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Dense purple in colour, this has very perfumed aromas of violets and sloes. Good volume without being excessively powerful, a wine with lovely sweetness, very fine balance and appealing length.
Dense purple in colour, this has very perfumed aromas of violets and sloes. Good volume without being excessively powerful, a wine with lovely sweetness, very fine balance and appealing length.
The 2013 Leoville-Las Cases has perhaps one of the most understated bouquets for this estate in recent years. I do not mean that in a bad sense, after all, this was a vintage whereby it would be foolish to push too much. It gently unfolds with blackberry, bilberry and a light marine influence - iodine, a hint of black olive. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, nicely balanced with a saline note that comes through towards the finish. I appreciate the cohesiveness and refinement of this Leoville-Las Cases, certainly one of the best Médocs of this difficult vintage.
The Grand Vin is a blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc that includes 9.5% pressed wine and delivers 31hl/ha. It was picked between 2 and 17 October. It has a very classic Léoville Las-Cases bouquet with tobacco-scented black fruit that opens nicely during the time I spend chatting to Jean-Hubert Delon. The palate is medium-bodied with fine acidity, again, a much more fresh and classic take on Las-Cases reminiscent of 1980s vintages such as the 1983 or 1988. Just add "gentleman's club".
Better than many of the Medoc first-growths, the 2013 Las Cases was harvested relatively late, between October 2 and 17. It is a blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc. Only 40% of the production made it into the grand vin, and the finished alcohol was 13.1%. It reveals a dense ruby/purple color, supple tannins, good texture and depth, excellent freshness and intense dark currant and black cherry fruit notes. While not a blockbuster, it is a medium-bodied, well-endowed 2013 that should drink well for 10-15 years.
Magnificent colour, already fragrant nose, great purity and depth with firm Pauillac edge, will develop beautifully, a superb wine in this vintage. Drink: 2019-2035
With 10% press wine and 85% new oak this is a powerful, dense spicy Las Cases. Pretty good balance but slimmer and more muscular than before. More of a cage fighter than a fencer! There are small flashes of greenness among the cassis fruit which are not off-putting, but they seem to tighten the tannins further making the whole wine seem a bit combative and dry. There is a huge difference in mood between this wine and the lush Clos du Marquis.
74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot. 85% new oak. Beautifully scented and aromatic. Cassis, plum, attractive oak spicing. Fine, polenta-like tannins that coat the mouth but don’t obstruct the rest of the balance. Lots of substance and depth – even so, a litheness that is far lighter than the most famous vintages. (RH)
The Cabernet Sauvignon that makes up the core of this blend (74%) was surprisingly ripe in 2013. It still has the famous rigour and structure of Las Cases, with bloody, iron-like notes, but there’s more than enough black-fruited flesh on the bones. Very fine. 2020-30
St Julien is like the middle child of the Médoc - not as assertive as Pauillac or as coquettish as Margaux. It lies firmly between the two more outspoken communes and as a result produces a blend of them both. St Julien's wines have often been sought out by aficionados for their balance and consistency, particularly in the UK. Yet due to its middle child nature, it can occasionally be overlooked globally and as a result underrated by those markets outside the UK. Despite the fact that it has no first growths, it has several second growths including Léoville Las Cases, Léoville Barton, Léoville Poyferré and Ducru Beaucaillou as well as the celebrated châteaux such as Talbot and Beychevelle.
