Chateau Lascombes 2023

JAMES SUCKLING: "Aromas of stone, black licorice, tar, blackberry and slightly burnt orange. Medium to full body with a solid core of tannins and tight but juicy fruit. More chiseled and tannic than in the past."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Feine Kräuterwürze, Nuancen von Cassis und schwarzen Kirschen, tabakig, ein Hauch von Edelholz. saftig, elegant, reife Kirschen und Pflaumen, feine Tannine, gute Frische, mineralisch und anhaftend, ein sehr balancierter Wein mit Länge und Reifepotenzial."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "A wine that begins a new era for this estate, the 2023 Lascombes (which I examined from separate components before tasting the prospective blend) offers up aromas of dark berries and plums mingled with hints of crushed mint, violets and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and velvety, with good depth and purity, it's a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. This estate, which was formerly one of the Médoc's poster children for over-ripeness and over-extraction, is assuredly coming in from the cold."