Today it is my pleasure to share one of the storied houses in Washington, based in Walla Walla. Figgins is magic project formed by Walla Walla native, Chris Figgins — truly one of the great talents of the Pacific Northwest. What was originally a wheat farm, the 32 acre Figgins Estate Vineyard was first planted in 2004 and plays host to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Originally Figgins Estate only made two wines each year, a Riesling and a Red Blend and more recently they have started to produce a wine made of Merlot and Petit Verdot, their ‘Figlia’ which is a beautiful tribute to Chris’s two daughters.
The Figgins Red Wine is always a proprietary blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. It is a wine of serious cellaring potential akin to the Leonetti wines that Chris has been so famous for. The Figgins Estate Vineyard. Itself is a sight to be seen. It is a majestic property that has sweeping views of the the Walla Walla Valley. Set at 1750 feet this great vineyard experiences massive diurnal shifts. The first vintage of the Figgins Red Wine was 2008 and I have recently had the great opportunity to revisit these special wines. I was not surprised how consistently great they were.
Considering the challenges faced in 2011, the 2011 Figgins Red. Wine (OB, 92) is silky with really great aromatic flavor range. This is a massive success. I was blown away with the 2014 Figgins Red Wine (OB, 94) which is dense and massive but has incredible structure and poise. Similarly, the 2015 Figgins Red Wine (OB, 94) is one of the great wines out of Walla Walla this vintage. This beautiful wine is only now coming into its own. Learn more about these incredible wines at http://www.figginswine.com Here are my notes from vintages 2011-2015 for the Figgins Red Wine.
2011 FIGGINS Red Wine- The 2011 FIGGINS Red Wine is taken from this cooler vintage in the Walla Walla Valley. A blend of roughly two thirds Cabernet Sauvignon with the remainder Merlot and a touch of Petit Verdot, this shows nice herbal tones with sagebrush and red bell pepper alongside anise and dark currants that all meld in the glass. The palate is soft and elegant with a beautiful acidity. Medium bodied dark fruits meld with shades of cocoa powder, graphite, herbal tones and tar on the palate. Akin to the 2011 Leonetti Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2011 FIGGINS Red Wine is really good considering the challenges faced that vintage. Drink 2020-2026- 92
2012 FIGGINS Red Wine- The 2012 FIGGINS Red Wine is a spectacular showing now at the eight year mark. This is now the second time in the past several months that I have had a chance to visit this beautiful wine. A proprietary blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot that was aged for 22 months in 70% new French oak before bottling, once on the nose this takes on beautiful dark florals that mingle with dark chocolate covered espresso bean and Black Forest Cake tones that march in unison. Every working part of this wine is in harmony right now, whether it is the light herbal tones, the gorgeous black fruits, coffee grounds and black cherry cordial. This is just gorgeous to savor right now and has a long life ahead of it. Drink 2020-2033- 94
2013 FIGGINS Red Wine-The 2013 Leonetti Cabernet Sauvignon was a revelation when I tasted it for the Decanter article this summer and provides nothing short of a thrilling joyride throughout. Taking a bit of a back seat to that wine, yet still utterly fabulous, the 2013 FIGGINS Red Wine was aged in 62% new French oak for 20 months before bottling. Black tea and exotic spices mingle with a great core of dark fruits alongside tones of creosote and graphite on the nose. The palate is soft and elegant with a silky texture. Ripe dark currants collide with coffee grounds, blackberry compote, and herbal undertones. Gorgeous now at the seven year mark, this has more than a decade of life ahead of it. Drink 2020-2033- 94
2014 FIGGINS Red Wine- It has been several years since I have visited this beautiful wine — and I am very glad that I did. The 2014 FIGGINS Red Wine is in a gorgeous spot at the six year mark. A proprietary blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot, this was aged for 21 months in 61% new French oak prior to bottling. Black raspberry cordial and blackberry compote tones mingle with violets, green bell pepper and dark chocolate shavings on this beautiful bouquet. The palate has considerable weight and a great sense of verve, with a silky mouthfeel. A great veil of tension falls upon the core of dark fruit flavors with Turkish coffee, dried herbs and black licorice. With great length, this beauty is only starting to hit its stride. Be sure to give this at least an hour in the decanter if enjoying now. Drink 2020-2038- 95
2015 FIGGINS Red Wine- The 2015 FIGGINS Red Wine is a seriously good effort from what was a difficult vintage to make red wines. The whiff of green bell pepper from the Petit Verdot offers immediate impact with layers of boysenberry cobbler, Earl Great tea and espressos bean all rounding out this great bouquet. The palate is fresh and layered with great viscosity and tension. Rich dark fruits collide with chocolate covered espresso bean, dark florals and creme de cassis flavors with graphite undertones. This is seriously good stuff that is really singing now and will provide drinking enjoyment for the next fifteen years. Drink 2020-2035- 94