Château Lascombes 2015

The iconic, ivy-covered Château Lascombes is one of the most recognizable structures in all of Margaux. One would never expect this picturesque and secluded estate to have one of the largest vineyards in the Médoc.  The vineyard is an astounding 120 hectares primarily located in Margaux; with 10 hectares in the Haut-Médoc appellation.  With a staff of 36, one can imagine the harvest period on such a vast estate would be difficult to manage.  Because of their access to state-of-the-art technology and some of the most desirable plots in Margaux, the viticultural team of Château Lascombes produces wines that continue to impress and receive critical acclaim.

Château Lascombes earned its namesake after its owner, Antoine Chevalier de Lascombes in 1625.  The estate was inherited from the Durfort de Duras family who also owned Château Durfort – later known as the famed Second Growth property, Château Durfort-Vivens. Château Lascombes was classified as a Second Growth estate in 1855, but its history really began when it was purchased almost a hundred years later.  Alexis Lichine and a group of investors – including the wealthy American, David Rockefeller – purchased the estate in 1952.  Lichine was no stranger to the wine market.  He became a salesman of French wine in the US after the end of the Prohibition.  He later published three books on wine: Wines of France (1951, revised 1955), Alexis Lichine's Guide to Wines and Vineyards of France (rev. 1989), and Alexis Lichine’s Encyclopedia of Wines and Spirits (1967, revised 1987).  He was credited with "(teaching) his adopted country to drink wine."  He acquired Château Prieuré, the Fourth Growth property in Margaux, and attached his name to it, hence Château Prieuré-Lichine. He took it upon himself to revitalize the estate that was already on the brink of destruction.  Lichine prioritized his efforts towards purchasing surrounding plots and increasing production.  By the time he sold the estate, he had tripled its output with more than 40 separate plots of vines spread throughout Margaux.

There is a diverse array of soil types at Château Lascombes.  Gravelly outcroppings are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. The property also has limestone terroir, which is highly unique to the Margaux region.  It is the areas with clay and limestone where the primary varietal at Château Lascombes, Merlot, really shines.  Château Lascombes has 50% of its vineyard planted with Merlot – an unusual choice for an estate in Margaux.  The vines are on average 35 years old, and only 50-hectares of the sprawling vineyard are considered able to produce the wines of top Second Growth quality.

The estate is presently managed by Dominique Befve, who brings his expertise from ten years as technical director at Château Lafite Rothschild and Duhart Milon. Upon his arrival, Dominique oversaw major technical innovations to the cellar.  The cellar astonishes visitors with its signature blue lights and technologically advanced Oxoline racks. The racks rotate the barrels and keep the [lees] of the wine in suspension, reducing oxidation and making the wine round and more immediately accessible. The grapes are not harvested by machine, and due to the estate’s enormous size, harvest is a massive undertaking.  Though their production is large, the team at Château Lascombes approaches each vintage with the care and dedication of a significantly smaller estate. The wines of Château Lascombes can be drunk younger due to their accessibility and prove to be an excellent value in terms of Second Growth wines.

"Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Lascombes has a beautiful nose of black forest cake, violets, cassis and tilled soil with wafts of garrigue and potpourri. Medium-bodied, very fine and elegant with great intensity of restrained, earthy flavors, it has a long, savory finish." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate (2/21/2018, Interim Issue), Ratings: 94, Drink: 2021-2039

"The 2015 Lascombes was out of sorts when I re-tasted the wine after bottling, but a year later, it has settled down and is one of the best wines from the estate in recent vintages. It offers delightfully pure, beautifully defined black cherry and blueberry fruit; pressed violet aromas gradually unfurl with aeration. The palate is very well balanced with crisp tannin, which is perhaps still a little rigid but provides a symmetrical framework upon which the pure, graphite-tinged black fruit rests. One to watch. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting." - Neal Martin, vinous.com, (July, 2019), Rating: 92

"A big, bombastic wine from this estate that offers serious amounts of sweet currants, blackberry jam, licorice and oak, the 2015 Château Lascombes has beautiful depth of fruit, a thick, opulent texture and sweet tannin. It’s not going to appeal to the traditionalist out there, but it’s a smokin’ good bottle of wine. Give it 3-4 years and enjoy over the following two decades." Jeb Dunnuck, Let The Good Times Roll: 2015 Bordeaux From Bottle (11/30/2017) Rating: 92

"The 2015 Lascombes has a dense, rich bouquet with licorice and cigar box-infused black fruit and a touch of wilted violet. It feels rather tight-fisted compared to its peers in the Margaux appéllation. The palate is very smooth on the entry, plenty of new oak here, balanced but for want of a better word, missing some personality - especially on the finish that feels just a little labored." - Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate (4/27/2016, Issue 224), Ratings: 89-91, Drink: 2019-2032