Happy Washington Wine Month to you all. Today we share one of the truly outstanding Bordeaux style wines made in our state. FIGGINS is an iconic brand started more than a decade ago by Chris Figgins of Leonetti fame. This is a year to celebrate for Chris Figgins as he has now completed his new winery at the FIGGINS estate vineyard. This is a Napa level of hospitality at this scenic site, with its beautiful tasting room and elaborate caves underneath. A long time in the making, the winery is one of the great spots in the Pacific Northwest to taste, with expansive views of the entire valley.
Each year their Estate Red Wine is a combination of varietals year to year but focuses on Cabernet Sauvignon from this high elevation site set on loess soils. I know that they have been slowly adding more Petit Verdot into this blend as this site arguably produces the finest Petit in the state. This is always a proprietary blend that is stored now in almost half neutral barrels before bottling. The wine is extremely age worthy as I have tasted wines from ten years of age and they still have a long way to go in the cellar. They can be somewhat austere upon release and need a lot of air or time in the decanter if you don’t have the patience to cellar them.
The new fall 2024 release wine comes from the warm and outstanding 2021 vintage which was a show-stopper throughout the state. Very few boring or lean wines were made this vintage. This is a wine that beautifully showcases the warmth of the vintage. It is a deep, concentrated and bold blend that will easily cellar well for another two decades. Learn more about these fantastic wines at figginswine.com. Here are my review of the new 2024 fall release 2021 FIGGINS ‘Estate’ Red Wine.
2021 FIGGINS Red Wine- A proprietary blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, the stunning 2021 FIGGINS Red Wine was stored in 57% new French oak prior to bottling and is entirely sourced from their estate vineyard in the foothills of the Blue Mountains. It shows off its sexy, inky core, reveling in violets, dark currants, sweet pipe tobacco and loamy soil notes on the nose. The palate is plush, deep and concentrated, with serious structure, tension, weight and depth as this glides throughout the drinking experience. Everything is in clockwork balance here, as the green herb, iron, dark chocolate shavings and graphite tones from the Petit Verdot mesmerize, alongside the dense dark fruits from the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. A complete wine, this is truly one of the finest ever made by winemaker Chris Figgins. Try to cellar this beauty for another two years. Drink 2026-2046- 99