Château Larcis Ducasse
The south-facing slopes that lie against the edge of the limestone plateau of St Emilion, just to the south of the town, have proved their worth in recent years. Although there is an impressive gathering of châteaux up on the hard Calcaire à Astéries that lies beneath and around the town, those who know the wines of St Emilion have long regarded this slope of limestone and clay, the Côte de Pavie, as special. This belief has, over the years, been reinforced by the St Emilion classification, perhaps most notably in 2012. Without a doubt the biggest surprise of the new classification was the elevation of two châteaux to premier grand cru classé, level A, one of which was of course Château Pavie, the other Château Angelus. Their elevation did tend to overshadow other promotions made in the new classification, one of which was also on the Côte de Pavie. This was Château Larcis Ducasse, promoted from grand cru classé to premier grand cru classé, level B.
The promotion was noteworthy because, during the latter years of the 20th century, Château Larcis Ducasse was regarded by many as an underperforming estate. Writing in Bordeaux: A Comprehensive Guide (Dorling Kindersley, revised 3rd edition, 1998), Robert Parker (I suspect you have heard of him) wrote with a pithy hand, “This wine enjoys an excellent reputation, but until the early eighties the quality was unimpressive. Prior to 1982 too many wines consistently displayed a lean, austere, skinny taste and structure, although I have fond memories of a profound 1945. Since 1982 the quality of Larcis Ducasse has improved, but my instincts suggest this wine could be even finer.”
What was it that turned Château Larcis Ducasse (pictured below) from could do better to ripe for promotion?
Some credit must surely go to Jacques Olivier Gratiot, a scion of the Gratiot family, and the fourth generation of his family to take over the running of the property. This he did in 1990, although it was not until 2002 that he made his killer move. This was when he turned the day-to-day management of the vineyards and winemaking over to Nicolas Thienpont, a cousin to Alexandre Thienpont of Vieux Château Certan and Jacques Thienpont of Le Pin. Nicolas took the property in hand, running it alongside his other principal St Emilion responsibility, Château Pavie-Macquin, which sits just over the crest of the Côte de Pavie, behind Pavie and Larcis Ducasse. It is surely no coincidence that, one decade later, the property took a step up the classification ladder.
Today Nicolas has stepped back from this role, having handed over this responsibility to his associate and star winemaker in his own right, David Suire. Today David manages the estate, still on behalf of the Gratiot family. Before we come to this recent chapter in the estate’s history, however, we need some context. I begin as always with some history, which in the case of Larcis Ducasse takes us back to the late-18th century.
