Château Larcis Ducasse 2022

What a bouquet: radiant fruit, cassis, blackberry, violet, roasted aromas, cool fireplace; on the palate lots of freshness, rock-hard, chiseled tannins, concentrated, full-bodied, with a silky texture and a long, chalky finish. Enchantingly beautiful.

Violet-edged cherries, blackcurrants and liquorice on the nose, smells lovely. Clean and clear, such a graceful and elegant texture to this wine – smooth but full of energy. Tannins have a lingering salty grip, an iron and liquorice tang that adds a saline aspect to otherwise cool and fresh blue fruit. Still quite tense and compact, this is muscular but funnelled with such precision to the overall expression. Nothing feels overdone. Well worked with enough acidity to counter the dark fruit and savoury bitter chocolate and espresso aspects, delivering a characterful, charming and classically styled wine.

The 2022 Larcis Ducasse has a lovely bouquet, with ebullient red berry fruit laced with crushed stone. Very well integrated oak. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, a fine bead of acidity, bright and vivacious with a mineral-driven finish. It will require time, but it will be worth the wait. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting in London.

Opaque in color, just a single swirl brings out the flowers, oyster shell, licorice, smoke, black cherries, blackberries, and plum aromas. The palate is the perfect blend of intensity, concentration, lift, and length. The fruit glides and coats your palate with its non-stop, opulent waves of ripe, sweet, vibrant fruits, with their unique touch of crushed rocks and dark chocolate that show in the aftertaste. The finish builds, lingers, and expands for close to 60 seconds. I would not be surprised to see this score even higher after the wine has matured. The wine blends 86% Merlot with 14% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2028-2060.

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, brightening on the rim. Fresh black cherries, some liquorice, floral nuances, cool, attractive bouquet. Juicy, elegant and balanced, fine ripe fruit, good structure, long-lasting, already very harmonious, great ageing potential.

One of the more muscular, concentrated 2022s in my tastings, the 2022 Château Larcis Ducasse sports a deep ruby/plum hue alongside serious aromas of ripe red and black cherries, smoked tobacco, new leather, truffle, and an incredible crushed-stone-like minerality. Rich, full-bodied, and massively concentrated on the palate, this intense, flawlessly balanced, voluptuous 2022 has a stacked mid-palate, velvety tannins, and fabulous length on the finish. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it shut down after 3–4 years of bottle age only to re-emerge after a decade. Based on 86% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc raised in 40% new oak, this modern-day legend has a terrific pH of 3.48 and an alcohol level of 14.8%.

Brambled and well-concentrated fruit on the nose and at the opening, with enough air in between to let freshness emerge. Excellent quality, this has charm and lift, and plenty of interest. Such a good estate, great consistency. 65% new oak for ageing. Clay-limestone soils.

A delicately open nose of soft, inviting red fruit, where sweetbriar, cranberry and red apple mingle with subtlety. The palate, with silky fluidity, has XXXXXXXX’s airy grace and the crystalline purity of a flute’s note. A wine of beguiling, almost unreal tenderness.

Larcis-Ducasse doesn’t need to speak at length to say who it is. A few wafts are enough to set the tone, to underline that it won’t raise its voice, but will simply explain why it is so great. And I don’t think it will need to explain for long, because it reads so clearly, the definition is so high. Paired with chalky nuances and a touch of graphite, notes of peony, morello cherry, redcurrant and a menthol hint create a symbiosis that is as tempting as it is convincing. On the palate, Larcis-Ducasse positions itself with ambition and calm, even courage, because it does not rely on easy solutions. Its clear aim is to demonstrate that being slender can contribute to a wine’s greatness. Thus, its power and high definition are its tools, yet they are announced with modesty and humility—and that deserves praise, because what I describe in a few words is the result of in‑depth work and risk‑taking of which we are utterly unaware when savoring a wine. After all, aren’t we here simply to enjoy? Yes, but it is healthy to ask the right questions. A brilliant wine in every respect. I believe a vertical tasting is in order so I can gain enough perspective to assert that this is one of the best Larcis-Ducasse produced to date.

Dark, intense color. An aromatic nose with ripe, fresh fruit. Delicious from the first sip, refined in texture, more about aroma than body, the wine glides gently through to the finish. Good, flavorful length that doesn’t emphasize the tannin. Blend: 86% merlot, 14% cabernet franc.