France

Cabernet Sauvignon

Merlot

Petit Verdot

Ch. Lascombes

Chateau Lascombes 2eme Cru Classe Margaux

Bordeaux

Margaux

Deep garnet-purple in color. Features scents of black cherries, fresh strawberries, and charcoal with touches of bay leaves and crushed rocks. The light to medium-bodied palate is bright and breezy with plush tannins and a red berry lift on the finish.

by Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

The 2023 Lascombes is deep garnet-purple in color. Scents of freshly crushed blackberries, cassis, and black raspberries leap from the glass, leading to touches of menthol, dark chocolate, licorice, and violets in the background. The medium-bodied palate delivers impressive intensity, with vibrant black and red berry layers and a fine-grained texture lifted by a racy backbone, finishing long and minerally. This represents a real change in style to a classic beauty! The blend is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot.

Excellent quality, a delicious wine majoring on blackberry and spiced plum, with the increased Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend pulling its weight in terms of depth of flavour. Brambled fruit dominates, with a hedgerow character that adds welcome freshness and acidity in such an exuberant year, coupled with layers of black chocolate, fennel, liqourice, violet and slate. 60% new oak. The only one in the lineup blended by Axel Heinz, working alongside technical director Delphine Barboux (but the 2023 vintage will be the first one with Heinz present during growing season also). Harvest September 7 to 27 reflective of a hot and dry year. The percentage of 1st wine from the 120ha estate down to 40% in this vintage, reflective of the new direction taken by Lawrence Wine Estates. Julien Viaud consultant.

Inside Bordeaux

Sandalwood and campfire smoke, bright acidity, blueberry and raspberry fruit, this has some appellation typicity in its soft rose aromatics, dips through the mid palate but a clear step up from the Chevalier, as you would doubly expect in the vintage. 41hl/h yield, 60% new oak. Last full year with Dominique Befve as director before the new team came in. Tasted three times, one point upscore.

The 2020 Lascombes is deep garnet-purple in color. It has a powerful nose of baked plums, boysenberry preserves, and crème de cassis, with hints of iron ore, black olives, and Indian spices. Medium-bodied, the palate is generously fruited, with plush tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long and spicy.

Always love going back to more classically balanced 2019 vintage after tasting an exuberant 2018, and it is no different here. Captures the gourmet pleasures and the lusciously seductive texture of Lascombes tannins, given muscularity and a stretched-out quality through sculputed black cherry, cassis, damson fruit, overaid by sharper orange peel, mandarin, crayon and slate. Delicious, great quality, harvest September 19 to October 7, 48h/h yield, 60% new oak. Delphine Barboux technical director, Julien Viaud consultant.

The 2018 Lascombes has a deep garnet purple color. The nose is a little evolved and leathery, delivering notes of prunes and crème de cassis, plus smoked meats, cedar, and a medicinal waft. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is firm and chewy, with a rustic finish. 

Deep colour for a 2017 Margaux, a reflection of the small 25hl/h yield after frost. Enjoyable, skilful winemaking capturing the signature of the estate, more Lascombes than appellation signature in its character, with seductive brambled fruits, clear grilled cocoa bean, liqourice, smoked caramel and blackberry. Harvest September 20 to October 5. New oak reduced at this point to 50%, yield just 25hl/h after frost. Delphine Barboux technical director.

Inky plum colour, the deepest in the vertical at this point, autumnal fruit and grilled spice come in rich waves on the nose and plump textured blackberry, blueberry, creme de cassis, autumn hedgerow, tobacco, pencil lead, cigar box and grilled spice. 35 days maceration, 70% new oak, inky in colour and expression, this is a delicious wine, full of potential, with decades of ageing ahead. Not quite settled into itself yet, I would definitely give this another 3 or 4 years. Captures the pleasure of Lascombes while holding on to the finesse of the appellation. Delphine Barboux promoted to technical director from this 2016 vintage.

This is one to look out for, with softly extracted brambled fruits, traces of crème de cassis heat from the vintage conditions balanced by mandarin peel, pomegranate, lemongrass even, slate texture, very impressive 2015, with the joyful character that you expect from Lascombes. Maceration heads up to 40 days at this point, and the tannins and grilled sandalwood swamp the fruit a little, but there is plenty to enjoy here. 70% new oak, 42hl/h yield, havest September 17 to October 15.

