2015 Château Larcis-Ducasse

The 2015 Larcis Ducasse lacks a bit of brightness on the nose compared to its peers. This was sullen on the day of tasting. The palate is stoic and medium-bodied with strict tannins. It's missing some bandwidth and is simplistic on the finish. Another bottle was tasted at the Vinous Icons Bordeaux seminar, which did not deliver the same freshness and precision as its peers. Tasted blind at the 2015 Bordeaux Ten-Year-On tasting at Farr Vintners.

The 2015 Larcis Ducasse has a strange nose with oxtail scents, dried blood aromas infusing the black fruit. The palate is rich and opulent with layers of red berry fruit and much more representative of the bottle tasted last year. There is no way I can score this but will taste another bottle. Tasted at the Larcis Ducasse vertical in Bordeaux.

The 2015 Larcis-Ducasse is showing just a touch of brettanomyces on the nose that obscures the terroir expression. This is broody and introverted, perhaps closed down for the time being. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannin, quite masculine and strict. It feels like there is a lot of Cabernet Franc here (although there is just 13% in the blend). Yet there is plenty of freshness, quite classic in style with a long and precise finish. Excellent, but not as immediate as its peers. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.