Château Lascombes - Subskription

92-95/100 Vinous The 2023 Lascombes marks a new direction for the Chateau. Dark and virile, with real intensity, the 2023 marries richness and energy. Black cherry, lavender, spice, menthol and licorice emerge from the glass. This fleshes out beautifully on the finish, showing terrific breadth and nuance. The 2023 is, without question, the most elegant, finessed Lascombes made in many years. That won't surprise readers familiar with wines here that were often monolithic and one-dimensional. The 2023 will be a fascinating wine to follow. This is also a new chapter for Estate Director Axel Heinz, formerly at Ornellaia, who strikes me as a liberated winemaker these days—someone freed from the burden of expectations. Tasted three times. - Antonio Galloni // 93-95/100 Jeb Dunnuck The 2023 Château Lascombes is terrific, and this brilliant Margaux is well worth seeking out. Ripe red and black fruits, lead pencil shavings, and tobacco all define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a pure, seamless, graceful texture, beautiful tannins, and a great, great finish. It should benefit from 4-6 years of bottle age (although I suspect it will offer plenty of charm in its youth) and evolve gracefully for two decades. - Jeb Dunnuck // 93-95/100 The Wine Independent 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. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown // 95-96/100 Jamessuckling.com Aromas of stone, black licorice, tar, blackberry and slightly burnt orange. Medium to full body with a solid core of tannins and tight but juicy fruit. More chiseled and tannic than in the past. - James Suckling // 93-95/100 The Wine Cellar Insider The first vintage with the new owners, with Axel Heinz calling the shots, comes through nicely with its nose of flowers, incense, spice, and black, with red, and blue fruits. On the palate, the wine is soft, supple, subtle, and fresh, There is energy here, as well as a relaxed, silky feeling on the palate. The freshness in the finish is capped with by mint leaves, spice, and vibrant, currants with cocoa on the backend. The wine blends 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, and an even mix of Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. 13.5% ABV. This is an updated style for the chateau. Loads of big changes here starting with the amount of wine placed into the Grand Vin slashed by more than 30%. The aging program is 50% new French oak, with a lighter toast, used barrels, and foudres. Drink from 2028-2055. 93-95 Pts. - Jeff Leve // 92-94/100 Wine Advocate A wine that begins a new era for this estate, the 2023 Lascombes (which I examined from separate components before tasting the prospective blend) offers up aromas of dark berries and plums mingled with hints of crushed mint, violets and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and velvety, with good depth and purity, it's a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. This estate, which was formerly one of the Médoc's poster children for over-ripeness and over-extraction, is assuredly coming in from the cold. - William Kelley // 92-94/100 Vinous The 2023 Lascombes has a fragrant and floral bouquet. Incoming erstwhile Ornellaia winemaker Axel Heinz has fashioned more refined aromatics compared to previous vintages, with lively black fruit laced with violet and a scintilla of vanilla. The palate is medium-bodied with a creamy texture and fine acidity, quite poised with a subtle saline note towards the finish. There's better structure here than in previous vintages. This restyled Margaux indicates a welcome new direction for the estate and evidences greater selection in the vineyard. Watch this space. - Neal Martin // 94/100 Decanter.com Now under the guidance of ex-Ornellaia winemaker Axel Heinz and an impressive debut vintage. Dark scents on the nose, blackcurrants and black cherries with some soft perfumed and liquorice accents. Smooth but with flesh, not chewy but this has a nice dollop of density as well as clear focus and drive from start to finish. Precise and juicy, a lovely generous feel about this. Charming but in a dark, ripe way. There’s clearly concentration and power but underpinned by a cool freshness. Very finessed and characterful, I love the elegance but this isn’t lacking in fruit, acidity, tannins or Margaux polish. Ends with graphite and liquorice, a touch of toast and wet stones. Clearly youthful but this has so much potential. 35hl/ha. 3.70pH. 78 IPT. Harvest September 7 - October 9. Ageing 60% new oak. Julien Viaud consultant. - Georgina Hindle // 94/100 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux All eyes on this estate for its first full vintage with Axel Heinz. It's clear that the build and construction is more serious than in the past, but most impressive is the juicy pleasure to be found in the layers of inky, nuanced, textured fruits, with sculpted tannins and well-judged grilled cedar oak. Inky, savoury, black fruits, savoury and lifted. Tasted twice, thoroughly enjoyable both times. - Jane Anson // 95/100 My Bettane + Desseauve Plein, harmonieux, tannin assez suave mais avec un beau retour de notes de cèdre et d’épices douces. Vin de charme avec le corps nécessaire pour aller loin dans la vie. - Bettane & Desseauve // 95/100 Falstaff Dark ruby, purple reflections, brightening on the rim. Fine herbal savouriness, nu- ances of cassis and black cherries, tobacco, a hint of fine oak. Juicy, elegant, ripe cherries and plums, fine tannins, good freshness, mineral and persistent, a very balanced wine with good length and certain ageing potential. - Peter Moser