Larcis Ducasse 2020

The 2020 Larcis Ducasse is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it is a little reticent to begin, needing considerable swirling to unlock notes of preserved plums, blueberry compote, and black cherry pie, plus hints of candied violets, dark chocolate, and licorice with a waft of crushed rocks. The full-bodied palate is laden with black fruit and earthy layers, supported by firm yet velvety tannins and impressive tension, finishing with epic length.

A beautiful effort that's more sensual and seamless than Thienpont's more structured, brooding Pavie Macquin, the 2020 Larcis Ducasse unwinds in the glass with aromas of cherries, blackberries, bay leaf, rose petals and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with refined tannins, lively acids and a suave, fleshy profile, it concludes with a long, expansive finish. This is a particular success in 2020. 2026 - 2046

The 2020 Larcis-Ducasse has closed a little since bottling, though there remains well-defined black fruit laced with rose petal and violets. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, very pure and cohesive. Touches of cedar and tobacco impart a discrete Left Bank allure towards the persistent finish. This is a great Larcis-Ducasse in the making.

Transparent and pure with crushed stone and flowers such as violets, as well as minerals and blackcurrants. Bramble berries as well. Medium to full body. Tight and very fine tannins that run the length of the wine. Kicks off at the end. So fresh and energetic. Tannic in the finish with fine texture. Drink after 2028.

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.

Drinking Window 2028 - 2046

Full bottle 1,320 g. Cask sample taken 6 April. 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc.
Dark purplish crimson. Black fruit flavours – mulberries? – on the nose. Rich, sweet and almost buttery in texture. Then a whack of dry tannins kick in. Very youthful with zestiness on the end. 14.5%
Drink 2028 – 2044

The 2020 is 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. 14.5% abv. Deep purple in colour. This has a sweet, jammy nose of damson and bramble fruit, layered with tarry spice and dark, brooding smoke. The palate is pithy and very crunchy. The tannins are chunky and chewy, coating the mouth. Notes of dried fruits and heady spices push through to the finish in this extracted and rich style.

(90% M, 10% CF; 38.8hl/ha; 14.5% ABV; 50% new)
Dense, but fine, black-fruit ripe and minerally; full and vigorous, and firm but fairly fine in tannin; deep and vital and ripe in flavor, quite strong, but not coarse, long and juicy and sapid within the overall gentle force, aromatic and minerally behind this, and with fine length. Tasty above all, and probably needing a good decade to soften its sinews. 2030–50+.