Larcis Ducasse - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2020

Vinous

94-94

byNeal Martinthe2/28/2025

The 2020 Larcis Ducasse has a pure bouquet with mainly red berry fruit, sage, rosemary and touches of freshly tilled loam. It flirts with overripeness—only flirts. The palate is medium-bodied, vibrant and lightly spiced, with fine tannins and a concentrated, slightly viscous finish. This is a long-term prospect and a wine of real class. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

Alexandre Ma

95

byAlexandre Mathe4/18/2023

Wine Advocate

96

byWilliam Kelleythe4/6/2023

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.

Wine Spectator

92

byJames Molesworththe3/31/2023

Ripe, polished and direct, with cassis and black cherry puree forming the core, while light black licorice, violet and sweet tobacco details fill in steadily through the finish. A poised, understated style. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2025 through 2038. 2,850 cases made.

Jeb DUNNUCK

99

byJeb Dunnuckthe3/30/2023

The Grand Vin comes from a tiny 11.15-hectare vineyard that has been in the Gratiot family since 1893. Located on the south-facing Côte Pavie, between Château Pavie and Château Bellefont-Belcier and consisting of clay on top of limestone soils, the vineyard has recently been going through a replanted phase using a selection massale and a higher density planting. The grapes are hand-sorted, vinification occurs all in concrete and spans four weeks, with the élevage in 50% new French oak. A normal blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Château Larcis Ducasse reminds me of the 2005 and is up with the top handful of wines on the Right Bank. It has a brilliant perfume of red and black fruits, white truffle, leafy tobacco, and Asian spices. This carries to a full-bodied, concentrated, powerful Larcis-Ducasse with ultra-fine yet building tannins, perfect balance, a stacked mid-palate, and one heck of a great finish. It's going to flirt with perfection in 7-8 years (I'm probably underrating it a point) and have 30 years of overall longevity. Tasted numerous times with consistent results.

The Wine Cellar Insider

98

byJeff Levethe3/22/2023

If you are seeking a masterclass in minerality, taste this wine! The nose screams crushed rocks, stones and oceanic influences before moving to its flowers, licorice, black cherries, plums, and espresso nose. Concentrated, full-bodied and intense, with layers of mineral-infused black and red fruits, the wine builds, lingers and expands, finishing with vibrancy, refinement, and elegant, sweet, ripe, luscious red fruits with a touch of salt in the tannins. Drink from 2026-2055.

Alexandre Ma

95

byAlexandre Mathe3/15/2023

Wines Critic

96

byRaffaele Vecchionethe3/10/2023

Decisive and strong on the nose showing notes of mixed prunes, black tea leaves, coriander, wild myrtle and orange juice. Full bodied, enveloping and solid in the tasting showing fine grain tannins and a truly remarkable, persistent finale. Better from 2027.

Vinous

98

byAntonio Gallonithe2/24/2023

The 2020 Larcis Ducasse is a real showstopper. Bright and vertical in feel, the 2020 possesses tremendous energy to match its super-classic build. Beams of tannin and acid give the wine its shape. Dark cherry and pomegranate fruit are pushed forward, with a kick of blood orange acidity that lends freshness. Graphite, dried herbs, menthol, spice and cedar emerge with some coaxing, but the 2020 is very young and very primary. That of course bodes so well for its future. The 2020 is quite simply a thrilling Larcis and one of the very finest values in all of Bordeaux.

Vinous

95

byNeal Martinthe2/15/2023

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.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

97

byJane Ansonthe1/16/2023

Just such a brilliant wine, with finesse and balance. Joyful, with dark chocolate, blueberry and cassis fruits, salted crackers, wet stone minerality, violet aromatics. Supple tannins, this is both complex and simply easy to enjoy, with layers that grip and delight. Love it, holds on tight and keeps you engaged. 10ha estate owned by Famille Gratiot-Attmane, but with the Nicolas Thienpont team overseeing winemaking.

The Wine Independent

99

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe9/28/2022

A blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Larcis Ducasse is deep garnet-purple colored. The nose is still a touch locked down after the recent bottling, slowly unfurling to offer up notes of crushed black cherries, juicy black plums, and wild blueberries, with an emerging undercurrent of dark chocolate, licorice, tar, and sassafras, plus an earthy touch of damp soil and moss-coated tree bark. The full-bodied palate has jaw-dropping seamlessness with wonderfully fine-grained tannins and beautiful freshness lifting the densely laden black and blue fruit to a very long, achingly perfumed finish. This stunning wine was tasted on three different occasions with consistent results. Although this is tantalizingly delicious right now, thanks largely to those plush, densely pixilated tannins, if you're looking for that next-level experience that comes with tertiary development, try not to touch it for 7-10 years, then enjoy it over the following 40 years+.

