Chateau Larcis Ducasse 2004 Saint Emilion Grand Cru

onemore

Nose: Fresh blackberry preserves, like your grandmother just prepped 'em for mason jars. Also: licorice, beef, basil, coffee, and some funky dirt. The meat and herb scents really came out after an hour of decanting. Before that, the nose was mostly fruit.

Taste: Blackberries and tart plums transition to basil, green beans, green peppers, dark cherries, and a meaty taste, with a coffee undercurrent. Accompanying everything is a shot of acidity and a soft tannic grip that leads to a drying cherry/blackberry/basil finish.

The cab franc vegetal kick subdues and balances the fruit. Anyone looking for a sweet, superfruity, backboneless merlot will probably be disappointed in this wine. I mean, the tannins aren't ripping my tongue out here, but they're quietly making themselves known. They're just about at the tannic level I like to find in wine.

Some folks ask me why I love French merlot. I tell them it's because of wines like this one. Sure, I like fruitier merlot every now and then—like the Spring Valley Uriah I tried a month ago. And now I want to taste this wine and that Uriah against each other and invite a friend or two to taste along with me. (Note to self.)

Tasting Tags: acidic basil bean beef blackberry cherry coffee dirt funky green herb licorice meat pepper plum