Château Larcis Ducasse 2022

Wineadvocate

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. - WK 04/2023

Vinous

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. - AG 04/2023

Beck

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.

Suckling

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. - 04/2023

Dunnuck

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. - 05/2023