Vinous

95-97

byAntonio Gallonithe6/1/2021

The 2020 Larcis Ducasse captures all the pedigree of the year in its savory, mineral-driven personality. Graphite, dried herbs, lavender, spice and menthol lend striking aromatic intensity. The 2020 is a rich, deep wine, yet it retains the classic midweight sense of structure that is a signature of the estate. The 2020 is quite simply a dazzling Larcis.

Jeb DUNNUCK

96-99

byJeb Dunnuckthe5/28/2021

A wine that’s going to flirt with perfection is the 2020 Château Larcis Ducasse. It’s a Saint-Emilion with an almost Pomerol-like depth and power paired with classic Saint-Emilion aromatics and minerality. Incredibly pure notes of black cherries, blackberries, white flowers, truffle, and leafy herb notes all emerge on the nose and it’s full-bodied, with a layered, multi-dimensional texture, thrilling tannins, and a finish that won’t quit. If you get a chance, buy it. The blend is 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, aging in 55% new French oak.

Vinous

94-96

byNeal Martinthe5/27/2021

The 2020 Larcis Ducasse has a ripe, exotic bouquet lavished with blueberries, cassis, touches of date and crushed violets. The aromatics are rich and powerful. The palate is medium-bodied with rounded tannins and a fine bead of acidity, displaying more puppy fat than its peers. The precocious finish offers crushed strawberry, maraschino and faint dark chocolate scents. This is a typical Larcis Ducasse in many ways, perhaps not one for those seeking a more traditional Saint-Émilion, but very sensual and ravishing.

Decanter.com

97

byJane Ansonthe5/25/2021

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.

The Wine Cellar Insider

98-100

byJeff Levethe5/21/2021

Pungent aromas of flowers, licorice, crushed rocks, oak, dark cocoa, black, red and blue fruits focus your attention. The wine offers a mineral-driven, full-bodied blast of silky, flamboyant, luscious red fruits with salty tannins. The fruit coats your palate, lingers and seamlessly expands, finishing with licorice, sensuously textured red and black fruits, espresso and oyster shell. This is on the way to developing into one of the best vintages ever produced by Larcis Ducasse. 98-100

Wine Advocate

96-98

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe5/20/2021

The 2020 Larcis Ducasse has a deep purple-black color, leaping from the glass with bold notions of redcurrant jelly, plum preserves, kirsch and red roses, followed by hints of licorice, fragrant earth and spice cake, with a touch of woodsmoke. The medium to full-bodied palate is laden with fragrant red berries and profound black fruit preserves, supported by ripe, rounded tannins and lovely tension, finishing very long and fantastically layered. Absolutely, stunningly singular.

Anthocyanes

96-98

byYohan Castaingthe5/11/2021

Très beau nez de violette, d'iris, de fruits frais (cassis et très mure) et de fleurs. Complexe et frais. Une belle densité aromatique. Bouche charnue, dense pour Larcis Ducasse avec de beaux tanins et une définition de grain très ciselé. Superbe d'allonge et de précision. Très frais et aérien. Plus de chair qu'en 2016 avec une finale aérienne et très longue. Une très belle bouteille en devenir.

Bernard Burtschy

96-98

byBernard Burtschythe5/10/2021

Falstaff

94-96

byPeter Moserthe5/10/2021

Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Frische schwarze und rote Beerenfrucht, zarte florale Noten, ein Hauch von Edelholz, mineralisch-küh- les Bukett. Saftig, elegant, frische reife Kirschenfrucht, lebendig strukturiert, salziger Touch, vom Terroir geprägter lebendiger Stil, bleibt gut haften, rotbeerige Nuancen im Nachhall, ein finessenreicher Speisenbegleiter.

My Bettane + Desseauve

95-96

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/7/2021

Jamessuckling.com

97-98

byJames Sucklingthe4/23/2021

Blackberry and asphalt with cool minerals and a hint of mint. It’s full-bodied and chewy with intense flavors and a long, flavorful finish. Lots of chalk and an almost salty undertone.