| Figeac 2004 • September 2005 | FIGEAC
1st Great Classified Growth
2004 Vintage
Geographical situation and vineyard :
Situated half-way between Saint Emilion and Libourne, the estate of Château Figeac is in one single block covering an area of 53 hectares (130.91 acres), of which 40 hectares (98.8 acres) are under vine.
Figeac can definitely claim originality with its vines planted over three gravel mounds and its unusual proportions of grape varieties for Saint Emilion :
- 35% Cabernet Sauvignon
- 35% Cabernet Franc
- and only 30% Merlot
Vineyard management :
Sustainable viticulture techniques are carried out in the vines of Figeac. In those soils where gravel predominates, traditional ploughing is done ; only a few plots have grass seeded between the rows, in order to keep down the yields more easily.
Weather conditions :
Favourable weather conditions produced a normal bud-break helping both buds and double buds to come out easily.
During May there was a succession of stormy rain showers, even hail, which caused no damage.
A hot, sunny June (1°C above the month’s average temperature), with particularly dry conditions, enabled the vines to flower well, with the mid-flower point falling around June 7.
The shoots of the main buds carried two to three bunches, which forced us into a systematic crop thinning.
August was particularly rainy and it was necessary to carry out severe de-leafing and also a second crop thinning to ventilate the bunches and bring down the yield to around 48 hectolitres per hectare.
September, was hot and fine, which allowed the vines to maintain their good health and the grapes to reach perfect ripeness.
Harvest :
As usual, this was spread out at Figeac for the picking of the three grape varieties:
- From 27th September to 3rd October, for the Merlot,
- From 13th to 20th October, for the Cabernet Franc,
- From 17th to 22nd October, for the Cabernet Sauvignon.
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