FLOAT 100 · Wine · No. 91
Chateau Figeac 2016
An estate on the site of a Roman villa, which once sold off the land that became Cheval Blanc, made in 2016 a wine its own team called one of its greatest, six years before it finally reached the top rank of Saint-Emilion.
- Maker
- Chateau Figeac
- By price in wine
- 85 of 100
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Create a free account- Producer
- Chateau Figeac, Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux
- Classification
- Premier Grand Cru Classe B when the 2016 was made; promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classe A in 2022
- Estate
- 54 hectares in one block, 41 hectares of vines
- 2016 blend
- 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Franc
- 2016 harvest
- September 23 to October 20, 2016, grape by grape
- Aging
- 19 months in new French oak
- Share of crop in the grand vin
- Roughly 75%, per one critic
- Soils
- Three gravel knolls of quartz and flint over iron-rich blue clay
- Managing director
- Frederic Faye
- Consultant
- Michel Rolland, hired in 2013
From Roman villa to the mother of Cheval Blanc
Chateau Figeac traces its name to a Gallo-Roman villa of the second century, built by a man named Figeacus. The estate today covers 54 hectares in a single block, 41 of them planted with vines.
Figeac was once much larger. In 1832 it sold 15 hectares, including part of the narrow gravel ridge that runs through its vineyards, to M. Laussac-Fourcaud. That land became Chateau Cheval Blanc, today one of the most famous wines in Bordeaux.
What remains is unusual for Saint-Emilion. The vineyard sits on three knolls of Gunzian gravel, quartz and flint over iron-rich blue clay, which drain well and reflect heat. Those soils ripen Cabernet grapes, so Figeac is planted roughly in thirds, about 35 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 35 percent Cabernet Franc and 30 percent Merlot, while most of its neighbors rely mainly on Merlot. The vines average about 35 years old, and the estate makes about 10,000 cases a year.
The Manoncourt family and the push for A
Henri de Chevremont bought the estate in 1892. In January 1947 Thierry Manoncourt took over the running of Figeac and made it a leading producer, staying until his death in 2010. His widow, Marie-France Manoncourt, and their daughters Hortense Idoine Manoncourt and Blandine de Brier Manoncourt now own it.
Figeac was ranked in the second tier of Saint-Emilion's top class, Premier Grand Cru Classe B. In the 2012 revision of the classification, Angelus and Pavie were promoted to A while Figeac stayed in B. Marie-France Manoncourt then approached the consultant Michel Rolland, whose hiring was announced in March 2013 with the stated aim of bringing Figeac up to Premier Grand Cru Classe A. The appointment upset some critics who feared he would change the wine's style.
Day to day, the estate is run by Frederic Faye, its managing director and winemaking director. Critics have credited the team with refining the wine's tannins and aromatic appeal in youth while keeping its capacity to age. Between 2018 and 2021 the estate built a new, partly underground winery of 5,000 square meters over three levels, reaching 12 meters below ground.
2016: a record wet winter, then a perfect summer
The estate describes 2016 as a one-off year. Saint-Emilion had its warmest winter on record, with records in France going back to 1900, and it was also very wet, with more than double the usual rainfall. Rain continued through a cool spring. Budbreak came about a week early, in the week of April 8, but flowering happened around the usual dates, and the berries were numerous, full and even.
Then came a sunny summer with a series of heat waves. The deep roots of Figeac's vines kept them supplied with water, and cool August nights helped color and aroma. About 40 millimeters of rain finally fell on the evening of September 13, which the estate said gave the vines just the right lift to balance sugar and acidity.
Picking was spread over almost a month so each block could be harvested at its peak: the Merlot from September 23 to October 10, the Cabernet Sauvignon from October 11 to 20, and the Cabernet Franc from October 12 to 20. The final blend leaned on the Cabernets, at nearly two-thirds of the wine. The estate's own tasting notes call 2016 one of its greatest wines. Its second wine, Petit-Figeac, took a blend of 41 percent Cabernet Franc, 36 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 23 percent Merlot.
