In 2022, Château Figeac was, after years of aspiration, promoted to category ‘A’ among the St-Emilion first growths. Regular wine drinkers may be left scratching their heads on learning this, but for the owners of Figeac, the Manoncourt family, this was of immense importance.
For decades, the band of first growths, known as Premiers Grands Crus Classés, included just two ‘super-firsts’ in category A: Châteaux Ausone and Cheval Blanc. The classification in St-Emilion (unlike the Left Bank’s 1855 Médoc classification) allows for promotions and demotions, and thus it has become intensely political.
