Château Figeac was formerly a Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) estate in the commune of St. Emilion.  It takes its name from Figeacus, the Gallo-Roman owner of a villa that stood on the site in the second century AD.  The land here has in all probability been used for vine growing since that time.   Remains of a Roman water system and medieval defences are visible at the châteaux today.

In 1947 the estate was bought by Thierry Manoncourt, who became one of the founders of the Union des Grands Crus.  He died in 2010 and the estate is now still in the Manoncourt family.   In the 2013 reclassification of St. Emilion, Figeac remained a Grand Cru Classé (B) and was not promoted, as hoped, to (A) status.  This prompted a new focus on quality, with Michel Rolland brought in to modernise the style of the wine, to the chagrin of Figeac's many traditionalist customers.  This process also included controversial moves like retiring the Director of the estate, who had been in post since 1988. 

Visiting Figeac over the last couple of years we have seen the new winery under construction, now completed.  Partially buried underground, it suggests a clear intent to elevate the wine to the highest level. 

The estate has 42 ha of vines, planted to 35% Cabernet Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot.  This is an unusually high proportion of Cabernets for a Right Bank wine (due to the high gravel content in the soil) making Figeac difficult to taste when young, but rewarding with age.

In the most recent St-Emilion classification earlier this year (2022), Figeac was duly promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) but has opted out of the system.