2022 Chateau Lascombes Margaux 750 ml

Château Lascombes, one of five Second Growths in Margaux, dates back to the 17th century, but the estate’s golden age has been modern: It remained in mismanagement for decades until it was purchased by an American group in 2001.

Thus began the renaissance. The new owners’ first order of business was to hire a dream team of Bordelais vintners—Bruno Lemoine of Château Montrose, Alain Raynaud of La Fleur de Gay, and Michel Rolland—and give them, as Robert Parker put it, “carte blanche authority to make all the necessary changes in the vineyard and cellars.” They cut yields by two-thirds, quickly producing what Parker called “undoubtedly the finest Lascombes produced in thirty years.” 

In 2022, billionaire-backed Lawrence Wine Estates made their move, expressing their ambitions directly: “Château Lascombes is a special place, and we will spare no expense to ensure that we bring it to its full potential," Master Sommelier and CEO Carlton McCoy said.

Less than a year after that came the second whammy: LWE announced that Ornellaia boss Axel Heinz was joining as CEO of Lascombes. Heinz has been director of Ornellaia for the past two decades—he’s one of the world’s most respected wine pros, and that’s one of the best jobs on the planet—and he was leaving for Lascombes!

This 2022, harvested before Heinz’s arrival, certainly ratifies every move Lawrence, McCoy, and Heinz made. We see HUGE ambitions here—as in, we don’t think this team will be content until Lascombes is seen as a rival to Château Margaux itself. This bottle boasts everything you want in a Grand Cru Classé Bordeaux, at less than a fifth of the price of Palmer. You’ll be glad you got in on the ground floor.