Larcis Ducasse 2018 (6.0L)

100 JD / 98 WCI / 97 VM / 97 JS / 97 JA / 96 WA / 17 JR

#7 Jeb Dunnuck Top 100 2021
#98 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of France 2021

The 2018 Château Larcis Ducasse checks in as 89% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc that comes from a gorgeous hillside terroir on the Côte Pavie, located between Château Pavie and Château Bellefont-Belcier. Aged 18 months in 60% new barrels, it offers a truly sensational bouquet of ripe blackcurrants, espresso roast, scorched earth, bloody meat, chocolate, iron, and bouquet garni. A massive, super-rich Saint-Emilion with a dense, concentrated, layered mouthfeel, it has building yet sweet tannins and incredible purity of fruit. Reminding me of the 2005 shortly after release, this heavenly juice offers astonishing richness and depth while staying flawlessly balanced and elegant. Sadly, there are less than 3,000 cases produced, but this monumental, legendary wine won't hit maturity for a good 8-10 years and will have 40-50 years of longevity if well stored. Hats off to Nicolas Thienpont and consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt for producing one of the wines of the vintage as well as one of the greatest young Bordeaux I've ever tasted. - Jeb Dunnuck

With a good depth of color the wine serves up its blend of roasted cherries, licorice, smoke, flowers, plum liqueur, espresso, kirsch and black raspberries with zero effort. The wine is dense, full-bodied and concentrated. Yet with all its weight and richness, everything is in balance. Texturally, all the fruit is drenched in velvet, rocks and stones. The seamless finish sticks with you for at least 50 seconds. The wine blends 89% Merlot with 11% Cabernet Franc. -Jeff Leve, Wine Cellar Insider

The 2018 Larcis Ducasse is one of the real overachievers of the vintage. Richness and classicism meld together in a Saint-Émilion that dazzles from the very first taste. Rich dark fruit, mocha, licorice, espresso and leather all open in the glass. Time brings out bright acids and that firm spice of Larcis tannin. More than that, though, Larcis impresses with its exquisite balance and class. It is easily one of the most undervalued wines on the Right Bank. Don't let its modest price fool you. Larcis is one the most compelling wines of the vintage. Don't miss it!- Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

Polished aromas of lavender, plum, dried blueberry, clove, sandalwood and dark chocolate. Hints of praline. It’s full-bodied with firm, tightly knit tannins. Supple, seamless layers with great length and precision. Still reserved and tight. A toned and textured red with great structure. Try from 2026. - James Suckling

I would count this as the vintage where the wider world sat up and took notice of what has been happening at Larcis Ducasse. It’s poised, controlled, knitted down in its blackcurrant and bilberry fruits, but you feel the energy that flows through it, along with espresso, liquorice, black tea, and tons of fresh acidities that root it in the clay-limestone slopes. Owned by Famille Gratiot-Attmane, but with the Nicolas Thienpont team overseeing winemaking. I loved it En Primeur and it has only got better since.-Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Larcis Ducasse needs a fair bit of swirling to unlock notes of crushed blackberries, plum preserves and boysenberries with suggestions of black truffles, tapenade and crushed rocks coming through, building to a subtle underlying perfume of roses and cloves. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers mouth-coating black fruits and loads of savory sparks, framed by firm, slightly chewy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and earthy. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate

Tasted blind. Distinctive sweaty-leathery nose. Round and very mellow on the palate. Sweet and charming – though again quite potent. Saline. Almost exaggerated…-Jancis Robinson