Winemaker Notes
This inaugural edition of La Côte Lascombes captures both the character of an exceptional vintage and the distinctive expression of this unexpected clay-limestone terroir in the Médoc. It presents itself with a youthful and intense color, hinting at great richness. The nose reveals vibrant, ripe fruit complemented by subtle notes of sweet spices. On the palate, the sumptuous balance of the vintage is evident, with a dense texture and velvety power, supported by juicy, saline acidity- the hallmark of great limestone terroirs.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A new wine from this château that's made from 100% Merlot planted on the more limestone portions of the estate, the 2022 La Cotes Lascombes has a ruby/purple hue to go with a supple, layered, beautifully textured style. It offers notes of red and black fruits, graphite, crushed stone, and beautifully integrated oak. I love its overall balance, it has ripe, velvety tannins, and a great finish. It should keep for at least two decades.
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Vinous
The 2022 La Côte de Lascombes is just as impressive as it was when I tasted it a few months ago. Dense and explosive, the 2022 possesses notable textural richness and pure power. The 2022 was vinified by the former team here, so it naturally shows considerable extraction and a much stronger oak imprint than is the case with the vintages that follow it. Black cherry, plum, chocolate, licorice and espresso stain the palate on the potent finish.
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Wine Spectator
This captures the suave and generous fruit of the vintage nicely, letting dark plum and mulberry compote notes unfurl steadily, carried by a cushy structure and infused with subtle accents of chalky minerality, violet and incense. Best from 2027 through 2037. 3,000 cases made, 1,000 cases imported.
On a hillside at the entrance to Margaux, in the heart of the Médoc, Château Lascombes is a Second Growth from the 1855 classification with a long history, characterized by pioneering owners and a terroir that reflects all the characteristics of the appellation. Since 2022, an ambitious family-oriented renewal has been underway with new owner Gaylon Lawrence, Jr., a lover of Bordeaux wines, and Axel Heinz, a highly respected winemaker who excelled in Tuscany for almost twenty years.
The Lascombes range of wines reflects the incomparable diversity of the estate’s terroirs. A collector’s Grand Vin, predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon from gravelly soils, refocused on the historic terroir, offers a graceful, powerful expression of the classic Bordeaux style. The second wine, Chevalier de Lascombes, presents the freshness and vibrant fruit so dear to Margaux lovers. The latest addition to the Lascombes family of wines is La Côte Lascombes, a wine that showcases a new perspective from a single vineyard block of Merlot with soils of blue clay.
With generous fruit and supple tannins, Merlot is made in a range of styles from everyday-drinking to world-renowned and age-worthy. Merlot is the dominant variety in the wines from Bordeaux’s Right Bank regions of St. Emilion and Pomerol, where it is often blended with Cabernet Franc to spectacular result. Merlot also frequently shines on its own, particularly in California’s Napa Valley. Somm Secret—As much as Miles derided the variety in the 2004 film, Sideways, his prized 1961 Château Cheval Blanc is actually a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
Silky, seductive and polished are the words that characterize the best wines from Margaux, the most inland appellation of the Médoc on the Left Bank of Bordeaux.
Margaux’s gravel soils are the thinnest of the Médoc, making them most penetrable by vine roots—some reaching down over 23 feet for water. The best sites are said to be on gentle outcrops, or croupes, where more gravel facilitates good drainage.
The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification but it is nonetheless important in regards to history of the area. In 1855 the finest chateaux were deemed on the basis of reputation and trading price—at that time. In 1855, Chateau Margaux achieved first growth status, yet it has been Chateau Palmer (officially third growth from the 1855 classification) that has consistently outperformed others throughout the 20th century.
Chateau Margaux in top vintages is capable of producing red Cabernet Sauvignon based wines described as pure, intense, spell-binding, refined and profound with flavors and aromas of black currant, violets, roses, orange peel, black tea and incense.
Other top producers worthy of noting include Chateau Rauzan-Ségla, Lascombes, Brane-Cantenac, and d’Issan, among others.
The best wines of Margaux combine a deep ruby color with a polished structure, concentration and an unrivaled elegance.