Château Lascombes is a Second Growth of Margaux, classified in 1855, and one of the largest estates in the appellation. It is also the single producer we sell most of in Hong Kong — by a distance, and by enough that it deserves its own page.
The problem is that we carry nine vintages, the grand vin and the second wine, and formats from half bottles to six litres. What most people actually want to know is not how old the château is — it is which one they should buy. That is what this page answers.
First: grand vin vs second wine
Château Lascombes (the grand vin) — the estate's best parcels and oldest vines. Complete structure, and it ages a decade or more.
Chevalier de Lascombes (the second wine) — same estate, same team, same vineyards, but younger vines and the parcels the château decides not to put into the main label. A fraction of the price, and ready to drink sooner.
A second wine is not a reject. It is a different product for a different purpose: the grand vin is for giving and keeping, the second wine is for opening on a Tuesday. A Margaux address for the price of a supermarket bottle is why Chevalier sells in the hundreds every year.
Nine vintages, nine different wines
The thing that separates Bordeaux from most wine is that the year genuinely changes what is in the bottle. Here is what we actually hold, and what each year is really like.
| Vintage |
Character |
What to do with it |
| 2010 |
One of the two great vintages of the last twenty years. High concentration, tannins still firm |
Keep it. Decant 90 minutes if you open it now |
| 2014 |
Saved by a long dry September and October. Fresh, lighter-framed, good acidity |
Drink it. Open this year |
| 2015 |
Warm and ripe, fruit-forward, soft tannins |
The easiest to like. Good for someone who does not follow wine |
| 2016 |
Rated by many critics as the best Left Bank vintage of the century. Concentration and freshness |
The one to cellar. Ten to twenty years |
| 2017 |
Frost cut yields, but estates that escaped made fresh, classically shaped wines |
Sits between 2016 and 2018 — and is priced accordingly |
| 2018 |
One of the hottest, driest summers on record. Deep colour, power, high alcohol |
Buy it if you like big ripe reds |
| 2019 |
Hot but kept its acidity. One of the highest-rated vintages of the decade |
If you are only buying one year, buy this |
| 2020 |
Ripe with real lift — fresher than 2018 |
The compromise if you want both |
| 2021 |
A cool, difficult season. Lighter, fresher, lower alcohol — classic proportions |
The best match for Cantonese food. Try it if modern Bordeaux feels too heavy |
How to choose, in three lines
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As a gift — grand vin 2016 or 2019. A classified estate in a highly rated year, and the recipient can look both up.
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Opening tonight — Chevalier 2016 or 2017, or the grand vin 2014. No waiting and no long decant.
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To cellar — grand vin 2016, then 2010. These are the years that improve.
If the recipient has no wine fridge, do not give an old vintage or one that needs cellaring. A Hong Kong summer runs to 30°C, and a serious bottle left in a cupboard for two years is ruined. A recent vintage is the safer gift. More on storage in Hong Kong.
Not just 75cl
This page includes half bottles (37.5cl), large formats (150cl / 300cl / 600cl) and cases of 6 and 12.
Large formats are worth considering. The same wine ages more slowly and more evenly in a bigger bottle, and it lands differently on a table. For a wedding, a milestone birthday or a company anniversary, one three-litre Lascombes is more memorable than three regular bottles.
Why buy it in Hong Kong
Hong Kong abolished duty on wine in 2008 and has no sales tax or VAT. In most producing countries a bottle carries excise duty plus VAT of 20% or more — which is why the same Lascombes is often cheaper here than in France.
We hold physical stock in Hong Kong rather than ordering in after you buy. Free delivery over HK$800, flat HK$80 below, and no minimum order — one bottle is fine. For corporate quantities, WhatsApp +852 6035 9497.
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