CHÂTEAU LARCIS DUCASSE

The 2020 Larcis-Ducasse has closed a little since bottling, though there remains well-defined black fruit laced with rose petal and violets. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, very pure and cohesive. Touches of cedar and tobacco impart a discrete Left Bank allure towards the persistent finish. This is a great Larcis-Ducasse in the making. Drinking range: 2027 - 2055 Rating: 95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)

Pungent aromas of flowers, licorice, crushed rocks, oak, dark cocoa, black, red and blue fruits focus your attention. The wine offers a mineral-driven, full-bodied blast of silky, flamboyant, luscious red fruits with salty tannins. The fruit coats your palate, lingers and seamlessly expands, finishing with licorice, sensuously textured red and black fruits, espresso and oyster shell. This is on the way to developing into one of the best vintages ever produced by Larcis Ducasse. Rating: 98-100 Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider (Jun 2021)

The 2020 Larcis Ducasse captures all the pedigree of the year in its savory, mineral-driven personality. Graphite, dried herbs, lavender, spice and menthol lend striking aromatic intensity. The 2020 is a rich, deep wine, yet it retains the classic midweight sense of structure that is a signature of the estate. The 2020 is quite simply a dazzling Larcis. Drinking range: 2025 - 2060 Rating: 95-97 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2021)

A wine that’s going to flirt with perfection is the 2020 Château Larcis Ducasse. It’s a Saint-Emilion with an almost Pomerol-like depth and power paired with classic Saint-Emilion aromatics and minerality. Incredibly pure notes of black cherries, blackberries, white flowers, truffle, and leafy herb notes all emerge on the nose and it’s full-bodied, with a layered, multi-dimensional texture, thrilling tannins, and a finish that won’t quit. If you get a chance, buy it. The blend is 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, aging in 55% new French oak. Rating: 96-99 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2021)

The 2020 Larcis Ducasse has a deep purple-black color, leaping from the glass with bold notions of redcurrant jelly, plum preserves, kirsch and red roses, followed by hints of licorice, fragrant earth and spice cake, with a touch of woodsmoke. The medium to full-bodied palate is laden with fragrant red berries and profound black fruit preserves, supported by ripe, rounded tannins and lovely tension, finishing very long and fantastically layered. Absolutely, stunningly singular. Drinking range: 2026 - 2050 Rating: 96-98 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (May 2021)

Great consistency over the past few years at this property but this is really stepping things up a level. With poise and depth of flavour, we are digging down through the layers. Extremely elegant, a wine that is precise and pared back and totally delicious. You can almost feel the points of minerality poking into your tongue, but then they melt into a softer more luxurious whole, with blackberry, cassis and black chocolate. Great stuff. Tasted several times, and every time it shows itself to be something out of the ordinary. A brilliant wine that I thoroughly recommend getting hold of. 50% new oak. A yield of 38.5hl/ha. Owned by Famille Gratiot-Attmane, but with the Nicolas Thienpont team overseeing winemaking. Rating: 97 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2021)

The 2020 Larcis Ducasse has a ripe, exotic bouquet lavished with blueberries, cassis, touches of date and crushed violets. The aromatics are rich and powerful. The palate is medium-bodied with rounded tannins and a fine bead of acidity, displaying more puppy fat than its peers. The precocious finish offers crushed strawberry, maraschino and faint dark chocolate scents. This is a typical Larcis Ducasse in many ways, perhaps not one for those seeking a more traditional Saint-Émilion, but very sensual and ravishing. Drinking range: 2027 - 2055 Rating: 94-96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2021)

90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc. Dark purplish crimson. Black fruit flavours – mulberries? – on the nose. Rich, sweet and almost buttery in texture. Then a whack of dry tannins kick in. Very youthful with zestiness on the end. Drinking range: 2028 - 2044 Rating: 16++ Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2021)