What the critics found
Lisa Perrotti-Brown of the Wine Advocate scored the 2016 97+ in November 2018, describing plum preserves, creme de cassis, black raspberries and star anise, a palate practically quivering with energy, and a wine that would need seven or eight years to come around and then cellar for more than 40. Jeb Dunnuck scored it 98+ in February 2019, called it a legendary wine in the making, and noted that roughly 75 percent of the crop went into the grand vin.
Neal Martin, tasting it blind in January 2020, scored it 98+, calling it a surly Saint-Emilion with a nose of real pedigree that may close down before blazing brightly in 15 to 20 years. A U.S. retailer's listing in 2026 shows other scores including 97 from Decanter, 96 from James Suckling and 96 from Wine Spectator, as well as a 100 attributed to Vinous.
The top rank, at last
In September 2022 the new Saint-Emilion classification, valid through the 2031 harvest, promoted Figeac to Premier Grand Cru Classe A, alongside Pavie. Cheval Blanc and Angelus had withdrawn from the classification in 2021, and Ausone in 2022, so Figeac and Pavie became the only two A-ranked estates.
The 2016 was made while Figeac was still ranked B. In October 2026 one U.S. merchant listed a single 750 ml bottle of the 2016 at $311.61. That is an asking price, not a sale.
The numbers
- Estate / vineyard
- 54 ha in one block; 41 ha of vines
- Typical planting
- About 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot
- 2016 blend
- 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Franc
- Production
- About 10,000 cases a year
- Wine Advocate (Lisa Perrotti-Brown)
- 97+, November 2018
- Jeb Dunnuck
- 98+, February 2019
- Neal Martin (Vinous)
- 98+, January 2020
Timeline
Figeac sells 15 hectares that become Chateau Cheval Blanc.
Henri de Chevremont buys the estate.
Thierry Manoncourt takes over the running of Figeac.
Thierry Manoncourt dies.
The Saint-Emilion classification promotes Angelus and Pavie to A; Figeac stays B.
Michel Rolland is hired as consultant, aiming for A status.
Budbreak begins about a week early, in the week of April 8.
About 40 mm of rain ends the summer drought at Figeac.
The Merlot harvest begins.
The last Cabernet is picked.
The Wine Advocate scores the 2016 97+.
The estate completes its new partly underground winery.
Figeac is promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classe A.
The world in 2016
Journalists publish the Panama Papers.
The United Kingdom votes to leave the European Union.
NASA's Juno spacecraft enters orbit around Jupiter.
A truck attack in Nice, France, kills 86 people.
The Summer Olympics open in Rio de Janeiro.
Donald Trump is elected the 45th president of the United States.
Daily price data
FLOAT reprices this wine every day from completed sales. Last updated November 12, 2026.
Price record
| Date | Price | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2026 | $312 | Asking price, not a saleRetail asking price per 750 ml bottle ($311.61) at a U.S. merchant. Not a sale. |
This is an asking price, not a sale. It is what a seller wanted on the date shown. Asking prices often sit above what buyers pay, but an ask is not a ceiling: a sale can land on either side of it. It is not a value.
By reference price, Chateau Figeac 2016 is number 85 of 100 in the wine entries of the FLOAT 100. 12 of those 100 rest on a realized sale; the rest carry an asking price or a guide value, and each page says which. Rank within the FLOAT 100 itself (91 here) is editorial: how much an object defines its field, not price alone.
Did you know
- Chateau Cheval Blanc was created from 15 hectares that Figeac sold in 1832.
- Figeac's name goes back to a second-century Gallo-Roman villa.
- Unlike most of Saint-Emilion, Figeac is planted roughly one-third each to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.
- In 2016 Saint-Emilion had its warmest winter since French records began in 1900.
- Figeac picked its 2016 over nearly a month, from September 23 to October 20.
- Figeac waited until 2022 to be ranked A, a decade after missing out in 2012.
How this page is made
- The figure
- One reference price, shown with its own kind. FLOAT does not average it with anything or adjust it for time.
- Realized or not
- A realized price is a completed sale. An asking price, an estimate and a price-guide value are not sales, and are labeled as such wherever they appear.
- The story
- Researched from published records and checked fact by fact. Updated Oct 3, 2026.
- Archive
- Oct 5, 2026