Larcis Ducasse 2005 (1.5L)

100 WA / 100 JD / 98 WCI / 97 VM / 97 WI / 17 JR

With an unbelievable nose of licorice, tapenade, black cherry and blackcurrant liqueur, as well as full body, super-sweet tannin, and astonishing richness and length, this prodigious effort in 2005 announced the resurrection of this great terroir on the slopes near Chteau Pavie. Dark garnet/plum/purple, this is compelling stuff and drinkable already, but capable of lasting another 25-30 years. This beauty is not to be missed! Only 3,000 cases were produced, from a blend of 78% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon.-Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

An absolute blockbuster effort from the Thienpont team, the 2005 Château Larcis Ducasse offers up everything you could want from a bottle of wine… and then some. Deep purple/plum hued with a kaleidoscope-like array of black currants, black cherries, tobacco smoke, truffly earth, leather, and chocolate, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, layered, opulent mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, and a gorgeous finish. It’s one of those incredibly powerful yet weightless, elegant wines that are so hard to find. A blend of 78% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, this is up there with some of the greatest Saint-Emilion ever made. Drink bottles over the coming two decades. 04/2024 --Jeb Dunnuck

This is packed with crushed rocks and stones, on the nose and salty palate, which is perfect for its layers of flowers, licorice, fresh plums, cherries and bitter chocolate. Full-bodied, energetic and with a salty, tannic finish, give it perhaps another year or two in the cellar and enjoy for at least 2 decades after that. 98 Points-Jeff Leve, Wine Cellar insider

The 2005 Larcis Ducasse is one of the great surprises of this retrospective of nearly two hundred 2005s. A wine of shocking intensity, power and structure, the 2005 is still an infant. Inky dark fruit, gravel, lavender, leather and spice all hit the palate. In the glass, the 2005 is marvelously deep, rich and dark. I am not sure if the tannins will ever fully soften, but so what? The 2005 Larcis Ducasse is an epic wine that shows just how magical this estate is. Superb.-Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

Deep garnet colored, the 2005 Larcis Ducasse swans out of the glass with opulent scents of plum preserves, kirsch, raspberry pie, and dried mulberries, giving way to nuances of cigar box, star anise, crushed rocks, and truffles. The full-bodied palate is electric with tension and energetic, evolving black and red berry flavors, framed by very fine-grained tannins, finishing long with a whole firework display of mineral and exotic spice sparks.-Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent

Tasted blind. Dark crimson with some evolution at the rim. Aromatic and attractive with some dustiness underneath. Very limpid and fluid, with the fruit preceding the tannin on the palate as it should. Lots of ambition here. -Jancis Robinson