Château Larcis Ducasse, 2025 - Magnum
Château Larcis Ducasse, 2025 - Magnum
- 150cl
- 14.5%
- Red Still
- Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon
Please note, en primeur wines are not available for delivery until they arrive in the UK
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Est. delivery in 2028
Château Larcis Ducasse sits on Saint-Émilion's limestone plateau, crafting wines that marry the appellation's signature Merlot richness with remarkable mineral precision. This Grand Cru Classé estate has found its stride under Nicolas Thienpont's guidance, producing wines that capture both the immediate charm and long-term complexity that make Right Bank Bordeaux so compelling.
What the critics say:
"The 2025 Larcis Ducasse is another exceptional wine from one of the most under-the-radar estates in Saint-Émilion. Dark red-fleshed fruits, rose petal, lavender, mocha, licorice, sage and graphite are all seamless in the glass. The 2025 marries power with finesse to a degree that is exceptionally rare. Lively acids and lifted floral overtones brighten the long, resonant finish. The 2025 spent 23-24 days on skins, a bit shorter than most years. Élevage takes place in 40% French oak barrels, 40% 500-liter barrels and 20% 25-hectoliter foudre. Wines from clay-based soils tend to be raised in barrique to soften them, while wines from limestone-rich soils are naturally more delicate and typically aged in larger-format wood. Larcis was one of the first properties in Bordeaux to introduce large-format wood, a choice that works so well for this site and these wines. This is a stellar effort from Technical Director David Suire, who has been at the helm since 2022. Tasted three times."
"Matured 40% in barrels (50% new), 45% in large-format barrels (also 50% new) and the balance in foudres, the 2025 Larcis Ducasse reveals an elegant, vibrant and gourmand bouquet of violet, dark berries, dark cherries and flowers, accented by delicate spicy notes. Medium- to full-bodied, layered and seamless, it’s built around a ripe—yet not overripe—core of fruit framed by velvety tannins, concluding with a floral, harmonious and ethereal finish. This is a pure expression of Larcis Ducasse and one of the most accomplished renditions produced here to date."
"Right at the top of the vintage here, full of character and depth, clear intensity and acidity, has the sword-like limestone touch of the vintage but so well shaped and handled. Toasted grilled campfire and bilberry and cassis puree, great quality, rosemary, redcurrant, liquorice. 3.5 pH. Harvest September 10 to 28. 50% new oak."
The vineyard sits on Saint-Émilion's prized limestone plateau, with shallow topsoil over limestone bedrock that provides excellent drainage and mineral complexity. The elevation and southern exposure ensure optimal ripening conditions, whilst the limestone subsoil imparts the characteristic mineral backbone that defines the finest Saint-Émilion wines. This terroir is particularly suited to Merlot and Cabernet Franc, allowing both varieties to express their full potential.
Saint-Émilion is Bordeaux's most romantic appellation, where Merlot reigns supreme on limestone and clay soils. Unlike the Médoc's Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blends, Saint-Émilion wines are typically softer and more approachable in youth, though the best can age magnificently. The appellation's classification system, revised periodically, recognises estates like Larcis Ducasse for their consistent quality and terroir expression. The limestone plateau produces some of the most mineral-driven and age-worthy wines in the appellation.
The 2025 Bordeaux vintage emerged from one of the most demanding growing seasons in recent memory — the earliest budbreak since 1989, June temperatures second only to 2003 since records began, and an unusually early harvest beginning in August for the whites. Conditions that should have produced heavy, overripe wines. They didn't. Decanter's Georgie Hindle, who tasted close to 200 wines ahead of the formal campaign, describes "exceptional concentration, aromatic purity and a freshness that contradicts the record-breaking heat.
The early critical consensus places 2025 stylistically between the precision of 2020 and the structure of 2016, with the brightness of 2023 — a combination that suggests a very serious vintage indeed. Yields are dramatically low, the smallest crop since 1991, with production across the Gironde running around 15% below the five-year average. The quality is here. There simply isn't very much of it.
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Château Larcis Ducasse