Medium to deep garnet-brick in color, the 2014 Lascombes needs a little swirling to coax out classic notes of cassis and cedar followed by touches of lavender and wild sage plus a hint of crushed rocks. The medium-bodied palate is elegantly styled with lovely poise and soft tannins, finishing on a fragrant earth note.

The 2013 Lascombes is medium garnet in color, with a touch of brick. Pronounced cedar notes open out to notions of dried red and black currants, Provence herbs, and cast-iron pan, with a touch of graphite. The medium-bodied palate is thin and hard, with a chewy, stewed tea finish.

The 2012 Lascombes is medium to deep garnet colored. Notions of plum preserves, cedar, and mince pies jump from the nose, followed by hints of pencil lead, wet slate, and a medicinal waft. The medium-bodied palate delivers mouth-filling black fruits, with a fine-grained texture and a long, fragrant finish.

Enjoyable, waves of cloves, iron filings, bay leaf, good deep dark blackberry fruits, creme de cassis, creme caramel, campfire smoke, grilled turmeric, pomegranate and orange peel. Exuberant but staying within the lines, and this is a serious jump up on the 2009. 36hl/h yield, 90% new oak; harvest September 30 to October 20. Maceration extended to 35 days at this point, still with malo in barrel. Dominique Befve director, Alain Raynaud and Michel Rolland consultant winemakers.

Clear sandalwood and smoked almond aromatics, there is oak influence but it is integrated, and thoroughly enjoyable. Not the same depth of fruit as in some of the Margaux 2009s but full of raspberries, pomegranate, wet stones, orange peel, touches of campfire smoke, ready to enjoy.

A challenging vintage, now showing waves of tobacco and soft leather, blackberry and redcurrant, with an understated charm that begs to be shared. Clearly more evolved than the 2005 or even the 2000, this gathers rosebuds and incense as it progresses through the palate, very much ready to drink, on the edge of tertiary but staying on the precipice. Love the charm of this wine, atypical of the lineup. 40.5hl/h yieid, 75% new oak. Dominique Befve director, Alain Raynaud and Michel Rolland consultant winemakers.

👃: Kirsebær, solbær, blyant, mørk sjokolade, sopp

👅: Strukturert med tydelig og velintegrert tanninbitt, medium syre, god lengde. 

For all del en god vin, men synes den mangler litt personlighet/det lille ekstra.

Amatør

Dyp rubinrød farge. Aroma av solbær, blåbær, lakris, blyantspiss og skogbunn. Strukturert med tydelig tannin og fin syre. Lang finish. Fremdeles ikke nådd sitt potensial i mine øyne, resten av flaskene får ligge noen år til. Veldig god vin.

WSET 1

Vibrant plum purple colour, an impressive 2004 that has plenty of structure and tannic heft even as it approaches 20 years old, and you can see at this point that a more muscular style of Lascombes was being produced compared to the earlier decades of this vertical. Silky texture, blueberry, pie crust, liqourice root, mint leaf, soot, cocoa bean, with pockets of air that carry you through the palate. An enjoyable example of an often overlooked vintage. 44hl/h yield, harvest October 1 to 25, 85% new oak for ageing, still Oxoline with ageing on the lees. Dominique Befve director, Alain Raynaud and Michel Rolland consultant winemakers.

Deep plum in colour, more concentrated than many 2001 Margaux with bags of charm and still fiirm tannins at 22 years old. Gunsmoke, rose petals, leather, tobacco, and a fresh cushion of mint leaf. The beginning of tertiary character is clear, but no rush to drink. A transformational vintage at Lascombes, as Colony Capital arrived in 2001, as did Dominique Befve as director, current winemaker Delphine Barboux as quality manager and Alain Raynaud consulting winemaker along with Michel Rolland. 84ha vineyard. 100% new oak, 84ha, 30hl/h yield, malolactic fermentation in barrel, with ageing on the lees using the oxoline system, harvest October 1 to 12.

The nose is fruity with black currants and blackberries. There are also moist red carnations, cedar, cellar and some graphite. It is classic and elegant. 

The palate is medium-bodied, silky fruity and acidic in fine balance. The finish is long and acidic. It's perfectly mature now, but there's no hurry.

