2012 Chateau Larcis Ducasse Saint-Emilion 750 ml

Outpointing Petrus and Cheval Blanc: Top-Rated Bordeaux of 2012

On June 30th, 2015, Robert Parker published a fascinating article about the 2005 vintage in Bordeaux. A decade after that historic harvest, The Wine Advocate went into great detail about the nuances of that very dry, hot growing season, and why the Right Bank’s stars outperformed all but one of the Médoc’s First Growths.

Pomerol and St.-Émilion superstars Cheval Blanc, Pavie, Ausone, Angélus, L’Eglise Clinet, Lafleur, Troplong Mondot, and Péby-Faugères garnered 100-point ratings. But the most surprising “perfect” score — surprising to most collectors, if not to us — was garnered by Château Larcis Ducasse.

Ever since Nicolas Thienpont took over the management of Larcis Ducasse and Flying Winemaker Stéphane Derenoncourt followed in turn, we’ve been collecting vintages drawn off this meticulously farmed 11-hectare vineyard on the famed Côte Pavie. Much like Cheval Blanc, Thienpont and Derenoncourt have been crafting massively concentrated, intensely concentrated St.-Émilions that consistently rank among the greatest wines of the Right Bank.

In 2012, a vintage that resembles 2005, Larcis Ducasse turned out one of the most luscious blends of the year. Here’s why.

The spring of 2012 was cold and wet, making for a small, irregular fruit set. By July, Larcis Ducasse was two full weeks behind. It seemed that any hope of a vintage that matched the richness and structure of 2005, 2009, and 2010 was out of reach.

Then, in mid-July, Nature did an about-face. The weather turned warm and dry right up until the fall equinox. When sporadic storms arrived in September, The Wine Advocate wrote, “The initial rains were ideal for serving as a catalyst for photosynthesis… By the end of September, it was clear that much of Pomerol, along with the merlot in Pessac-Léognan and St.-Émilion, had already been harvested under relatively fine conditions.”

The Wine Advocate described the tiny, 2,400-case production of Château Larcis Ducasse as hitting “the palate with a full-bodied, thunderous effect… ripe and one of the great stars of the vintage – again. The wine has full-bodied texture, gorgeous purity, richness and length. Drink it over the next 20 years. 95 points.” Antonio piled on, posting a matching 95, making Larcis Ducasse one of the highest rated Bordeaux of the year.

There’s only one issue in laying down bottles from what we believe to be one of St.-Émilion’s greatest properties — precious few cases make it stateside. 240 bottles have been earmarked for WineAccess, all perfectly stored, drawn directly from the cellars in St.-Émilion.