Château Larcis Ducasse St-Emilion Grand Cru Classé 2018

I would count this as the vintage where the wider world sat up and took notice of what has been happening at Larcis Ducasse. It’s poised, controlled, knitted down in its blackcurrant and bilberry fruits, but you feel the energy that flows through it, along with espresso, liquorice, black tea, and tons of fresh acidities that root it in the clay-limestone slopes. Owned by Famille Gratiot-Attmane, but with the Nicolas Thienpont team overseeing winemaking. I loved it En Primeur and it has only got better since.