Chateau Larcis Ducasse 2017

JAMES SUCKLING: "This is a wine that is showing lots of structure with tightly wound tannins that spin through the center palate. Full-bodied, intense and beautiful. Pure and real. Drink after 2025."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Larcis Ducasse (a blend of 92% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc) has a very enticing nose of kirsch, warm blackberries, baked plums and wild blueberries with hints of pencil lead, tar, tilled soil and forest floor. Medium-bodied, the palate is tightly knit with great poise and subtlety, offering bright, energetic fruit and loads of minerally sparks, finishing with great length."

WEINWISSER: "92 % Merlot, 8 % Cabernet Franc. Dunkles Granat mit violettem Rand. Komplexes rot- und blaubeeriges Bouquet mit Sauerkirschen und Brombeeren, dahinter reife Himbeeren und spürbarer Kalkstein. Am straffen Gaumen mit mehligem Tannin und kräftigem, elegantem Körper. Im langen Finale Preiselbeeren und Rosenholz, endet mit zarter Adstringenz. Hier ist man auf dem richtigen Weg, kann noch zulegen."

JEB DUNNUCK: "I always love this wine and the 2017 Chateau Larcis Ducasse is no exception. Offering up a complex bouquet of spiced red and black fruits, white truffle, smoked game, and hints of underbrush, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, nicely integrated acidity, and present yet ripe, polished tannins as well as subtle background oak. It's not a blockbuster like the 2015 and 2016 but has a terrific sense of minerality, flawless balance, and a great finish. Give bottles 4-5 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following 15-20 years or so. The blend is 92% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc and was brought up in 60% new barrels."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Stony, mineral-driven red plums and cherries are all over the place. Concentrated, fresh, complex and fresh, give this a decade or so, allowing everything to come together, gaining complexities, nuances and softness."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung, eine Kirschenfrucht, florale Nuancen, zart nach Brombeeren und Orangenzesten, attraktives Bukett. Saftig, elegant und ausgewogen, angenehme Extraktsüße, feiner Säurebogen, mineralisch, anhaftend, viel versprechendes Potenzial."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "At this stage, this wine is muted, but its future and structure are all in place. As it opens, it will reveal smoky fruits, rich tannins, impressive concentration and a core of black-plum and berry flavors. This will take time, so drink the wine from 2024."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Refined and focused, with a core of gently mulled plum and dark cherry fruit flavors, laced with rooibos tea, incense and red licorice notes. Shows a light bramble hint through the finish. Stylish. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2022 through 2035. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 3,000 cases made."