| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Larcis-Ducasse
Since 2002, this great terroir has been fully exploited by the dynamic duo of Nicolas Thienpont and Stephane Derenoncourt. Following the monumental 2005,a legend in the making, it is hard to get excited about the 2006, even though it is an outstanding effort. While more austere and not as concentrated as its predecessor, it is an impressive blend of 89% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc displaying a deep, dark ruby color as well as a striking bouquet of powdered rocks/minerals, sweet cherry and plum-like fruit, and hints of Christmas fruitcake and spice box. It is an elegant, medium-bodied, moderately tannic, pure effort possessing outstanding density. Give it 2-3 years of bottle age and drink it over the following 15-20 years.
Tasted both at the château and then blind at Farr Vintners' tasting, the 2006 Château Larcis Ducasse is maturing nicely, far better than the Beauséjour Duffau Lagarrosse that I tasted side by side. It has plenty of ripe black cherry, strawberry pastille and creme de cassis on the nose, quite opulent for the vintage and well defined. The palate is medium bodied with fine tannin cloaked in ripe blackberry and blueberry fruit; underlying all of this is a seam of cold stone that imparts freshness and satisfying tension on the finish. This is well worth seeking out and is performing at a much higher level than the 2006 Beauséjour Duffau-Lagarosse.
Silky, with very fine tannins and a medium-to-long finish. Medium body. Caressing. Balanced and pretty. Lots of floral and berry character.
Racy, sinewy, silky. Quite light but very well-oiled - like a racehorse. Pretty impressive. Appetising but relatively slim. Not especially long but it somehow tastes organic - wild and unpredictable. Very dry sandy tannins on the finish. One sample seemed a little too skinny.
Bright red-ruby. Soil-driven aromas of blueberry, licorice, minerals, dark chocolate and iron. Juicy, spicy and penetrating, with a lovely light touch to the flavors of black fruits, spices, mocha, minerals and flowers. An elegant, aromatic, very sexy wine with terrific energy and lift from calcaire I love the suave texture on display here. Finishes very long and perfumed, with firm but perfectly buffered tannins and lingering notes of red berries and minerals.
Under the leadership of the extraordinarily talented team of Nicolas Thienpont and Stephane Derenoncourt, this 25-acre estate on the Cote Pavie (one of St.-Emilion’s finest terroirs) has soared in quality. The monumental 2005 Larcis Ducasse has been followed by another brilliant effort in 2006. Unfortunately, production is less than 3,000 cases. The final blend of 89% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc (from yields of 27-34 hectoliters per hectare) has resulted in a soft, opulent wine revealing notes of cedar, roasted herbs, smoke, black cherry liqueur, plums, and cassis. This savory, fleshy, attractive St.-Emilion possesses good power and depth, but no hardness. It should drink beautifully for 15 or more years.
Although many have praised this wine in recent vintages, I have not found this wine endearing, but that changes with the excellent 2006. A much more elegant nose with ripe cranberry and cherry-infused fruit with a touch of sous bois and dark chocolate. Very good definition. The palate is medium-bodied, very elegant and sappy with ripe cherry and wild strawberry. Quite floral on the finish, good length. Impressive. Tasted April 2007.
