Marie-France Manoncourt and her daughter Blandine de Brier Manoncourt, from the prestigious Saint-Emilion Château-Figeac, received a warm welcome by local Saint-Emilion wine lovers and enthusiasts when they visited Malta for the first time since their estate was recently promoted to 1er Grand Cru Classé ‘A’ in the Saint-Emilion 2022 classification. The visit was organised by Michael Tabone, Malta’s Chancellor for the Saint-Emilion Jurade and widely recognised as the face of Saint-Emilion wines in Malta.

The owners of Château-Figeac visited Malta to participate in a charity event organised by Mr Tabone and to take an active part in a much-anticipated tutored wine session. Ines and Nicolas de Baillencourt, owners of Chateau Gazin (Pomerol) and Luc d’Arfeuille, owner of Chateau La Serre (Saint-Emilion), as well as Guy de Saint-Pastou and his wife Marie-Noelle, owners of Armagnac Castex were also in Malta to share their wines and take part in these well-attended events.

Leif Carlsson

Edward Bonello sat down with Blandine, a popular face in Malta with local Saint-Emilion wine enthusiasts, who did not hide her enthusiasm for the islands:

“Malta’s market may be small, but the interest in Bordeaux wines is growing,” Blandine remarked. “When we come to Malta, we are pleased to meet old and new friends. And we love it as we feel that we are treated like family, since we have built beautiful bonds through the years here. Maltese people recognise and appreciate the authenticity that Château-Figeac carries with it in every aspect, so naturally we are only too happy to celebrate our recent achievement with a community of friends, who appreciate our dedication and love towards our craft.”

Blandine’s long relationship with Malta spans a few decades, having visited the islands for the first time in 1995. Returning is something she does with pleasure. The two recent events which the French estate organised in Malta in collaboration with Mr Tabone were roaring successes.

With vintages going for anything upward of €300 a pop, Château-Figeac’s excellence is appreciated worldwide. Remembering the 8th September of this year, the day when the estate received news of the prestigious award, Blandine couldn’t help getting a bit emotional.

“Somehow we expected it but the satisfaction we felt when we learnt the news was big,” Blandine shared with excitement. “It is in recognition of many lives, including my father’s some years ago, that were dedicated through the decades to our craft, and to the love we have for it.”

She recalled how members of staff remembered Monsieur, who would have been so proud of this great achievement. Monsieur is Thierry Manoncourt, the late father of Blandine and Hortense Idoine Manoncourt (Company’s President), who today run the family business together with their mother Marie-France.

The much coveted “A” classification is a highly prestigious achievement in the wine world, which is exclusively awarded to the very top wines from Saint-Emilion (Saint-Emilion is an appellation and a village located in the heart of the Bordeaux wine region). In the 2022 classification, only 2 chateaux were in fact entitled to use the “A” designation. The classification takes numerous aspects of the wine into consideration, primarily taste, following a rigorous wine tasting process.

What makes this classification especially important, is that the adjudication board considers no less than the past 15 consecutive vintages to give the award, underlining values of consistency, quality, ageing capacity, the way in which the unique identity of the terroir is expressed, and an overall dedication to the craft.

“This naturally meant that having a good vintage this year was not enough to get the award,” Blandine explained. “Château-Figeac needed to demonstrate a constant outstanding quality for 15 years, which is not something that can be achieved without immense commitment.”

The award also considers wider aspects of viticulture, like the notoriety of the wine, its standing within the wine world, the press it receives in the specialised media, as well as visitors it attracts to the estate each year. It’s easy to say that Château-Figeac excels in all these areas.

Asked what the wine means to her personally, Blandine described Château-Figeac wine as a pure reflection of theterroir, as a strong link with her family and heritage – but also with the land on which the family also resides.

“Apart from it being special for us for sentimental reasons, the terroir is quite unique as it comprises a number of zones with very special characteristics, which contribute to the complexity and quality of our wines.”

The paradisiac estate in fact, includes three gravelly hills and a waterway which crosses the entire territory. The diverse topography and its geographical characteristics give Château-Figeac a unique biodiversity which are studied in minute detail as part of the rigorous wine-making process.

The terroir (widely understood to refer to a vineyard’s constants such as the soil composition, latitude, elevation, contour, sun exposure, the climate and the way men work on it) has been studied by the University of Burgundy, which discovered that the estate has four microclimates, registering up to three degrees of temperature difference between the warmest and coldest parts of the soil.

“We take the environment and the biodiversity of the place extremely seriously. For example, 12 out of our 54 hectares are kept free of vines. We invest a lot of energy and resources to study the land that surrounds us, and which regales us with its fruit. From the bats that hunt at night, the different species of bees and pollinating insects, wild plants to the miles of hedges, some of which are 130 years old – we believe that it is the coming together of all these elements that gives us the unique richness which is ultimately reflected in our award-winning wine.”

Notwithstanding the fact that she and her sister Hortense lead an organisation that dates back to 1892, Blandine believes in the importance of innovation. “You should never think that you have reached peak performance in anything you do,” she shared. “There is always a better way of doing things, improving on old practices, achieving superior results.”

Turning the conversation to the challenges of climate change, Blandine is hesitant to concede to certain fundamental changes. “Some in the field may be suggesting shifting to a different grape variety, one which would be better suited to the longer, warmer summers. We think that before we try to change nature, we ought to try and change ourselves first, and the way we deal with nature. We can adapt the way we work, our calendar of operation. We encourage our team to pay close attention to the needs of our 275,000 vines. Some of them may need special attention. It is never an automated operation, as we keep a close relationship with nature and ‘listen’ to what it tells us.”

In order to gauge when best to harvest the grapes, Blandine explained that “the Technical Director, together with his staff, descend on the vineyards every day around September, to taste the berries and assess the ripeness levels and all the elements that make a great harvest. Only when they are satisfied, do they give the go ahead.” And the rest is then history.

There is an overwhelming sense of authenticity to the entire enterprise. While staying up to date with the latest developments in wine production and investing handsomely in the facility, the family is well aware that it is its authenticity that contributes towards Château-Figeac’s exceptionality.