Chateau Leoville Las Cases Saint-Julien 2nd Grand Cru Classe 2019

Chateau Leoville Las Cases Saint-Julien 2nd Grand Cru Classe 2019

Second Growth. Deuxieme Grand Cru Classe in 1855. Also known as 'Grand Vin de Leoville du Marquis de Las Cases'

Critic tasting notes: (2019 vintage) 

"Dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, subtle brightening on rim. Fine oak, a hint of nougat, dark berries underneath, some cardamom, dark cherries, a hint of candied oranges. Powerful, taut, tightly meshed, fresh acidity, spicy, supporting tannins, a hint of chocolate on the finish, convincing balance, mineral and very long lasting, cherries on the finish, a vin de garde, can also be tasted young with a few hours in the carafe, enormous future potential." - Falstaff (100/100)

"The stunning 2019 Las-Cases melds together 79% Cabernet Sauvignon with 11% Merlot and the remainder Cabernet Franc. Black rose petals combine with cassis, Turkish coffee and shades of graphite. The palate is extremely refined with silky tannins that frame a beautiful core of black and blue fruits with wet gravel and sweet pipe tobacco accents. Sturdy and massive, give this incredible wine another several years to go in the cellar." - Owen Bargreen (98/100)

"The new version of classic modern is on display here. While the 2019 lacks the power of the 2018, instead you find one of the few great vintages of Leoville Las Cases that you can enjoy relatively early, which is early for LLC. The wine shows good color with a nose of currants, blackberry, spearmint, tobacco leaf, cigar box, flowers, cedar chest, and espresso. Here you find intensity, ripe, regal, creamy tannins, complexity, and refined textures with length and purity. Give this at least 12 years before popping a cork. The wine is a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2028-2060. 98 Points" - Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider (98/100)

Robert Parker The Wine Advocate

"The 2019 Léoville Las Cases is a brilliant young wine that will delight Bordeaux purists. Unwinding in the glass with scents of cassis, dark berries, cigar wrapper and pencil shavings, it’s full-bodied, layered and tightly wound, with a deep core of fruit, lively acids and an abundance of rich, powdery tannins. Concentrated and serious, much like its immediate neighbor Château Latour, it is likely to emerge as one of the vintage’s longest lived—and greatest—wines.

One of the greatest and most consistent estates of the Médoc, Léoville Las Cases is in terrific form today. The core of the estate is the 50-hectare "Clos," surrounded by walls and bordering the Gironde to the immediate south of its neighbor, Latour. In the vineyards, where Cabernet Sauvignon rules, the team are experimenting with cover crops and biodynamic methods, and in the cellars and chai, winemaking remains very traditional. The 2019 is one of the very finest wines of the vintage, though as ever, it is not intended for consumers seeking immediate gratification." - Reviewed by: William Kelley (98/100)

"Currants and blackberries with crushed stones, bark and some conifer and pine cone. Perfumed. Discreet. Medium-to full-bodied with an integrated tannin structure that’s full of fine tannins that are weightless and seamless, building on the palate and coming out at the end. Needs five or six years to open. Texture of heavy silk. 79% cabernet sauvignon, 11% merlot and 10% cabernet franc. Try after 2027." - James Suckling

Producer Notes

The Grand Vin is the product of exceptional terroirs from the former Léoville estate. These terroirs are located mainly in the Clos Léoville Las Cases, which you pass as you leave Saint- Julien village for Pauillac. They extend over nearly 60ha producing Cabernet Sauvignons and Cabernet Francs with a complex, polished expression and characteristics which are totally unique to the Grand Vin of Léoville du Marquis de Las Cases and have been widely recognized for years.

Producer Tasting Notes

The Léoville Las Cases offers a vibrant fruit with intense aromas, freshness, very tasty and long tannins, all for an exceptional ageing capacity.

Vineyard Notes

The Grand Enclos of Las Cases contains a terroir of great complexity. Primarily composed of Quaternary gravel on gravelly-sandy and gravelly-clay subsoil, there are also more or less deep and compact clays. The proximity of the Gironde is responsible for this great diversity of soils, created over geological periods by successive superpositions. In addition, the river generates a specific microclimate which allows the grapes to ripen very early and protects the vineyard from frost. This variety of geological combinations influences the development of the vine and the composition of the grapes. This incomparable terroir offers the grand vin its unique personality.

Vintage Notes

The exceptional qualities of the terroir of the Grand Clos made it possible to erase the climatic excesses. The end of winter brought mild temperatures, followed by a humid and cool spring. The summer conditions were dry and hot, but still within the ten-year average. The vines benefited from a good hydric stress relayed by good thermal amplitudes before the harvest, for an optimal maturation and a maintained acidity. The Leoville Las Cases offers a brilliant fruit with intense aromas, freshness, very tasty and long tannins, all for an exceptional ageing capacity.

Harvest Notes

The vines benefited from good water stress followed by good thermal amplitudes before the harvest, for optimal maturation and maintained acidity.

Ageing

The wine is ageing in French oak barriques, 90% new.

Cellaring potential

50-60 years or more

Drinking Window

2026 - 2066