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Chateau La Tour Figeac

The history of La Tour Figeac begins with Figeac itself, one of the two grand chateaux that lie on the gravelly soils of Graves-St-Emilion, the other naturally being Cheval-Blanc - which was itself also derived from Figeac, starting with a portion acquired by the Ducasse family in 1832. It was the sale of another section of vineyard to a gentleman named Corbière which begins our story here; in 1879 he acquired a 37 hectare plot which two years later he divided into two, keeping half for himself, and selling the rest off. That which he sold went on to become La-Tour-du-Pin-Figeac, which has itself since been subdivided, and it was what he retained that became La Tour Figeac.

Approximately one hundred years later came perhaps the most significant change of ownership, as in 1973 the property was sold by the then proprietor François Rapin to the Rettenmaiers, a family from Heilbronn in Germany who had made their fortune as industrialists. It is Maximilian Rettenmaier, son and heir, that has been managing the estate since 1994. Perhaps significantly, he has done this with assistance of a technical director named Christine Derenoncourt, a familiar name to many I am sure, and perhaps unsurprisingly there has been consultation from Stéphane Derenoncourt and also François Bouchet who provides advice specifically on biodynamic matters. Today Christine has stepped back a little from her role; she now works as a consultant to the estate, and Caroline Guillier has taken charge of processes in the cellar.

Chateau La Tour Figeac The vineyard today comprises 14.5 hectares, of which about one-quarter, the section closest to Cheval-Blanc, possesses the valuable gravel terroir which gives the region of Graves-St-Emilion its name. As one travels across the vineyard there is an increasing proportion of sand and loam. The vines are naturally predominantly Merlot which accounts for 60% of the vineyard, the rest being entirely Cabernet Franc, with an average age of 35 years. The vines are planted at a fairly standard 6500 vines/ha and benefit from recently installed drainage. The vine husbandry is biodynamic, as the involvement of François Bouchet, who has consulted at many leading biodynamic estates including Chapoutier, would suggest. That means no chemical pesticides or treatments of any sort, and only biodynamically raised manure. Yields are typically held at about 40 hl/ha by pruning, bunch-thinning and green-harvesting, and naturally the harvest is by hand.

The winery has been the focus of some investment in recent years, with new thermo-regulated stainless steel vats installed in 1995 and a new reception are for the harvest in 1999, before a reversion to wood once again, replacing the steel vats installed four years previously. There is a mix of pumping over and punching down to submerge the cap, macerate the skins and increase extraction. The wine is then fed into oak barrels which may be 100% new in some vintages, and here it rests for up to 18 months for the grand vin Chateau La Tour Figeac (3300 cases) and up to 12 months for the second wine, L'Esquisse de La Tour Figeac (1250 cases). The former is generally dominated by Merlot, which account for 60% to 80% of the blend depending on the vintage, whereas the latter is much more variable and is sometimes predominantly Cabernet Franc, although in the 2000 vintage it seems to have morphed into a 100% Merlot named Cuvée M00. Remarkably there is no fining of the wines, although the wine may be filtered before bottling if deemed necessary.

Having tasted a handful of the wines I find the absolute quality at La Tour Figeac to be a little variable. I was perhaps not surprised to find myself appreciating the 2000, which seemed to express the quality of the vintage very clearly, and after that the 2004 was also good, albeit in a rather lighter style. The vintage was better for the right bank than many have realised, however, and I would really have liked to have seen just a little more substance here. The 2005 was the joker in the pack, however, as it is not a vintage where you go looking for problems. Nevertheless, like a number of other right bank properties I sense over-working of the wine here, to the detriment of harmony, balance and elegance; in a vintage such as 2005, it is disheartening to see such this character when the quality of the raw materials was so high. Nevertheless, I look forward to opportunities to taste again, to see how this and the other wines develop. (12/6/08)

Contact details:
Address: BP 007, 33330 Saint Emilion
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 57 51 77 62
Fax +33 (0) 5 57 25 36 92
Internet: www.latourfigeac.com

Chateau La Tour Figeac - Tasting Notes

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2007

Chateau La Tour Figeac (St Emilion) 2007: This sample has a nose of blackberries and vanilla cream, and perhaps unsurprisingly it also has a rather soft, flattering, creamy entry. The midpalate is soft and rounded, with lots of hard structure underneath. Good spicy grip. A hard style, with lots of extract, it at least has character on its side. It may soften up with élevage. From my 2007 Bordeaux en primeur assessment. 14-15+/20 (April 2008)

2005

Chateau La Tour Figeac (St Emilion) 2005: This wine has an attractive dark and glossy hue, although it is not showing a lot of density of pigment in the glass. There is nice, open fruit on the nose. What dominates on the palate, however, is the huge extract; there are piles and piles of tannins here. Surprisingly I don't find a lot of texture and weight to match these, and the acidity is certainly low. This has an absolutely overbearing structure, and seems very stretched out, with little character to cover the seam of tannins. To me it seems over-extracted but with its low acidity may have had a long hang-time first. Huge, rustic and overdone. 14/20 (February 2008)

2004

Chateau La Tour Figeac (St Emilion) 2004: There is some attractive cherry fruit on the nose here, with notes of plums and pepper, and a little gently applied oak is still apparent. There is similar fruit style on the palate, a ripe and rounded character, with a nice grip and thankfully some fresh acidity. It perhaps lacks some concentration here, but it certainly has some attractive features. It has a charming freshness, and is certainly a more appealing drinking prospect than the 2005. 15.5/20 (February 2008)

Chateau La Tour Figeac (St Emilion) 2004: Lots of expressive dark fruit and nutty oak here, with a buttery edge. Nicely textured, with firm grippy tannins, but a good presence of fruit as well. Firmly structured, and should come good in the cellar. From my Bordeaux 2004 assessment. 16+/20 (October 2006)

2000

Chateau La Tour Figeac (St Emilion) 2000: This wine has a really attractive nose, being open, expressive, and showing some appealing complexity. It has a nicely textured palate, with ripe tannins providing some grip at the core, with gentle fruit and texture draped over. In terms of style it is quite rounded, with a gentle and elegant composition. This really has a lot of appeal, and it seems to translate the raw quality of the vintage very effectively. Very good. 16.5/20 (February 2008)