Need help? Call +44 (0)20 7793 7900 or email wine@goedhuiswaddesdon.com.
Arguably the most aristocratic of the great Médoc second growths. The 2021 is a superb example of this great estate’s pedigree. Comprising of 95 % Cabernet fruit (Sauvignon and Franc) it reflects the refinement of the very best of the vintage with a reserve of controlled power. The initial impression is graceful and slightly more in check than a bolder vintage. As the wine evolves, there is a sense of brooding power, always balanced by an overriding charm and finesse. A very lovely wine indeed.
Arguably the most aristocratic of the great Médoc second growths. The 2021 is a superb example of this great estate’s pedigree. Comprising of 95 % Cabernet fruit (Sauvignon and Franc) it reflects the refinement of the very best of the vintage with a reserve of controlled power. The initial impression is graceful and slightly more in check than a bolder vintage. As the wine evolves, there is a sense of brooding power, always balanced by an overriding charm and finesse. A very lovely wine indeed.
The 2021 Léoville Las Cases was picked from 28 September until 8 October and includes just 5% Merlot from the northern sectors of the vineyard due to coulure. They found that increased percentages of Merlot did not contribute to the blend. Matured in 85% new oak, it has an intense nose with black fruit, graphite and light iris flower aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, quite a potent marine influence at play, almost briny (perhaps accentuated by the changeable weather on the day of my visit). Very impressive in terms of depth and backbone/grip with iodine and oyster shells towards the finish, this is a cerebral Las-Cases that will demand patience. Then again, name me a vintage of Las-Cases that doesn't! Alcohol here is at 13.20%. Drink 2030 - 2070
The 2021 Léoville Las-Cases is classy, nuanced and so expressive. There's gorgeous depth, and yet the 2021 is not as explosive as it has been in the recent past. That's not a bad thing, not at all. Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc comprise fully 95% of the blend in a Las Cases that is beautifully persistent from start to finish. It's a wine that has one foot in its rich, historical past, and the other very much in the more modern style of contemporary vintages. There is so much to look forward to. Drink 2031-2061
One of the wines of the vintage, the 2021 Léoville Las Cases is reminiscent of a hypothetical blend of the 1999 and 1996—only better. Offering up incipiently complex aromas of cassis, plums and dark berries mingled with loamy soil, cigar wrapper and exotic spices, it's full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with superb amplitude and concentration, velvety tannins, lively acids and a long, penetrating finish. Uniting classicism and charm, it exemplifies how a great terroir, exigent agronomy and meticulous winemaking can deliver greatness even in a less propitious vintage. It's a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc and a mere 5% Merlot this year, checking in at 13.2% alcohol.
Las Cases has a thrilling Cabernet-drenched theme spiked with hints of anise and spice, and yet it stays the elegant and sophisticated side of the track and never lapses into flamboyance or ostentatiousness. This is the beauty of Bordeaux, and it is what makes every wine fascinating and so different. The skill of adapting to the vintage and creating the finest wine possible sets apart the great estates from the rest, and Las Cases has made a beautiful and immutably Las Cases-shaped wine in 2021. Interestingly, Cabernet Franc plays a vital role in this wine, lifting the nose and adding filigree, violet and blackberry leaf details to the Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a fleshy, bold wine with a sublime density of fruit, and yet it is the length that is most impressive. I tasted it directly after Clos du Marquis, and the finish must be two or three times as long! This is another triumphant 2021, and I do not doubt that while it will drink fairly young in the greater scheme of things, it will age perfectly, too.
Dark ruby with hints of purple around the edge, the wine exudes smoke, cedar, tobacco leaf, slate, lead pencil, blackberries, espresso and currants. One of the more powerful wines of the vintage, the wine offers loads of black and red fruits, ripe, present, salty tannins, and a juicy, almost creamy, yet classically structured finish. Produced from a blend 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot. 13.20% ABV. This is the first time you find more Cabernet Franc than Merlot in the blend in the history of the estate. Drink from 2025-2055.
Plenty of fruit on display here, with waves of cassis, blackberry and bilberry along with the more typical of the vintage redcurrant and blueberry, savoury and full of juice, along with cloves, black pepper, slate and graphite. There is a power here, and estate signature, but the austerity that you often find in young Las Cases is really dominant in the architecture and character of the wine right now, and you will need patience over ageing for it to soften. 85% new oak. A strong candidate for upscoring in bottle.
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.
