The 2016 Château Larcis Ducasse is a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru from an 11-hectare, south-facing clay-limestone hillside site on the Côte of Saint-Émilion. Classified as Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé (B), the estate has been in the Gratiot-Attmane family since 1893, with a modern quality upswing since the early 2000s under director Nicolas Thienpont and consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt. The 2016 is Merlot-led—typically around 85–87% Merlot with the balance Cabernet Franc—clocking in around 14.5% alcohol, and matured roughly 16–18 months in French oak (about 50–60% new, depending on the account).
This is a benchmark vintage here, with several excellent reviews. James Suckling awarded 99 points, calling the aromas “spellbinding” and describing a palate that is “full body, but always tight and reserved,” urging patience: “Please try not to touch this until 2025.” Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (96 points) highlights how the wine “sashays gracefully out of the glass” with “Black Forest cake” and preserves-like fruit, finishing “very long” and “perfumed,” according to Lisa Perrotti-Brown. Jeb Dunnuck (97 points) notes the wine’s élevage in “50% new French oak” and calls it “deep, rich, opulent and expansive,” adding it is “capable of keeping for three decades or more.”
The theme across critics is power shaped by limestone freshness and structure. Wine Spectator (95 points) points to “cassis, plum reduction and blueberry preserve” and a defining mineral note: “A bolt of chalk emerges steadily through the finish,” recommending 2023–2038 and noting it “will need some time to unwind fully.” Decanter (95 points) similarly calls it “still closed yet powerful,” emphasizing “concentration and freshness,” “precision tannins,” “slate minerality and menthol uplift,” with “60% new oak.” Even more recently, The Wine Palate (97 points) finds it “still very tightly wound,” with “amazing tension” and “epic length,” advising extended cellaring despite its current appeal.
