Château Lascombes 2009

The 2009, inky blue/purple to the rim, is a final blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot at 14% natural alcohol. The wine has a beautiful blueberry-scented nose with hints of acacia flowers, licorice, graphite and some subtle charcoal and background oak. Clearly a modern style of Margaux, it is pure, seamless, full-bodied and opulent, and the high glycerin and silky texture of 2009 are brilliantly displayed in this wine. Drink it over the next 15+ years, although it is certainly capable of lasting well past two decades. One of the more difficult estates to manage in southern Margaux is the 300 acres of Lascombes, subdivided into at least 40 to 50 separate plots, making harvest decisions, ripening, and related issues a strategic nightmare. Nevertheless, they seem to have hit pay dirt frequently over the last decade plus.

Alluring, with coffee and mocha notes leading the way for fleshy plum, blackberry sauce and spice hints. The toasty finish hangs on nicely. A bit dressed up, but will certainly have some fans. Drink now through 2019. 25,000 cases made.

In 2009, Lascombes was still going long on exuberant expression, and it's still apparent after 10 years. The concentrated palate of ripe fruit, exotic spices and black olives, with some coal, tar and cloves on the finish giving a heavy oak stamp, is more about Lascombes and less about Margaux. It's good quality, but be aware of what you will be drinking.

Very balsamic with slightly chewy tannins, this is a rustic expression of the vintage that needs substantial food to give its best. Plenty of freshness at the finish though. Drink now. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)

Tasted blind. Lively deep crimson. Intense, ripe nose that is probably love-it-or-hate-it. Very rich and sweet with some structure and some oak – still! A showy wine but far from unpleasant! (JR)

With noticeable oak, licorice, jam, smoke, and ripe black and blue fruits, this rich, concentrated, supple wine, produced from a blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot, ends with a rich, chocolate-coated blackberry, coffee and licorice finish. I like the wine. But I'd like to see a little less oak.

Dark ruby, purple reflections, delicate edge brightening. Tobacco, sweet blackberry confit, dark cherry, candied orange zest. Juicy, elegant, already developed, appears somewhat broad-meshed, ripe tannins, floral touch, chocolaty finish, already well developed and the first drinking maturity has been reached.

Sweet and perfumed, modern fruit and fine spices, yet with elegance and finesse, very full and concentrated with soft extraction and a velvety mouthfeel, layers of dark fruit, blackcurrant, blackberry, minerals, and a truly long, lingering finish.

Silky, dense, creamy, mineral, complex bouquet: strawberry jelly, slate, flint, tobacco, licorice. Creamy, full, fruity palate with powerful, sweet aromatics, fine tannins, dense structure, long, full finish. 19/20 drink - 2035

Clear sandalwood and smoked almond aromatics; there is oak influence but it is integrated, and thoroughly enjoyable. Not the same depth of fruit as in some of the Margaux 2009s, but full of raspberries, pomegranate, wet stones, orange peel, touches of campfire smoke, ready to enjoy.

In keeping with the estate’s style, it plays on very ripe fruit, with a rounded, generous feel on the palate. This opulent, charming wine is just a touch short on refinement to match the very best.

Dense palate with very lovely sweetness, smooth, elegant texture, dries out a little, very spicy finish.

Lascombes 2009 is a real dessert, it’s so indulgent! What charm and density in this wine. The bouquet is very inviting, revealing notes of perfectly ripe black berries with subtle hints of coffee and chocolate. A smooth, dense, well-balanced and utterly seductive wine. What a superb wine.

The nose is powerful, sun-drenched and racy. It reveals notes of blackberry, crushed raspberry and, more subtly, fleshy strawberry, combined with a hint of violet, a very discreet touch of black cherry, some oak, as well as a subtle hint of sweet spices/vanilla and toast. The palate is fruity, balanced and offers a lovely mineral backbone, fine freshness, a pleasing texture, fleshiness, good density and a delicate underlying acidity. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of crushed blackberry, black cherry, ripe berries and crushed raspberry, combined with touches of coffee, oak, sweet spices, cardamom and a very discreet hint of undergrowth. The tannins are well handled. Good length.

Dark, intense color. Discreet, fruity nose with hints of dried fruit. Toasted bread. Lovely oak. Broad attack on the palate, then the wine unfolds with a supple texture, very fruity and aromatic. It “merlots” mid-palate and the finish lacks a touch of structure, which makes me wish for a bit more Cabernet Sauvignon. Good length.

Deep purple-garnet, dense at the core, with violet highlights on the rim. Very aromatic bouquet with lots of ripe berries, milky complexity, delicate coffee notes—everything spot on from the nose. On the palate, velvety, soft, and beautifully poised; ripe, sweet tannins with plenty of finesse; the power and breed reveal themselves in the extract; extremely long finish. Perhaps the best Lascombes ever! (19/20). 15: A magnum at a dinner at Lascombes. Sweet, opulent, creamy, nutty. Like a magnificent wine cream. You could drink it without restraint. If you don’t (yet) have it—buy it without hesitation!

92-94 Barrel sample. Big ripe and juicy, with a core of dark spice and wood. The wine is full-bodied, richly fruity.