2020 Larcis Ducasse
Buying options
Tasting Notes
This is a wine full of contradictions of the best kind. It is both super ripe in its fruit character, while beneath lies a more savoury, chalky, mineral underpinning that brings much needed freshness, leaving the palate balanced and salivating. Initially the tannins feel a little soft but with time in the glass they become more vibrant and structural. Sultanas, dry spice and incense aromas, with even a slightly Port-like brandy note, make up a complex nose. The tannins are very resolved, almost seamless – then the limestone freshness comes through, providing a lovely breadth to the palate. The fruit is sweet black plum with additional clove spice. There are earthy, savoury elements too, adding further flavour complexity.
Critic Scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
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.
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.
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.
Related articles
About the producer
Over the last two decades, Nicolas Thienpont and David Suire have forged this estate’s reputation – crafting increasingly impressive wines from its 11 hectares of south-facing slopes on clay-limestone soils.