Vertical of Léoville Las Cases

TASTING NOTES

"Verticals of Léoville Las Cases": discover the report by Didier Frayssou on our Oenoschool tasting of 2 November 2016 and enjoy our notes on 6 different vintages of the fine wine of the Marquis de Las Cases, as well as on the 2012 vintages of Clos du Marquis and Petit Lion.

Clos du Marquis 2012 **(*)

A wine with an intense, purple colour and a finely oaked nose of black fruits and blackcurrant. The attack on the palate is very fruity, round and indulgent. The tannins are melted but the finish is a little short.

Petit Lion 2012 ***

A slightly less intense colour than the Clos du Marquis. The nose is similar but a touch more vegetal. The palate is marked by a stronger acidity but the wine is much more elegant and long on the palate. It has the character of a fine wine without the concentration and remains accessible at this young age, which is what one expects from a second wine.

Léoville las Cases 1962 ***(*)

A very pale mahogany colour and a complex nose with smoky, meaty notes, cooked fruits and dried flowers, a slight volatile edge. The palate is admittedly medium-bodied but the wine is very long with a long, smooth finish. A very lovely wine with fine aromatic complexity and still plenty of fruit. 

Léoville las Cases 1981 ****

A medium-intensity, tiled colour. A nose of red bell peppers, dried flowers and tobacco. A wine with quite a lot of substance: the palate is fleshy and free of vegetal notes, with aromas of stewed fruits and tobacco. The tannins are melted, the finish long and smooth. A lovely wine that belies its age.

Léoville Las Cases 1992 ****

A tiled robe with low-intensity mahogany highlights. The nose is quite noble: coffee, cedar, cigar box… The palate is refined, fluid, with great aromatic persistence: ripe bell peppers, liquorice, tobacco, along with a fine acidity and melted tannins. A Fine Wine in a modest vintage.

Léoville Las Cases 1989 ***(*)

The colour is fairly intense, turbid, with tiled highlights. A nose of olive, cooked fruits, tea and grilled bell peppers. The palate is still a little closed, sun-drenched but balanced by the estate's characteristic acidity, with notes of blood orange and melted tannins.

Léoville las Cases 1998 ****(*)

A marked intensity for this little-evolved colour. The nose is relatively unexpressive: coffee, cocoa, black fruits. The palate remains reserved. This is a concentrated wine, with present but fleshy tannins. A model of balance that will need another 8 to 10 years to open up. The finest wine of the evening in terms of potential, even if it leaves you wanting a little more today.

Léoville las Cases 2003 ****

The colour is close to the 1998, but slightly more evolved, more turbid and more matte. Aromas of cooked fruits, light notes of port, menthol, pine resin and an oak that still comes through with milky and vanilla notes. The attack is very fruity, the wine is concentrated, very long on the palate but above all without excess alcohol, which is remarkable given the vintage.

Conclusion: We tasted wines of great aromatic character (1962, 1981, 1992) that performed very well, with great aromatic elegance, in vintages that were not always easy. But also wines of great palate presence — 1989 a little disappointing, 2003 remarkable for this atypical vintage and 1998 superb. Throughout, there was a true consistency across the tasting, both in the freshness of the wines and in their finesse, elegance and austerity reminiscent of Pauillac. A consistency that confirms the great elegance and the reliability of the quality of these wines, for those who know how to wait.

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