Larcis Ducasse - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2022

Alexandre Ma

96

byAlexandre Mathe3/10/2025

A feast for the senses, the 2022 Château Larcis Ducasse bursts with luscious fruit and evocative spice, seamlessly unfolding in layers of complexity. Juicy mulberries and red jujube form the heart of its bouquet, surrounded by fragrant rose petals, while delicate hints of cinnamon and star anise add an alluring warmth. On the palate, it is as light and silky as a dream, yet finishes with commanding power and unwavering resolve. This wine embodies both the exuberance of the vintage and the singular character of Château Larcis Ducasse’s terroir, where strength and finesse intertwine. It paints a vivid picture after my tasting: a battle-hardened general, victorious yet vulnerable, casting off his armor to embrace his long-lost love—where steel meets softness, and power finds its perfect counterpoint in passion.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

96

byJane Ansonthe3/7/2025

Brambled and well concentrated fruit on the nose and opening beats, still with enough air in between to allow freshness to surface. 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.

Wine Advocate

95

byYohan Castaingthe3/6/2025

Less super-ripe than was sometimes the case in the past, the 2022 Larcis Ducasse has a completely seductive bouquet of cassis, mulberries, licorice, pencil lead and menthol, combining beautiful spices and dark berries. Medium to full-bodied, layered and enveloping, it's seamless and concentrated with a multidimensional core of fruit, velvety tannins, a vibrant mid-palate and a long, saline finish.

The Wine Cellar Insider

99

byJeff Levethe3/4/2025

Larcis Ducasse, Château

Jeb DUNNUCK

100

byJeb Dunnuckthe2/28/2025

One of the more muscular, concentrated 2022s in my tastings, the 2022 Château Larcis Ducasse sports a deep ruby/plum hue to go with serious aromatics of ripe red and black cherries, smoked tobacco, new leather, truffle, and an incredible sense of 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 this close down with 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 of 14.8%.

Yvesbeck.wine

99

byYves Beckthe2/25/2025

86% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc Larcis-Ducasse n'a pas besoin de parler longtemps pour dire qui il est. Il lui suffit de quelques effluves pour poser les jalons, pour souligner qu'il ne haussera pas le ton, mais qu'il se contentera d'expliquer pourquoi il est si grand. Et je pense qu'il n'aura pas besoin de l'expliquer longtemps, car il est très lisible, tellement la définition est élevée. Associées à des nuances crayeuses et une touche de graphite, les notes de pivoines, de griottes, de groseilles ainsi qu'une touche mentholée créent une symbiose autant tentante que convaincante. En bouche, Larcis-Ducasse se positionne d'une manière ambitieuse et sereine, même courageuse, car il n’opte pas pour la simplicité ou des acquis. Il a clairement pour motivation de démontrer que le fait d'être élancé peut contribuer à la grandeur d'un vin. Ainsi, il a pour artifices sa puissance, sa haute définition, mais il les annonce avec pudeur, avec humilité et cela est à saluer, car ce que je relate en quelques mots est le fruit d'un travail de fond et d'une prise de risque dont nous n'avons absolument pas conscience en savourant un vin. D'ailleurs, ne sommes-nous pas là pour simplement apprécier ? Oui, mais il est sain de se poser les bonnes questions. Un vin brillant, sous tout point de vue. Je pense qu'une verticale s'impose afin que j'aie suffisamment de recul pour pouvoir affirmer que c'est un des meilleurs Larcis Ducasse produits à ce jour. 2028-2057 99/100

Vinous

96

byNeal Martinthe2/12/2025

The 2022 Larcis Ducasse has a very delineated, focused bouquet with blackberry, graphite, hint of freshly shaved black truffle and light granitic scents that emerge with time. Of all the recent vintages, this is perhaps one that leans a little toward Pomerol in style, maybe due to the expressive Cabernet Franc (14%). The palate is medium-bodied with finely embroidered tannins, a perfect line of acidity, superb focus and gentle grip. Having tasted at this property for over two decades, this is the finest Larcis Ducasse to date—a modern-day benchmark for the estate.

