Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

I’m opening my last bottle of the 03 Larcis Ducasse after recently reading a couple of professional write ups about the wines fruit fading and to drink up. I did not find that to be the case w/ my last bottle. I found the wine to be around it’s peak form with another 5 years plus ahead. On the nose; menthol, eucalyptus, ripe; dark cherries, cherries, blackberries, plum, poached & candied strawberries, notes of blue fruits, black raspberries, cherry cola, touch herbaceous; sage & bay leaf, limestone & rich, moist, black, turned earth, crushed dry rocks, graphite, dry soil/clay with dry & fresh dark florals. The body is medium full. Tannins are 75-80% resolved. The length, structure, tension & balance are right where I’d expect them to be and are quite enjoyable. The palate is very similar to the nose. Menthol, eucalyptus, ripe; dark cherries, cherries, blackberries, plum, poached & candied strawberries, notes of blue fruits, black raspberries, cherry cola, touch herbaceous; sage & bay leaf, limestone & rich, moist, black, turned earth, crushed dry rocks, dry & very grippy, edgy minerals, Montecristo cigar, graphite, dry soil/clay with dry & fresh dark florals. The acidity is lovely and the long finish is well balanced with an even tug of war between fruit & earth with the dry earth dominate on the long set. Photos of; of their great southern exposed sunny hillside vineyard, the old craved stone entrance and Nicolas Thienpont & Stephane Derenoncourt. Producer notes & history...Chateau Larcis Ducasse began during the days of the ancient Romans, who valued the best hillside vineyards in the area. The early part of the modern era for Larcis Ducasse begins in 1893, when Henri Raba bought the Saint Emilion vineyard. After Henri Raba passed away in 1925, his wife and son Andre Raba continued managing Larcis Ducasse. His niece, Helene Gratiot Alphandery, inherited the property in 1941. She managed Chateau Larcis Ducasse until 1990. Then her son, Jacques-Olivier Gratiot took control of the property after she passed away and he remains in charge today. Chateau Larcis Ducasse remains the property of the Gratiot Alphandery family today. Prior to 2003, it had been years since the wines of Chateau Larcis Ducasse were prized by Bordeaux wine lovers. The wine had fallen out of favor, due to a lack of attention and effort. That changed in 2002 when they hired Saint Emilion consultants, Nicolas Thienpont and Stephane Derenoncourt to turn things around and manage the estate. One of the first improvements at the property suggested by them was to create a new drainage system. The next step was to change harvesting practices. Prior to 2002, the grapes were often picked too early and over a very short duration of 2 to 3 days. Now, the harvest takes place when the fruit is ripe and picking can take as long as 2 to 3 weeks. Starting with the 2005 vintage, all work in the vineyards moved to 100% organic farming methods. The 10.85 hectare St. Emilion vineyard of Larcis Ducasse is planted to 78% Merlot and 22% Cabernet Franc. This shows a slight change in the vineyard, as more Cabernet Franc has been added to the plantings since 2003. The vineyard is located just around the bend in the road from Chateau Pavie. In fact, their vines but up against each other. They are surrounded by more good producers. To the south, is Chateau Canon La Gaffeliere and La Gaffeliere, and as you move north, Chateau Troplong Mondot and Chateau Pavie. The terroir of Chateau Larcis Ducasse is a mixture of soils. The vines on the top of plateau and the slopes have a south facing exposure. At the higher elevations on the plateau, the terroir is limestone, clay and chalk soils. As you travel further down the slopes towards the terraces, the terroir is a blend of chalky limestone, marl, sand, silt and clay soil. At the base of the slopes, you find sand and clay soils. On average the vines are 35 years of age. While the older plantings were done at a vine density of 6,600 vines per hectare, as the vineyard continues to be slowly replanted, the vine density is increasing with each subsequent replanting. The new plantings are being done at 7,500 vines per hectare. They are also using budwood obtained through selection massale. The yields are kept low at Larcis Ducasse. In 2009, the effective yields were only 25 hectoliters per hectare.To produce the wine of Chateau Larcis Ducasse, the grapes are whole berry fermented. The fruit is transported by gravity flow into traditional, cement tanks for fermentation. Cuvaison takes between 25-28 days. There are no pump overs. Pigeages are conducted during fermentation. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel. The wine of Chateau Larcis Ducasse is then aged in 67% new, French oak barrels, which are mixed in size, between standard barrels and 500 liter French, oak casks. The wine is then aged for an average of 18 to 20 months in barrel before bottling. The production averages close to 4,000 cases depending on what the vintage gives. — 8 years ago

