2005 Château Larcis-Ducasse

Compelling blueberry and blackberry fruit with gorgeous definition and sumptuousness. The tannins still have shape and structure, and the fruit is still going strong. (RH)

An absolute blockbuster effort from the Thienpont team, the 2005 Château Larcis Ducasse offers up everything you could want from a bottle of wine… and then some. Deep purple/plum hued with a kaleidoscope-like array of black currants, black cherries, tobacco smoke, truffly earth, leather, and chocolate, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, layered, opulent mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, and a gorgeous finish. It’s one of those incredibly powerful yet weightless, elegant wines that are so hard to find. A blend of 78% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, this is up there with some of the greatest Saint-Emilion ever made. Drink bottles over the coming two decades.

Ruby red in colour, tobacco, liqourice and smoky oak on the nose. This was one of the more austere wines during En Primeur and over its first decade, but it has fully integrated now, with supple, plump tannins, lashings of black fruit, fresh truffle, orange peel, saffron, waves of fresh acidity, decades ahead of it. It's on the understated side, with so much of the power remaining reserved rather than overt, but the intensity ramps up as you sit with the glass, and this is a stunning wine that sings of the slow-ageing, teasing nature of limestone. 55% new oak.