Chateau Lascombes
You drive through the small village of Margaux, then turn left in front of the excellent restaurant Le Savoie, passing an extraordinary bakery shop on the little street, and then you see a big, big property. 115 ha of vines planted with 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Petit Verdot. The vines here are, on average, 35 years old, and the soil composition is somewhat atypical for the Margaux district, comprising limestone, clay, and gravel. Limestone and clay particularly favor Merlot. There are many parcels spread over the whole Margaux district.
Dominique Befve, who had worked at Lafite Rothschild, arrived here in 2001 when the USA-based investment group Colony Capital purchased the property after 30 years of ownership by the English brewery company Bass Charrington. Before Bass Charrington stepped in, Alexis Lichine bought Lascombes in 1952, along with a group of American investors.
Colony Capital made considerable investments in Lascombes and heavily modernized the winemaking facilities. Six years later, they put Lascombes up for sale, but first, in 2011, a French insurance group, MASCF, purchased it. The new owner has not made any personal changes and has retained the entire wine team. In autumn 2022, Lawrence Wine Estates, an American company that owns, among others, Heitz Cellar in Napa Valley, and managing partner and master sommelier Carlton McCoy, purchased Lascombes from MASCF. Axel Heinz took over winemaking duties for the 2023 vintage after Dominique Befve left the property in September 2023.
Dominique Befve during the 2015 harvest - he had every reason to smile!!
Michel Rolland has been a consultant since 2001. I was fortunate to follow him and Lascombes' technical staff in October 2004, when he checked if the Merlot grapes in a parcel a few kilometers from Lascombes were ready for harvest. It was great to watch and hear his comments. A lesson in explaining phenolic ripeness! Before our "trip" to the vineyard, he opened the back of his car, and there were no less than 20 pairs of different shoes! He was prepared for all kinds of weather.
Michel Rolland in the Lascombes vineyard in October 2004
As my tasting notes indicate, Lascombes is an authentic Margaux wine, characterized by great elegance and style, especially since the 2005 vintage. I don't find it overblown, overdone, or too modern. This 2. Cru is reasonably priced and, therefore, a great value for money.
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2024 Lascombes (barrel sample) 93p
Tasted in April 2025. The style introduced by new winemaker Axel Heintz means a powerful and intense wine displaying fresh cherry and blackberry flavors. It is well-balanced, possesses a refined midpalate, and showcases a strong structure and length, culminating in a meaty finish. It's fine for the vintage.
2023 Lascombes (barrel sample) 93-94p
Tasted twice - last time in September 2024. This property changed hands in 2022, and Axel Heinz took over winemaking duties for the 2023 vintage after Dominique Befve left the property in October 2022. I tasted the wine twice: at Cité du Vin and the Rolland tasting at La Dominique. There has been a noticeable change in style from a very elegant, flashy, and perfumed wine to a more intense wine. Axel Heinz has made rigorous selections concerning parcels to be included in the Grand Vin. Only the parcels surrounding the property contributed to the blend. 93-94p. It was retasted in September 2024 in Copenhagen with an identical performance and rating.
2022 Lascombes 95-96p
Tasted three times - last time in April 2025. Consistent notes. 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. There is significantly less Merlot and more Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend than in previous vintages. A powerful wine with aromatic and intense blackcurrants, sappy, corpulent, creamy berries on the palate, full-bodied, splendid complexity, a fine midpalate, vibrant, and a long aftertaste. Great effort. Still excellent when retasted in April 2025!
2021 Lascombes (barrel sample) 92p
Tasted twice in April 2022 with the same impression. Consistent notes. It was light but elegant, with silky fruit and tannin, a velvety texture, and a delicate finish. This wine will surely mature much sooner than, for instance. 2018 and 2019.
2020 Lascombes 94-95p
Tasted twice - last time in April 2023. Consistent notes. 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot. 13.5% alcohol. It had an aromatic nose of blackcurrants, grilled bacon, and fresh coffee beans, displaying stylish elegance and finesse, with a fine structure and finely grained tannins. A bit lighter than usual. It's a textbook Margaux wine.
2019 Lascombes 94-95p
Tasted twice - last time in September 2023. Consistent notes. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon + 45% Merlot + 5% Petit Verdot, 14.5% alcohol for Merlot, 13% for Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. A very intense and noble nose of crushed blackcurrants, refined with great elegance and finesse. Remarkable precision. Great length and a long finish. On par with 2018! Sublime stuff!
