2007 Château Larcis Ducasse, St Emilion, Bordeaux

2007 Château Larcis Ducasse, St Emilion, Bordeaux

Product: 20071012185
 
2007 Château Larcis Ducasse, St Emilion, Bordeaux

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Description

During the 1940s and 1950s Larcis Ducasse was considered one of St Emilion's very top estates, but under Nicolas Thienpont the last few vintages have been better than ever. Biodynamic principles and the famous Cte Pavie terroir have produced a perfumed, Merlot-dominated (89%) St Emilion with generous fruit and supple tannins. There is a wonderfully fresh, citrus edge to the raspberry and blackberry nose, while the initially restrained palate explodes with crunchy blackcurrant and creamy plum towards a pure, mineral, mocha finish. If you have never tried this St Emilion rising star, this is a great place to start.

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Critics reviews

Wine Advocate88/100
Tasted at BI Wine & Spirits' 10-Years-On tasting, the 2007 Larcis-Ducasse has an unexpectedly classic bouquet, much less opulent than other vintages from the estate yet nicely focused, with cedar and pencil box aromas infusing the dark berry fruit. The palate is sweet on the entry with soft tannin and good acidity, yet the second half seems a little flat, as if all its energy was expended on the aromatics. Bottles of this 2007 have been variable, but this would suggest that its best days are probably behind rather than in front of it. Tasted February 2017.
Neal Martin - 30/06/2017 Read more
Decanter17/20
Fine wine with a mix of elegance and power. Long and linear with pretty red berry fruit and the minerally stamp of terroir. Fresh and firm on the finish. Definitely ageing potential here. Read more

About this WINE

Chateau Larcis Ducasse

Chateau Larcis Ducasse

Traditionally Ch. Larcis Ducasse, a St Emilion Grand Cru Classé, was regarded as a property with exceptional terrior but a constant underperformer. This has changed, mainly thanks to the talents of a new winemaking team headed up by Nicolas Thienpont (of Ch. Pavie Macquin repute) and Stephane Derenoncourt (the mercurial 'flying wine consultant') who have managed to unlock the potential of this sleeping giant.

The estate is located on one of Bordeaux's finest strips of terroir - the Cote Pavie in St Emilion. Here, this 25-acre property abuts the 1er Grand Cru Classé Ch. Pavie estate. The vines are planted on an eclectic range of soils - alluvial sand deposits, clay, chalk and limestone. The vines, as one would expect for that part of the world, are predominately Merlot (some 75%) Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The new winemaking team arrived in 2002 and since then, the wines have gone from strength to strength. Look out especially for the 2005 Ch. Larcis Ducasse (98/100 Parker), 2006 Ch. Larcis Ducasse (91-94 Parker) and 2007 Ch. Larcis Ducasse (92-94 Parker), as these are the manifestation of all the hard work undertaken at the château over recent years.

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St Émilion

St Émilion

St Émilion is one of Bordeaux's largest producing appellations, producing more wine than Listrac, Moulis, St Estèphe, Pauillac, St Julien and Margaux put together. St Emilion has been producing wine for longer than the Médoc but its lack of accessibility to Bordeaux's port and market-restricted exports to mainland Europe meant the region initially did not enjoy the commercial success that funded the great châteaux of the Left Bank. 

St Émilion itself is the prettiest of Bordeaux's wine towns, perched on top of the steep limestone slopes upon which many of the region's finest vineyards are situated. However, more than half of the appellation's vineyards lie on the plain between the town and the Dordogne River on sandy, alluvial soils with a sprinkling of gravel. 

Further diversity is added by a small, complex gravel bed to the north-east of the region on the border with Pomerol.  Atypically for St Émilion, this allows Cabernet Franc and, to a lesser extent, Cabernet Sauvignon to prosper and defines the personality of the great wines such as Ch. Cheval Blanc.  

In the early 1990s there was an explosion of experimentation and evolution, leading to the rise of the garagistes, producers of deeply-concentrated wines made in very small quantities and offered at high prices.  The appellation is also surrounded by four satellite appellations, Montagne, Lussac, Puisseguin and St. Georges, which enjoy a family similarity but not the complexity of the best wines.

St Émilion was first officially classified in 1954, and is the most meritocratic classification system in Bordeaux, as it is regularly amended. The most recent revision of the classification was in 2012

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Merlot

Merlot

The most widely planted grape in Bordeaux and a grape that has been on a relentless expansion drive throughout the world in the last decade. Merlot is adaptable to most soils and is relatively simple to cultivate. It is a vigorous naturally high yielding grape that requires savage pruning - over-cropped Merlot-based wines are dilute and bland. It is also vital to pick at optimum ripeness as Merlot can quickly lose its varietal characteristics if harvested overripe.

In St.Emilion and Pomerol it withstands the moist clay rich soils far better than Cabernet grapes, and at it best produces opulently rich, plummy clarets with succulent fruitcake-like nuances. Le Pin, Pétrus and Clinet are examples of hedonistically rich Merlot wines at their very best. It also plays a key supporting role in filling out the middle palate of the Cabernet-dominated wines of the Médoc and Graves.

Merlot is now grown in virtually all wine growing countries and is particularly successful in California, Chile and Northern Italy.

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