Appellations

Lascombes 2018

Margaux, Second Growth

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Tasting Notes

The 2018 Lascombes sports an attractive nose of well-defined black fruit mingling with freshly rolled tobacco and earthy aromas. As I wrote last year, this is more refined and controlled than other vintages of Lascombes. The palate is cohesive and focused, and gentle in terms of grip, with fine salinity toward the finish. There is a Pauillac-like personality here and thankfully it no longer shows any of that baked character on the finish. This is decent Lascombes.

Score: 91 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2023 - 2040 Date: 22 August 2021

The 2018 Lascombes has a ripe bouquet (as usual), though not too over-the-top given the growing season. It does miss the delineation and finesse of other Margaux crus, however. The palate is medium-bodied with sharp tannins and good acidity, but the fruit feels smudged and slightly baked toward the finish. Not bad by a long shot, but I wish it showed more finesse and nuance.

Score: 90 - 92 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2023-2040 Date: 01 November 2019

The 2018 Château Lascombes performed brilliantly in my tastings. It's a rich, medium to full-bodied, impressively textured Margaux with loads to love. Lots of jammy currants, blueberries, vanilla bean, flowers, and camphor emerge from the glass, and it has ripe yet present tannins, no hard edges, and just a balanced, classy style. It needs 3-4 years to integrate its oak and will keep for 25 years or more. The blend is 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Petit Verdot that was brought up in 60% new French oak.

Score: 94 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Maturity: 2024 - 2049 Date: 19 July 2021

The 2018 Château Lascombes showed nicely, possessing plenty of richness as well as a light, elegant, weightless profile. Classy notes of black and blue fruits, smoked earth, and ample minerality all give way to a medium to full-bodied Margaux that’s not a heavyweight yet shines for its balance and purity. It’s going to fill out nicely with 3-5 years of cellaring.

Score: 91 - 93 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Date: 01 May 2019

The 2018 Lascombes is deep garnet-purple in color, slowly unfurling in the glass to reveal evocative cassis, black cherries and blackberry pie scents, followed by hints of pencil lead, menthol, lavender and cedar chest with a touch of damp soil. The medium to full-bodied palate gives a great core of muscular black fruits, framed by firm, grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and savory.

Score: 93 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2023 - 2040 Date: 15 July 2021

The 2018 Lascombes is deep garnet-purple in color and a little reduced to begin, offering tar and scorched earth notions over an emerging core of baked blackcurrants, plum preserves and charcuterie plus hints of bay leaves and underbrush. Full, richly fruited and laden with ripe black fruits and earthy suggestions, it has a solid foundation of firm, grainy tannins and finishes long and savory.

Score: 92 - 94 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Date: 23 April 2019

For me, Lascombes always manages to get away with its exuberance and powerful push because it combines this with floral aromatics and a sense of unashamed enjoyment. It has more of an oak finesse than some, as you may expect, and it's not quite as juicy as the 2015 and 2016 but it settles into the glass and shows layers of complexity, a big punch of fruit and clear ambition. Good yields of 45hl/ha. 40% new oak.

Score: 92 Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2027-2040 Date: 15 April 2019

This is a dense and very structured young red with currant and citrus character, such as burnt orange. Full-bodied with chewy yet polished tannins and a long and flavorful finish.

Score: 94 - 95 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Date: 11 April 2019

The 2018 Lascombes is quite attractive in this vintage. Black cherry, plum, cloves, leather, tobacco and licorice all run through a succulent, supple Margaux that will drink well with minimal cellaring. This is an especially modern, fruit-forward style. Tasted two times.

Score: 90 - 93 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Date: 01 April 2019

Dark and winey, with steeped currant and plum fruit forming the core, inlaid with a licorice root note and backed by a suave mesquite hint on the finish. Fine-grained. A serious wine.

Score: 93 - 96 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator Date: 01 April 2019