A Dazzling New Bordeaux, from the Man Who Created Masseto

WHY BUY: The man who created Masseto, one of the most famous Merlots in the world, is at it again. We speak of the 2022 La Côte Lascombes, from the great Margaux Second Growth, Château Lascombes, and fashioned by superstar winemaker Axel Heinz, who ran operations at Ornellaia and Masseto for nearly two decades. This wine exists because Heinz, walking the estate's vineyards after his arrival, flagged the potential of a single parcel of blue clay and limestone, terroir found nowhere else on the property. His eye was, as ever, infallible. This is lush, velvety, and insinuating, in the way great Merlot should be. A bottle that will give you immense pleasure now, or, if you choose to cellar it, reward you many times over down the road.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: Antonio Galloni, writing for Vinous, called it "plump, juicy and seductive," a wine with "silky contours" wrapped around "a core of pliant red/purplish-toned fruit." He praised the layers of "sweet spice, flowers, mocha and a discreet touch of oak" that emerge as the wine opens, closing his review with a simple benediction: "what a beautiful and promising wine it is."

OUR TASTING NOTES: La Côte opens with marvelous softness, you might even say a softness and a coyness. Notes of red fruit and violet arrive first, then the foundation blue clay makes itself known, with, primarily, a faint mineral coolness that gives definition to all that plush fruit. Give it a few minutes, and the spice arrives, cinnamon and clove, with hints of cocoa and wild herbs hovering at the edges. The texture is the most compelling story, though: it’s silken and generous, more Pomerol in feel, you might say, than Margaux. The finish is beautiful, and will only get better and better.

THE STORY: It's no coincidence that Heinz's arrival coincides with a wine built around a single parcel of blue clay and limestone, in other words, around a terroir entirely distinct from the gravel that defines most of the estate's holdings. Situated on the highest knoll of Margaux, Château Lascombes is not merely a landmark in the appellation, but foundational to the region. Its history of winemaking can be traced to at least 1700, and likely before that. In the classification of 1855, it made the list as one of 15 Seconds Crus, or Second Growths, a designation Lascombes embraces, albeit with a bit of cheek. Its tagline today is: "Second Classified Growth. First in everyone's mind.” For decades, that staying power owed a great deal to the steady, commanding presence in the cellar of Michel Rolland, the legendary super-consultant who guided the estate through its modern renaissance and remained involved through the 2022 vintage before his recent passing. Now a new chapter begins, with Heinz in charge. La Côte is the first real signal of what that means.

WHAT TO PAIR IT WITH: This is a Merlot built for richness. We love it best with a pan-seared duck breast with huckleberries; with a roast rack of lamb with rosemary; with a mushroom and truffle risotto.

FUN FACT:

 

Heinz was born in Munich to a French mother and German father. As he put it when he took the lead winemaker job at Lascombes: "I'm half Bordelaise, so it was time to make the move.”

 

OUR GUARANTEE: As always, we only buy and source directly from the estate, so you can be confident that your wines will arrive in your hands with pristine provenance. Secure your bottles and cases today!