Figeac 1998 Case (1.5Lx6)

98 DE / 17.5 JR

A classic right bank year, this just jumps out of the glass with its singing black bramble fruits, lip-staining in their pleasure. A hail storm in July meant around 40% less yield than usual, but what is left behind is utterly delicious. You can hold onto this bottle for another few decades, or gulp it down now. The structure is juicy and ripe, with blackberries over smoked slate and supportive, fully-integrated tannins. It really shows how Figeac can hold back its charms until much later, rewarding those with patience to wait. One to smile over.-Jane Anson, Decanter

Dark crimson. Pungent and particularly spicy – almost cinnamon – but transparent. Fresh. Tannins have subsided.-Jancis Robinson