2009 Chateau Lascombes Margaux 750 ml

Michel Rolland’s “Opulent” 2009 Margaux Gem

For those who want a classic Grand Cru Classé Margaux from a big-name estate on the rise, this is for you. Château Lascombes is one of the most recognizable names in Bordeaux, its place was solidified when it landed as a Second Growth in the original Bordeaux Classification of 1855. The generous, silky, and muscular 2009 Château Lascombes Margaux is steeped in pedigree: Bordeaux legend Alexis Lichine is a former owner, but it was renowned enologist Michel Rolland (Valandraud, Château Angélus, Harlan Estate) who ushered this 2009 to greatness.

Robert Parker called it “pure, seamless, full-bodied and opulent,” in his 94-point critique, making it one of the finest Lascombes he had rated, and one of the top Margaux wines of the vintage not named Margaux or Palmer. Beautifully cellared, purple-ruby in color offering layers of blue-black berry fruit, graphite, and violet notes. Thanks to our relationship with the estate, we are able to offer you a shot at this beautifully drinking Margaux that has easily another decade to go in your cellar. Just 240 bottles—direct from Lascombes cellars, to your door. $99 per bottle, shipping included on all orders.

While Lascombes has been recognized for its quality since the 1855 classification, it is widely considered that its first Golden Age came on the watch of Alexis Lichine—the Russian-born “Pope of Wine” and proprietor of Château Prieuré-Lichine. He owned the estate from 1951 to 1971, and  pushed Lascombes to greatness by renovating the facilities and acquiring vineyards from surrounding properties. But tending to Lascombes, which is spread over nearly four dozen non-contiguous parcels, is no small task. Its new owners as of the turn of the century have more than risen to the occasion, hiring a crack viticulture and winemaking team helmed by Rolland—and critics have been impressed, with Parker even noting, “They seem to have hit pay dirt frequently over the last decade plus.”

No vintage better exemplifies Lascombes’ trajectory than 2009: With Michel Rolland’s midas touch on the 97-point stellar Bordeaux vintage (Margaux’s second-greatest vintage in the last fifty years) the wine is Margaux purity worthy of a storied Second Growth. It is full of blue and black fruit, accented by tobacco, violet, and graphite, and both structured and silky. Now nearly a decade after harvest, the 2009 Lascombes, aged in their pristine cellars in Bordeaux, is entering its prime, with at least a decade of cellar time to go.