The winery is located in the extreme northwest of the
Saint-Émilion area on the border with
Pomerol. Its origins date back to Roman times, when there was a country estate called "Figeacus". The estate existed throughout the Middle Ages and changed hands many times. It was successively owned by various leading families of the region. In the 17th century it became the property of the Carle family, whose member François de Carle was appointed mayor of Saint-Émilion for life by King
Louis XIV (1638-1715). His descendant Élie de Carle expanded Château Figeac and also had the château renovated. At that time, the large estate comprised a total of 250 hectares of vineyards, woods and pastureland. The wine was delivered to many wealthy customers throughout Europe. After his death, the lavish lifestyle of his widow caused great economic problems. Gradually, parts of the vineyard were sold, which were either assigned to wineries or were the basis for new wineries. These were for example
Château Beauregard and
Château La Conseillante in Pomerol, as well as
Château Cheval Blanc (1852),
Château La Marzelle,
Château La Tour Figeac (1879), two
Château La Tour-du-Pin-Figeac (1882) and
Château Yon-Figeac in St-Émilion
The rest of the estate changed hands several times in the 19th century. Due to
mildew and
phylloxera the estate lost its leading position. In 1896 it was acquired by André Villepigue. His great-grandson, Thierry Manoncourt, took over responsibility in 1947 and led the estate back to the top; unofficially, it is the next winery to be listed as the highest "Classé A". Today it is managed by his son-in-law Eric d'Aramon. A 13 hectare park belongs to the estate. It has been classified as "Premier Grand Cru Classé B" since the beginning of the classification in 1955. Since 2013, the well-known oenologist Michel
Rolland (*1947) has been working in an advisory capacity
The vineyards cover 40 hectares of vineyards on gravel deposits up to seven metres thick. Based on analyses carried out in the 1950s, this
soil type, which is unusual for the area, also resulted in a different type of vine, with unusually high proportions of 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Cabernet Franc, and only 30% Merlot. This is why the fruity, colourful wine is similar to those from the
Médoc and is also known as the "Médoc wine of Saint-Émilion". It is aged for up to 20 months in 100% new barriques.
Filtration is completely avoided. The second wine is called "La Grange Neuve de Figeac". About 160,000 bottles of wine are produced annually.
