Château Lascombes 1996

This is a mainstream, oaky, soft, fruity wine without much depth or length. It is open-knit, with dried herb and black currant fruit in its moderately intense aromatics. The short finish reveals no hard edges. Drink it over the next 7–8 years.

Exotic aromas of blackberry, tangerine and Indian spice. Full-bodied, silky and refined. Gorgeous. A little short. — ’95/’96 Bordeaux retrospective. Drink now. 20,000 cases made.

The 1996 Lascombes from jeroboam has a simple nose, pretty in its own way, but it fundamentally lacks the DNA of a Margaux. There is a touch of rose petals with time. The palate is medium-bodied with dry tannins, rather hollow on the mid-palate with a light and slightly saline finish that needs more substance. This was not a great period for the Margaux estate, and this 1996 does nothing to alter that.

René Vannetelle, then general manager of Lascombes: “I’ve been here since 1985. Since then, the focus on quality has steadily increased. In the cellar, I was able to react immediately from the start. We have everything we need to make a good Lascombes. However, in the vineyard we needed a lot of time. For example, a 4-hectare plot near Château Margaux was planted with Cabernet. This cold clay soil almost never allowed the grapes to ripen. That’s why I had Merlot grafted there six years ago. For two years now, we’ve been harvesting great Merlot grapes from this plot. Since my arrival at Lascombes, I have studied all the parcels closely and today we have practically split Lascombes in two. Half of it is irrevocably destined for the second wine. Fortunately, our vineyards are spread far apart. This gives the wine remarkable balance. The soils change every hundred meters. Therefore, it’s of utmost importance to know exactly which grape variety is planted on which subsoil. This, in turn, makes so many Margaux wines so multi-layered. In the 1996 vintage, we had a yield of 50 hl/ha. For us, it’s an absolute Cabernet year and thus the best wine I’ve had the privilege to witness at Lascombes.” 97: Very deep color; dense garnet-purple. Opening, appealing bouquet, tobacco, cold smoke. On the palate, pleasant sweetness in an almost slightly jammy extract, soft acidity, charmingly integrated barrique, warm, berry finish. Finally a very good Lascombes again. During its drinking window, it might even gain a point. (17/20). 08: So it took 10 years until I encountered the wine again! The color appears a bit matte with early maturity. Spicy bouquet; musk, suede, animal Cabernet expression, traces of volatile acidity in the background. Firm palate, well-supporting tannins that are silky on the outside, the body is fairly full; if you want to drink it right away, it’s not entirely “clean” at first; after three hours of decanting, this shortcoming is (almost) resolved. (17/20). 09: drunk from standard bottles and double magnum over two days. Brightening garnet, slightly maturing rim. Open bouquet, light malt, cedar glint, stag leather, discreetly earthy, shows open and quite accessible. On the palate, meaty, lots of substance but with rather fine tannins. Unfortunately, there are very different bottlings of this wine, from cork-tainted/unclean to fine, and somehow everything is possible, with a touch of artisanal character.

Floral, fresh bouquet with red berries, caramel, wood, mocha. Firm, medium-bodied palate with medium tannins, delicate fruit. Dry finish. 17/20 drink - 2018

A throwback to another era, this wine shows an austere, animal nose, with a slight “bell pepper” note betraying a lack of ripeness. This “old-school” Bordeaux lacks precision.

Logo on the cork: No logo Dark color, good intensity, evolved. Fruity nose, reductive and smoky. Short, acidic palate.