Tasting Note

This is the second wine of Chateau La Grave Figeac

Producer

Château La Grave Figeac is a 6.5ha St-Emilion Grand Cru domaine located on the Figeac plateau in the north west of the appellation, right on the border with Pomerol. Surrounded on all sides by Cheval Blanc, Figeac and La Conseillante, the vineyards are extraordinarily well placed.

This sector of St-Emilion is very different from the rest of the appellation; its free-draining siliceous-clay gravelly soils are a direct continuation of the Pomerol plateau, and particularly well-suited to cabernet franc which accounts for 35% of all plantings at La Grave Figeac, and brings a degree of finesse and restraint seldom seen in St-Emilion. There is also a little ‘crasse de fer’ (iron oxide) in the soil, mostly found in Pomerol, bringing an irony element to the wine, mingled with the flavour of truffles that mark the unique identity of La Grave Figeac.

Now in the hands of Laurent Clauzel, the estate was bought by his father. An insurer by trade, Jean-Pierre Clauzel’s family used to own some of the best domaines in the area - including L’Évangile and Château Nénin in Pomerol - and he spent much of his free time helping out in the vineyards and the cellar. Saddened by the death of his uncle and the subsequent sale of L’Évangile, he bought La Grave Figeac in 1993 because he could clearly see its potential and it was also very close to the family’s other properties.

_{Country: France | Region: St Emilion, Bordeaux | Alcohol: TBC | Grapes: Merlot, Cabernet Franc}