Kelly Driscoll

9.0

73% zin, awesome. Lots of spices. Very smooth and perfect with Berger's cheese selection 👍🏼 — 11 years ago

with Alex

Chrisi Grimes

10

Smooth Malbec at its finest — 11 years ago

Jamie Lauren

9.7

Amazing old vine Grenache — 12 years ago

Pedro Rusk

Wine Educator Kendall Jackson

9.7

I believe this was the 2009. It's the old vine selection — 13 years ago

Marco Servetti

9.0

Dylan's selection of the day! — 14 years ago

Boxer Briefs

10

I paid <$5. It’s all about perspective. 100% Syrah, Family farmed, old vine vineyards just outside of Chateauneuf. Concrete, some oak. Really liked this wine with short ribs and mushroom risotto. $50 mystery case sale was a huge winner. — 8 years ago

Nancy Dishner

9.8

Finest Zin I have ever tasted. — 10 years ago

with Harold

Scott Rowe

9.6

Kicking goal at 17 years old.
A culmination of vine pedigree, cork selection, proper cellaring, and decanted at the right time.
It evolved for over 3 hours.
A credit to Penfolds ability to make even lower tier wines with substance.
Soft tannin, earth, spice, surprising fruit! — 10 years ago

with Adam

Chris DeBarr

9.4

Oregon's oldest plantings include this rare, overlooked Semillon that Jeff Vejr makes from the historic Coury vineyard. Simply unadorned yet huge, gorgeous, and begs the question: why isn't there more Semillon growing old & bodacious in Oregon? BTW, this is Jeff's premium selection, named "Ode to Chuck" for Charles Coury! — 10 years ago

with Jeff

Deborah Parker Wong

10

Old vine grenache at its finest. Aromatic, expressive and mineral with fruit focused on the palate. Sand over ferrous sandstone. — 11 years ago

John Davis

8.9

Made from the juice of only the finest, ripest llamas. Great care was obviously taken when squeezing these llamas to preserve the fresh llama aroma and flavor. — 12 years ago

Marie Miller-Rodriguez

9.2

California Wine Club nails it again! They always send varietals that is never buy from a region I'm usually not a fan of - this selection paired well with chicken parm with a red pepper marinara. — 13 years ago

Troy Tonyan

9.9

A compelling blend of California’s finest plantings of Old Vine Zinfandel, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah, this wine surpasses all expectation for pure enjoyment and approachability.

Calling on their years of experience and tradition, Bogle winemakers have delivered a wine with...

RICH, enticing layers of complexity, starting with that first
irresistible sip.

RIPE fruit, intense with flavors of boysenberries and sweet cherries.

LUSCIOUS vanilla, caressing the palate from barrel aging in American and French oak.

JUICY and silky throughout, with a finish that lingers of black licorice and spicy pipe tobacco.
— 13 years ago

Patrick Derdeyn

9.2

Bright pink rose with a bit of a darker fruit profile, I'm guessing that characteristic comes from the heavy dose of 100+yr old mourvedre. There is also a melon note here that is delicious and keeps me reaching for the next glass. Great rose year after year but this may be its finest vintage to date. — 9 years ago

Kate Moore

9.0

Chairmans selection in PA. LIVED UP TO IT. Ate with sushi. Bold but not overwhelming. Fruity flavor. Smooth and refreshing. — 10 years ago

Drink Organic

9.8

Truly historic, this wine. 43 year old vines planted by Rodney Strong, crafted by #Sebastiani winemaker of 30 years, Mark Lyon. Now in transition to #Biodynamic and on track to receive Demeter Certification late 2016, this wine carries even more value. And, oh my, does it deliver. Chocolate, cherry, blueberry, tea - this exemplifies all the special qualities #AlexanderValley is known for and more. Extraordinary. — 10 years ago

Frances Arden

9.4

Delicious. — 10 years ago

Renwood Winery

Marketing Director, Renwood Winery

10

2013 Premier Old Vine Zinfandel is beautiful and dark, with glints of ruby red. Blended from 50 individual lots of Old Vine Zinfandel and aged 16 months in the finest French oak, the resulting wine is intriguing and sumptuous. Chocolate, raspberry and vanilla bean greet you on the nose, followed by bright red fruit flavored. Both powerful and refined, the finesse of this wine makes it perfect for an everyday sip, or for a special meal. An opulent wine, to enjoy now and for the next 5 years. — 10 years ago

Mason Balistreri

Sommelier, International Wine Guild; Balistreri Vineyard; Sales, Joy Wine and Spirits

9.4

Even though there are plenty of aweful wines made from Zin, I still consider it one of my favorite grapes - and tasting one like this makes it clear why. Rustic with olive and brushy bramble spices. Powerful but made authentically - drinking a glass you become instantly transported to some beautiful vineyard in Sonoma. Sense of place, pleasurable and interesting. This is American wine at its finest. — 11 years ago

Ben Murphy

9.4

Great Value — 12 years ago

Jonathan Klonecke

Sales Revel Wines

9.5

if old white burgundy had bubbles. old vine massale selection from ludes. a producer to watch... — 13 years ago

Pouyan Haidari-Tabrizi

9.9

One the finest Zins I've ever had! Yes! — 13 years ago