Expert

Meget god vin. Bør drikkes nå. En dem rød frukt, men ikke mye, lær, skifer, tobakk, - noe «grå» men helt innafor. Et klassisk eksempel på en ok lagret ok Bordeaux. Et ok kjøp.

Sommelier

Oyster shell and soy on the opening aromatics, and the colour still has its prune-purple core, softening to dark rose around the outer rim. This is charming and enticing, drawing you in. 1990 was a big vintage in the Médoc, and you can find examples of the vintage that remain more muscular than this - here at Lascombes it feels as if the tannins are finely spun and gently supportive, but very much in their tertiary moment. It means I would suggest drinking now and over the next decade, but its old school charms are delicious, sums up the pleasure of mature Cabernet, with tobacco, cold ash, smoked earth, gentle waves of toasted cumin, crayon and mint leaf, fruit fading a little. Bass Charrington owners, with René Vannetelle technical director.

As we know from Château Margaux, the 1983 vintage did better in the Margaux appellation than in most other parts of the region, as it was largely spared from the September rains. Retains a deep prune-plum colour, with sweet toasted clove spices on the opening moments along with a strong lick of salty cracker that quickly dissipates to be replaced by blackcurrant jelly, intense dark fruit flavour set against curling woodsmoke, roses and truffles. Melted tannins, this glides through the palate and ends with impressive freshness, crushed mint leaf bringing a blast of fresh air, a cushion between the fruit and the tannins, still expressive and nuanced. It holds in the glass also, with signature opulent character. At this point Lascombes was owned by Bass Charrington with René Vannetelle technical director (coming over from Pol Roger).

This definitely gives Giscours 1970 a run for its money in terms of being the sleeper of the Margaux appellation in this particular vintage. Plenty of depth and vibrancy to the colour (barely lighter than the 1990 by the way). Prune colour, darkened rose around the outer edges. Fresh waves of dried flowers aromatics on the nose, this is inviting, begging you to take a sip. Melted and finely layered tannins support blackberry, bracken, autumn hedgerow, tobacco and gentle sweet pureed fruits. Perhaps lacks a little signature generosity of Lascombes, but is one of the standout surprises of this lineup. Alexis Lichine owner at the time, just one year before he sold up to Bass Charrington.

Colour is softened to a russet pink, a little smudged around the edges in terms of losing its pristine clarity, but still with plenty of depth through the core. Tar, marmite, soot, campfire, incense, dried flowers and leather take the lead over softened brambled and sweetened strawberry fruit on the palate. Take your time and lean into the tertiary waves of old books, cigar box, cold ash, curls of woodsmoke, undergrowth, iodine. It picks up pace through the palate, showing points of fresh orange peel acidity. Not at the end of its life but there is of course no need to wait, fully in its drinking window, sliding towards the last few years. Exact blend not recorded (or at least not found). Lascombes had a barrel maker on site at the time, so although the amount of new oak is also not recorded, there was certainly some. As ever with a wine this age, a tasting note and particularly its score can only ever give a part of the picture - Alexis Lichine was the owner of Lascombes in 1961, and we are drinking a true piece of history.

På forespørsel om et par freshe, men modne bordeauxer som Aperitivo kom Bern's utmerkede sommelier opp med Ch Lascombes 1929 og Marquis de Terme 1929. Et strålende valg skulle det vise seg. Begge flaskene fremstod som perfekte med det beste av det man forbinder med appelasjonen Margaux. Ch Lascombes mer klassisk i uttrykket, mens Marquisen markerte seg med mer rødfrukt og litt mer friskhet, som jeg setter pris på. Begge vinene er drikk nå, de blir ikke bedre, men spesielt Marquisen hadde det vært hyggelig å hatt en kasse av for å smådrikke frem mot 2029. Men det er åpenbart at 1929 er en av de store årgangene og Bern's kalde kjeller leverer alltid. Ch Lascombes 1929: 95 poeng 

2024	No priceNot available	Outstanding
2023	No priceNot available	Outstanding
2022	No priceNot available	Outstanding
2021	kr 799,90Not available	Outstanding
2020	No priceNot available	Outstanding

Category	Red wine
Vinmonopolet no.
Producer	Ch. Lascombes
Vintages	1972
Country	France, Bordeaux, Margaux
Bottle	75 cl

Alcohol	%
Acid	%
Sugar	g/l

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