2002 Château Larcis-Ducasse

Grand Cru Classé Thick and sweet and full and slightly floral. Light and a bit skinny. (JR)

(Thienpont and his consulting winemaker Stephane Derenoncourt vinified the 2002 but did not work the vines) Medium red. Exotic aromas of raspberry, sandalwood, smoke, game, truffle and leather. Sweet and pliant, with the lush, full-blown flavors of smoked meat, leather, truffle and exotic spices enlivened by sound mineral spine. The firm finish features slightly edgy acidity.

Open-knit, charming, earthy, and herbaceous, with abundant quantities of sweet black cherry and currant fruit as well as a tremendous fragrance, this is a sensual, lush, rich claret that transcends the vintage characteristic of hard, tannic, structured wines. Ripe, but not nearly as concentrated as the 2003, this enormously appealing 2002 should be drunk over the next 6-7 years. This 26.7-acre vineyard merits serious consideration. For more than five decades, this fabulous terroir (just down the street from Pavie), with a brilliant south-facing exposition on pure clay and limestone soils, with vines averaging 40 years of age, made one mediocrity after another. That all changed after the outstanding duo of Nicolas Thienpont and Stephane Derenoncourt arrived as consultants in 2002. Larcis Ducasse is a blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.