Vinous

97

byAntonio Gallonithe1/28/2025

The 2022 Larcis Ducasse is a huge, vertical wine. Readers will have to be patient, as the 2022 will need quite a few years to shed some of its considerable baby fat. Dense dark red fruit, new leather, licorice, rose petal and mocha are all broadly sketched. Imposing and vertical in build, this is immensely promising. The 2022 spent 14 months in oak (40% 225-liter barrels, 40% 500-liter barrels and 20% foudre), then three months in cement. I can't wait to see how this develops. Tasted two times.

Decanter.com

97

byGeorgina Hindlethe5/25/2023

Smells gorgeous, black fruits, milk chocolate and floral notes. Supple and lively, crystalline and pure, you get both the juicy, fleshiness of the dark and concentrated fruit but with tension and detail and definition. Clarity and bite, this really works and delivers everything you want in terms of tannins, minerality, freshness and density. Clearly powerful, but refined and sophisticated. Compelling and oh so drinkable. Wet stones, the minerality is gorgeous but the weight is too, this will be fantastic.

Alexandre Ma

96-98

byAlexandre Mathe5/17/2023

The 2022 Château Larcis Ducasse boasts a rich fruitiness accompanied by a lively spiciness. Luscious mulberries and red jujubes mingle with blossoming roses, while the delicate aromas of cinnamon and star anise linger in the background. Upon tasting, it presents a gentle, silky texture that transitions to a robust and vigorous finish, capturing both the exuberance of the 2022 vintage and the enchantment of Château Larcis Ducasse's terroir. The finish is truly extraordinary; beneath its steel-like structure lies a subtle sweetness, reminiscent of a victorious hero who, after removing his armor, reveals his most tender side.

Vinous

95-97

byNeal Martinthe5/17/2023

The 2022 Larcis Ducasse was picked 13 to 23 September at 34hL/ha. This has quite a rich bouquet with opulent black cherries, boysenberry and blue fruit, vanilla extract and truffle scents. Two samples tasted, the one at the château showing more precision. The palate is medium-bodied with sweet tannins, its flesh belying the structure underneath. Liquorice lingers after the wine has departed. The mineralité floods the finish and articulates its limestone soils with aplomb. This is a seriously fine Larcis Ducasse that exudes panache.

The Vintage Journal

91-92

byAndrew Caillard MWthe5/17/2023

Deep crimson. Intense dark plum, black cherry, graphite aromas and flavours with minerally notes, fine supple tannins, very good mid-palate density and fresh quartz/ crisp acidity. A touch of saline. (Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Around 70% new oak)

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

96

byJane Ansonthe5/16/2023

You feel the fingerprint of the limestone here, from a team that is never afraid of austerity in a young wine is young. It opens to show creamy black and red fruits, with steely acidity that keeps the ripeness in check. 34hl/h yield, 50% new oak and for the rest 500l casks for ageing.

matthewjukes.com

16,5

byMatthew Jukesthe5/15/2023

The Wine Independent

97-99

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe5/15/2023

A blend of 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Larcis Ducasse is deep garnet-purple in color. It wows as it powers out of the glass with bright, expressive notes of juicy blackberries, fresh black cherries, and warm plums, followed by suggestions of Indian spices, iron ore, iris bulb, and crushed rocks. The full-bodied palate is laden with rich, seductive, and amazingly energetic black and blue fruits, framed by super-ripe, velvety tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing with epic length. This 2022 is a triumph!

