Château Lascombes 2005

The Château Lascombes 2005 has one of the most extravagant bouquets from the Margaux appellation, with copious red berry fruit, candied orange peel, marmalade, and cedar scents bursting from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with soft tannins, a little more advanced than its peers, with a slight dryness appearing toward the finish. I would have liked just a little more focus and cohesion here, though it can still boast impressive length.

Dark in color, with an impressive nose of licorice, toasty oak, chocolate and blackberry. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long, caressing finish. Very pretty and structured. Best after 2012. 25,000 cases made.

Tasted blind. Youthful crimson appearance. Light, liquorice-scented nose. Thick and dense. Pretty chewy tannins. A bit austere and scrawny. (JR)

The 2005 Lascombes, served from jeroboam, has a well-defined nose with scents of blackberry, brine and cassis aromas percolating up with time, nicely focused. The palate is medium-bodied, with hints of menthol and liquorice infusing the black fruit. There is good density here though it is just missing a little finesse toward the finish. I find myself smitten by the aromas, but the palate leaves me wanting more.

Pungent aromas of vanilla, blackberry, blueberry, licorice, black cherry and espresso. Thick, rich, dense, lush and polished, this powerful, fruit-filled Margaux wine demands up to a decade to shed its oak-dominated personality.

Impressive aromatics of currants, smoked tobacco, saddle leather, classy oak, and hints of truffly earth all emerge from the 2005 Château Lascombes, a concentrated, pure, layered, medium- to full-bodied effort that has the vintage’s dense, structured profile while staying light on its feet and elegant. This beautiful, finesse-driven Margaux is clearly in its prime drinking window yet has another two decades of longevity. The blend is 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot, all aged 18 months in new oak.

52% Cabernet Sauvi - gnon, 45% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 40 hl/ha, 80% Grand Vin, 100% new barriques. Dark ruby with a brightening watery rim. Noble, ripe cassis on the nose, paired with refined spice. On the second pass, leather notes, light tobacco and rosewood. On the powerful palate, supporting tannins with a gorgeous, ripe extract sweetness. In the focused, aromatic finish, wild raspberries and a refined note of thyme. Magnificent Lascombes!

Deep, dark ruby with a purple sheen. Devilish wild-berry bouquet, sweet, expansive and powerful; the fruit feels gently jammy underneath yet balances beautifully with the dark roasted notes. On the palate very aromatic, from red to predominantly blueberry, showing slightly extracted notes in the astringency, with a long finish. (18/20). 07: Pure erotica, lots of coconut and vanilla, Richebourg-like sweetness. Dancy yet fuller palate, full of finesse. Easily earns its points! 08: Creamy, long, with great harmony. It is already beautiful to drink and now deserves one more point than in earlier tastings. So a very good buy. (19/20). 09: Brightening garnet with a ruby rim. Sweet, soft bouquet, light coffee and fine roasted notes, already surprisingly accessible and almost sexy. Fine, delicate palate with elegant, caressing tannins, great balance and breathtaking beauty. No sin to open it now; it will likely remain a Margaux beauty. (19/20). 13: We drank a magnum with tartare at the Vierzähni in Goldau. At first the acidity bothered me a bit, but with the piquancy of the cold meat dish, it worked more than just very well. I would now wait a bit again. 16: Again showing that (too) dominant acidity on the tongue. Until it has that better under control, respectively integrated, I’ll take one point back for now. The potential is/would be good. 18: The acidity has integrated and subsequently become slightly milky. Together with the abundant blackberries, this yields a yogurt-like character of exceptional wine class. (19/20).

Mineral, dense, fresh, complex bouquet; strawberry jelly, mint, mocha, fine herbs, flint. Tightly knit, velvety, fresh palate with sweet fruit, fine tannins, creamy texture, diverse aromatics, long, delicate finish. 18/20 drink - 2038

Inky purple in colour even at 19 years old. This is exuberant in the style of Lascombes at the time, and it is holding up well, remaining expressive and enticing. Grilled cedar and sandalwood, blueberry and blackberry fruit, oak more evident than in the 2004 which is perhaps surprising given the quality of the 2005 vintage, and surely speaks to choices in the cellar. Malolactic in barrel, élevage on the lees for 4 months using Oxoline. Less finessed charm than some 2005 Margaux, but hard to argue with the quality. 40 hl/ha yield, harvest September 21 to October 19, 100% new oak. Dominique Befve director, Alain Raynaud and Michel Rolland consultant winemakers.

The 2005 Lascombes is a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-brick in color, it leaps with a vibrant nose of boysenberries, cassis, and wild blueberries with suggestions of menthol and cedar. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers a firm, fine-grained texture with lovely freshness and purity, culminating in a long fruity finish. Delicious now, it should keep a further 15 years+. Around 25,000 cases were made. Lascombes is the largest vineyard in Margaux at nearly 300 acres, 50% planted to Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Petit Verdot.

In bottle, the wine stands out for a more delicate, seamlessly integrated texture and tannins than others (perhaps due to skillful oxygenation during élevage), but it should age very well. Lovely flavor complexity.

Its development is proving favorable. Tight, dense and deep, this 2005 is an exuberant Lascombes with real depth of substance, offering flavors of very ripe black fruit and an imposing mass of tannins. It favors power over elegance, yet it doesn’t lack charm.

The wine has closed down, but it shows great concentration, is very well structured, and stretches out beautifully on the palate. Let’s remember that Lascombres 2005 beat all the first growths in a blind tasting.

Superb, multifaceted bouquet that combines freshness, development, and complexity. Notes of blackcurrant and mint, followed by a hint of cedar. On the palate, the wine continues this paradoxical approach, where the aromatic intensity is perfectly supported by the structure while the tannins add breadth. A fruity, persistent finish. A great success.

Lascombes is approaching the form its status as a second growth suggests. This wine is close, packed with dark fruits, figs and juicy black currant extract. The aftertaste has some bitterness, with layers of toast and spice coming through strongly.