2021 Lascombes

The 2021 Château Lascombes is deep ruby/plum-hued and reveals beautiful aromatics of red and black currants, smoked tobacco, graphite, and integrated oak, with a kiss of violet and flowers emerging with air. It's medium-bodied and has a focused, elegant mouthfeel, rock-solid mid-palate depth, and ripe tannins, with its oak and acidity both beautifully integrated. This is one classy, seamless, yet relatively serious Margaux that will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and drink brilliantly over the following decade. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot, aged 18 months in French oak. Tasted multiple times with consistent notes.

The 2021 Lascombes was bottled in June 2023. It has an attractive nose, not amazingly complex but demonstrating purity of fruit: black cherries, a touch of cassis and that inkwell trait I commented upon from barrel. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, quite tensile but there is a slight tapering-off toward the finish. Nonetheless, I appreciate the linearity of this Margaux, and it should drink well for 15-20 years.

The 2021 Lascombes is a soft, easygoing Margaux to drink now and over the next handful of years. The 2021 is nicely balanced, but it is also simple and lacking in both complexity and structure. Dark-toned fruit, licorice, spice, leather and lavender inform the attractive finish. I liked this more en primeur.