Château Larcis Ducasse 2021

Intense, lightly smoky, herbed bacon, spices, plums, tobacco, dried flowers, red berries, very complex. Powerful yet elegant, with an impressive tannin structure, finishing on blood orange zest and a stimulating bitter note. Very successful.

Offers red currant and damson plum notes lined with savory accents throughout, while light chalk and potpourri hints underscore the finish. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2034. 2,400 cases made.

Rose petals, pink flowers, raspberries and a touch of cardamom and cinnamon to the red berry fruit. Grippy and textured, quite a lean expression, direct and focused, with bite to the tannins and a hint of dry, salty, flinty minerality that coats the cheeks. It’s well crafted but hasn’t quite settled yet and doesn’t quite have the fruit density to carry more of the motion and energy. Sleek though and definitely confident. Will be lovely once it calms.

Very complex and subtle, with cedar, dried herb, green tobacco, berry and lavender aromas that carry through to a medium body, with ultra-fine tannins that give the wine sophistication and beauty, especially in this vintage. 86% merlot and 14% cabernet franc. Drink after 2027.

The 2021 Larcis Ducasse has a more restrained bouquet compared to recent vintages, showing black plum, blackcurrant, vanilla pod and violet scents. There's opulence here, but it's compressed. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannins, a bit angular at first with cola and brown spices. Linear toward the finish with fine sustain, it doesn't quite have the caliber of, say, La Gaffelière and its ilk, but it should give 15+ years of drinking pleasure.

Elegant, charming and filled with crushed stones, flowers, spice, tobacco, and chocolate-covered cherries, the wine is medium-bodied, fresh, salty and chewy. This is a finesse-styled vintage with a savory edge to the black cherries on the mid-palate and in the oceanic finish. The wine blends 86% Merlot with 14% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2026-2045.

Dark ruby, purple tinge to the rim. Ripe dark wild berries with hints of plum, delicate orange peel and a blackberry compote undertow. Medium-bodied, ripe cherry fruit, a hint of sweetness, fresh, well-structured, fine tannins, balanced with excellent length. Good ageing potential.

Up with the top wines of the vintage, the 2021 Château Larcis Ducasse is a beautiful Saint-Emilion based on 86% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc, with the Merlot harvested between September 29 and October 9, and the Cabernet from October 9 to October 11. From yields of 34 hectoliters per hectare and aged in 50% new barrels, its solid ruby/plum hue is followed by a beautiful nose of ripe red and black fruits, iron, dried tobacco, leather, and truffly earth. Medium to full-bodied (closer to medium-bodied), it has terrific mid-palate depth, ripe, polished tannins, and a balanced, layered, elegant mouthfeel. As with most 2021s, it only needs a few years of bottle age and will have two decades of overall longevity.

Kunz barrel sample 2022: (86% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 34 hl/ha of which 65% Grand Vin, 14.5% vol. alcohol, production 28,800 bottles) Silky, fruity bouquet, blackberries, black cherries, fresh herbs, liquorice. Dense, powerful, aromatic palate with fresh fruit, plenty of fine tannins, a muscular structure, varied, spicy aromatics, long, fresh finish.

(86% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 34 hl/ha of which 65% Grand Vin, 14.5% alc./vol., production 28,800 bottles) Velvety, fruity bouquet, blackberries, black cherries, fresh herbs, licorice. Dense, powerful, aromatic palate with fresh fruit, plenty of fine tannins, a muscular structure, a varied, spicy aromatic profile, and a long, fresh finish. 17/20 2028 - 2042

A ton of spice on the opening beats, focused on cloves, black pepper, Sichuan pepper, raspberry leaf, oyster shell and crushed rocks. A little austere, still closed down at this stage, but with exceptional verticality and careful architecture on display. 34 hl/ha yield, 65% first wine, a little less than usual, 50% new oak. Harvest from September 29 to October 11.

The 2021 Larcis Ducasse is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a swirl or two to release the most gorgeous perfume of rose oil, cinnamon toast, and kirsch, leading to a core of raspberry coulis, juicy blackberries, and fragrant soil. Medium-bodied, the palate is soft-spoken, with lovely freshness and plush tannins framing the mineral-laced red and black fruits, finishing long and perfumed.

True to its youthful, introverted style, with a vegetal aromatic register, the 2021 has neither the depth nor the concentration of its big brother 2021. It shows a medium body, still endowed with refined tannic elegance, a very well-crafted palate, yet with a persistent bitterness. Everything is cohesive through to a licorice-tinged, measured finish. Don’t hesitate to open it within its first ten years.

An ever-evolving bouquet that opens with fine, delicate notes of small pink berries, accompanied by a chalky touch, before moving toward more generous, expressive tuberose notes. The palate, marked by morello cherry notes, shows incredible finesse: feather-light, pure and discreet, yet with beautiful body. The finish is juicy, flavorful and very long, framed by a delicate lace-like structure. Wonderfully good!

What an exceptional olfactory symbiosis! Whether it’s the oak, the fruit, or the minerality, each element is well represented, in measured proportions, with none dominating. The bouquet reveals nuances of graphite and red berries, ideally supported by discreet yet relevant oak. On the palate, finesse is the common thread above all. I detect a surprising tenderness, yet within a tight, linear framework. A bit like the Baby Jesus in velvet pants. I long wondered if I’d ever use this metaphor… now it’s done! A Larcis Ducasse that seems to disregard the vintage. It simply does what it must: shine, regardless of context—and that is very commendable.

Dark, intense and beautiful colour. Moderately aromatic, fruity nose. Delicate on the attack, precise mid-palate, very fruity; the wine develops juicy, pleasant, caressing notes and is slightly discreet on the finish.

Offering up exotic aromas of minty blackberries and cherries mingled with dark chocolate, confit orange and melted asphalt, the 2021 Larcis Ducasse is medium to full-bodied, with a rich and creamy palate framed by powdery tannins. It's unusually sweet and unctuous for the vintage and concludes with a discreetly herbal finish. Maturation in wood, now featuring some foudres and 500-liter barrels in addition to barriques, lasted until April, with bottling just over three months later.

Very dense and clear on the nose, complex and firm, very profound and slightly less intense than Pavie-Macquin, with chocolate, nut and vanilla. On the palate, a very silky, clear structure, powerful and intense, with fine, racy tannins. Very detailed and creamy, packed with extract, with plenty of breed and spice. Classic Larcis-Ducasse, seems a bit more evolved.

This has tobacco and black-pepper aromas, and solid tannins. Power and dense blackberry flavors are impressive. Drink from 2028.