CHÂTEAU LARCIS DUCASSE
2021 Grand Cru Classé Saint Emilion
Not giving too much away yet but there are layers here, and plump if restrained fruit, lots of white pepper, blueberry, blackcurrant. We are still in sculpted, subdued territory, but this is luscious and finessed and has all the elements to plump out over ageing. Clear salinity, oyster shell and crushed rocks. To achieve this, they chose not to use their plots right on the austere limestone plateau, but selected from the richer clay 'molasses de fronsadais' on the slopes, and also not from the sandier areas at the bottom of the slopes. 34hl/h yield, 65% 1st wine a little less than usual, 50% new oak. Harvest September 29 to October 11. Tasted three times, excellent quality. Drinking range: 2026 - 2042 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2022)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
This is medium-to full-bodied with firm, silky tannins. Already has an expressive nose of blackcurrants, blackberries, white pepper, cloves and black licorice. Salty minerality. Fresh and fine. Spicy finish. Lengthy, too. 86% merlot and 14% cabernet franc. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2022)
A blend of 86% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Larcis Ducasse wafts from the glass with aromas of cherries, blackberries, violets, warm spices and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, deep and attractively layered, with lively acids and a chalky, saline finish, this is a terrific effort. Nicolas Thienpont and his team were extremely selective this year, and the grand vin derives almost entirely from the slope, without much contribution from the plateau above. Rating: 92-94 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (May 2022)
Château Larcis Ducasse
At the south-eastern extremes of the St Emilion plateau, the steeper hillsides crowned by Château Troplong Mondot are known as the Côte de Pavie and play host to some of St Emilion’s most exciting vineyards. Not least among them are the various Pavie châteaux, but this is also home to Château Larcis Ducasse. The Larcis name seems to have been used for a wider area of vineyard on the Côte, a lot of which is now part of Château Pavie, whilst the Ducasse comes from a one-time owner, one of several Duscasses to have made a mark in Bordeaux. Henri Raba purchased Château Larcis Ducasse in 1893 and the estate is still owned by his descendants today. Since 2002, Larcisse Ducasse has been managed by Nicolas Thienpont, who also manages Pavie-Macquin, and whose family are intimately woven into the fabric of modern St Emilion; he has been notably assisted by another St Emilion superstar Stéphane Derenencourt. The 11ha of vineyard are planted with 78% Merlot and 22% Cabernet Franc, with an average age of 35 years. The on-going success of Château Larcis Ducasse, and the quality of its terroir, was rewarded with the status of Premier Grand Cru Classé (B) status in the 2012 St Emilion Classification.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2022 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2025. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2025. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.