Yvesbeck.wine

97-99

byYves Beckthe5/10/2023

Larcis révèle une multitude d'éléments en prenant soin de ne pas en avantager un par rapport aux autres. Ainsi, il offre une belle pluralité olfactive au travers de nuances de baies noires, d'encre, de réglisse et de fèves de cacao. Après un peu d'aération, il met également sa minéralité et sa fraîcheur en valeur, mais de manière réservée avec quelques nuances crayeuses. En bouche le vin se positionne doucement. C'est un peu comme le calme avant la tempête ; il s'oriente, prend place, regarde autour de lui et attend de voir ce qu'il se passe ! Et il s'en passent des choses ! Tout commence tranquillement avec de la densité, de l'ampleur puis des tannins aux grains fins qui se positionnent lentement et qui ouvrent la voie à la structure acide. Cette dernière prend alors possession de la fin de bouche pour créer une dynamique exceptionnelle qui entraîne le vin avec elle afin de faire perdurer son expression aromatique au-delà de la finale. Un vin de caractère qui demande de la patience.

Bettane & Desseauve

97-98

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/10/2023

Puissance contenue, soyeux et énergie dynamique dans le cœur et la fin de bouche. Intensité, raffinement, équilibre parfait de bout en bout dotée d’une finale saline lumineuse. Encore une grande réussite et une priorité pour l’amateur.

Jeb DUNNUCK

98-100

byJeb Dunnuckthe5/10/2023

Tasted on multiple occasions and one of the legendary wines in the making from this vintage, the 2022 Château Larcis Ducasse clocks in as 86% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc that's still resting in 55% new French oak. A hypothetical blend of the 2005 and 2018, it's a deep, powerful, opulent Saint-Emilion offering an incredible array of black cherries, blackberries, smoked tobacco, chocolate, and graphite-driven aromas and flavors. With a rich, full-bodied, expansive mouthfeel, it has ultra-fine tannins, beautiful symmetry in its tannins, acidity, and fruit, no hard edges, and a killer finish. I was lucky enough to taste this on four separate occasions and I thought it had the potential to be a perfect wine every time.

Vinous

96-98

byAntonio Gallonithe5/9/2023

The 2022 Larcis Ducasse is a huge, inky wine. A firm backbone of structure lies behind all of that opulence, yielding a wine that is both extravagantly rich and super-classic. That’s a pretty appealing combination in my book. Dark red-toned fruit, spice, leather, tobacco, incense and mocha emerge, but only with great reluctance. The 2022 is packed to the core. I don’t imagine it will be ready to drink anytime soon, but is unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage. The blend is 84% Merlot and 16% Cabernet Franc, a bit more Franc than usual, aging in equal parts 225- and 500-liter barrels. Tasted four times. Drinking window : 2032-2062

The Wine Cellar Insider

97-99

byJeff Levethe5/5/2023

The dark, purple hue stands out. Licorice, smoke, oyster shell, espresso, black cherries, and plums are all over the perfume. The wine explodes from the glass with its layers of opulent, black and red fruits, dark chocolate, espresso, smoke and chocolate on the palate. Full-bodied, powerful, and most importantly pure, there is a depth of flavor, and richness on the mid-palate that sticks with you through to the extended, mineral-driven finish. I would not be surprised to see this score even higher once it is in the bottle. The wine blends 86% Merlot with 14% Cabernet Franc, 14.6% ABV, 3.5 pH. The harvest took place September 13-September 23. Yields were 34 hectoliters per hectare. Drink from 2027-2055.

Wine Advocate

94-95

byWilliam Kelleythe5/2/2023

A fleshy, opulent wine, the 2022 Larcis Ducasse bursts with aromas of rich, creamy berry fruit mingled with aromas of licorice, bay leaf and spices. Full-bodied, broad and enveloping, it's a textural, layered wine with a ripe core of fruit, supple tannins and an expansive finish. More dramatic and unabashed than the 2020, this will appeal to readers who place a premium on flamboyant extravagance; but samples tasted later during my visit to Bordeaux exhibited greater freshness and precision.

Jamessuckling.com

98-99

byJames Sucklingthe4/19/2023

This is really precise with a lazer-guided fine tannin structure throughout the wine, and juicy and electric texture. It’s so refined and polished. Endless. Wonderful young wine with a terrific future.