomerol area (as yet uncontaminated), and the Bordeaux wine merchants, who badly needed to satisfy customer demand. Edouard Féret, publisher of the famous Cocks and Féret, then started taking an interest in the Right Bank of the Garonne. In the 1881 edition of his famous book, "Bordeaux and its Wines", Edouard Féret stated that "Figeac and Cheval Blanc sell at the same prices as the first growths of Saint-Emilion and Pomerol". However, despite the excellence of its wines, Figeac could no longer offer a sustained marketing and sales policy since the owners were no longer resident on the estate. So, in the 1886 edition, the names were reversed: "Cheval Blanc and Figeac sell at the same prices as the first growths of Saint-Emilion and Pomerol". In this fifth edition, Figeac, which until then had been the top of Saint-Emilion thanks to its quality and without publicity, was forced into second place just at the time the Bordeaux merchants were consolidating the market and fixing not only the prices, but also the reputation of wines.

In 1892, the Figeac estate was once more up for sale. André Macquin, who had been managing the property for the past ten years, encouraged Thierry Manoncourt’s grandfather, André Villepigue to buy it. André Macquin, an agricultural engineer, had attended lectures given by Monsieur Viala the famous researcher and member of the French Institute, who is credited with the isolating graftable American rootsock as a result of his research on the banks of the Mississippi. After settling in Saint-Emilion, where phylloxera had suddenly appeared, André Macquin was to be a major force in the reconstruction of the Libourne vineyards. At Figeac, where he lived until 1906, he treated the vines with the greatest care, while progressively introducing phylloxera-resistant American rootstock.

From then on, the estate was managed by agricultural engineers (Robert Villepigue, then his brother-in-law, Antoine Manoncourt, followed by Thierry Manoncourt, specialised in viticulture, biology and oenology). In the mid 1950s, when Thierry Manoncourt moved permanently to Figeac, a sound relationship with the Bordeaux merchants was finally re-established, and Figeac gradually received full recognition for its excellent wines.

At this time, the Figeac name had only just begun its long climb back to the top, and market prices were low. Despite a negative vote from one jury member, a positive response was given to Figeac’s application for Premier Grand Cru Classé B status, based on its exceptional qualities of its soils and the success of its wine.

Whereas it took Thierry Manoncourt five years to sell the 1945 Figeac, highly-prized though it is today, it now takes him only two or three days to sell a whole year’s harvest, even though the prix de sortie (futures trade price) is the most expensive of the Premiers Grands Crus, group B).