2018 Lascombes 95p
Tasted three times - last time in December 2020. Consistent notes. 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot. Sensual and aromatic nose of grilled bacon and coffee beans, great elegance and finesse, powerful, sophisticated touch, silky berries, and finely grained tannin. It's as authentic and classy Margaux wine as it can be! Wonderfully captivating effort. It improved a lot compared to the barrel sample!
2017 Lascombes 93p
Tasted in April 2018. This barrel sample had a remarkably aromatic nose of black fruit, a generous oak presence, splendid complexity, and length. Persistent finish. Well-made wine.
2016 Lascombes 95-96p
Tasted for times - last time in October 2019. Consistent notes. It is a stylish wine with a strong structure and aristocratic elegance, complex and precise with pretty fruit and tannin, well-defined, elegant, and with fine acidity. Persistent finish. Impressive stuff.
2015 Lascombes 94+p
Tasted three times - the last time in January 2018. Consistent notes. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot. Big, complete, complex, and with more concentration and power than usual. Precise and focused wine with well-integrated fruit and tannin. Liquid silk with a lot of sweetness.
2014 Lascombes 93p
Tasted twice - last time in October 2017. Consistent notes. Classic Bordeaux/Margaux, coolish style, great acidity, finesse and elegance, harmonious and persistent finish. There's great potential here.
2013 Lascombes 89p
Tasted twice - last time in December 2016. Consistent notes. Quite successful for the vintage. Adorable, light, round, and soft. Very tasty. Bad weather conditions during the growing season prevented the production of a better wine. To consume before its tenth birthday.
2012 Lascombes 93p
Tasted five times - last time in September 2017. Consistent notes. A lovely, aromatic, catchy, seductive, and tasty wine that takes you by storm. Sweet fruit and tannin, all packed in velvet. Barely as rich, concentrated, and long as 2016, 2015, and 2010, but who cares? Significantly cheaper than chateaux' big vintages. Splendid effort for the vintage!
2011 Lascombes 88p
Tasted in September 2019. Fruity, lovely, and elegant. Not as sexy, attractive, or seductive as 2012, but light and with a good finish.
2010 Lascombes 94p
Tasted three times - last time in October 2017. Not consistent notes. This wine is an elegant monster with a fat and creamy texture, all wrapped in silk. This wine has turned on all its cylinders after a so-so period while in the barrel. After bottling, it's been only one way concerning quality - and it's been up!
2009 Lascombes 93p
Tasted twice - last time in April 2013. Consistent notes. Sweet fruit and tannin, with a complex profile and a long, lovely finish. Sheer elegance and delicate balance, velvety texture. Seductive effort.
2008 Lascombes 92p
Tasted twice - last time in April 2013. Consistent notes. This wine was more classic than the 2010 and 2009 vintages, yet still exhibited good intensity, ripeness, and complexity.
2006 Lascombes 92p
Tasted twice - last time in April 2016. Quite mineral, grilled bacon, tobacco leaves, fine backbone, and depth, elegant and with finesse. There is more Cabernet Sauvignon than usual in the blend.
2005 Lascombes 94p
Tasted three times - last time in January 2023. Consistent notes. Creamy, sweet, fat fruit and tannin, great depth and balance, long, lingering finish. Stylish and elegant. It is an excellent effort.
2003 Lascombes 89p
Tasted twice - last time in April 2013. Consistent notes. This wine had a touch of warm fruit, and the tannins were slightly dry. It appeared that the grapes suffered from the extreme heat in August. This wine will not age well.
2001 Lascombes 90-91p
Tasted four times - last time in April 2013. Consistent notes. Lighter than usual, elegant, refined, and very tasty. Round and seductive.
1971 Lascombes 93p
Tasted in October 2019. A splendid nose of ripe blackcurrants, lovely complexity and structure, and a deliciously fruity finish. There is a lot of style and finesse here. Classy wine from the Margaux commune at its peak.
1970 Lascombes 93p
I tasted it in November 2019, from a magnum. It is delicious and delicate, attractive and smooth, very much in the Margaux style, with finesse and elegance. It has a persistently fruity finish.
1955 Lascombes 93p
Tasted in January 2023. Negociant bottling (Barriere). It's still doing well after all these years. Elegance, finesse, smoothness, tasty on the palate, and a lingering finish. Authentic Margaux style.
1949 Lascombes 95p
I tasted it in April 2013 at the property. It was an utterly excellent treat, with lively fruit, remarkable elegance, stunning complexity, and richness.
1947 Lascombes 88p
Tasted in April 2016. A negociant bottling. It is old, with an oyster aroma, still good acidity, and a taste of extracted coffee beans.