[A Leading Second Growth – Ch. Leoville Las Cases]
[Highly Rated with Numerous Acclaims, Consistently Highly Scorched for Years, Near-Perfect Standard]
[Super Second Growth – Comparable to Latour and Lafite]
[Considered by Robert Parker as a First Growth, and one of Robert Parker's 156 Greatest Wineries in the World]
[Jeb Dunnuck 98pts][Wine Spectator 96pts]
[James Suckling 99pts][Wine Enthusiast 98pts]
[Vinous 98pts][Robert Parker 97+]
Chateau Leoville Las Cases is a Second Growth estate in Bordeaux, France. "Chateau Leoville Las Cases is one of the most consistently high-quality estates in the Médoc – and certainly one of the best. The Delon family's efforts have ensured that every vintage approaches perfection" – <<Treasures from the Castle – Bordeaux Wines>>
The estate, now known as Leoville-Las-Cases, existed as early as 1638, though it wasn't a winery then, but rather the magnificent Leoville Estate. Leoville Estate was one of the oldest estates in the Médoc, with vines planted by the prominent Moytie family in the 17th century. However, its fame only truly grew after the marriage of Moytie to Blaise Anthine Alexandre de Gascq, Duke of Leoville. Even then, Leoville Estate was already quite renowned, its reputation closely rivaling that of today's five First Growths.
After several changes of ownership, the estate was eventually divided into three parts, becoming the two current second-growth estates: Chateau Leoville Barton and Chateau Leoville-Poyferre, each occupying approximately one-quarter of the original land. The remaining two-quarters remained with the family, becoming Chateau Leoville Las Cases, now owned and operated by the Delon family. However, the vineyards of all three estates remain contiguous. Chateau Leoville-Las-Cases' vineyards are located in Saint-Julien, separated from Chateau Latour, one of the five first-growth estates, by only one village. The vineyards cover 97 hectares and boast the best conditions in the village. While Leoville-Las-Cases is renowned for its robust and full-bodied wines, this is not the result of prolonged skin contact, but rather the concentrated essence of the grapes, expressed through perfect winemaking techniques. Through years of refinement, Leoville-Las-Cases now consistently produces wines of superior quality, regardless of whether the vintage is good or bad. Wine writer Lin Yusen, in his book "Treasures in the Castle – Bordeaux Wines," mentions that Chateau Leoville-Las-Cases [is the Saint-Julien that most resembles Pauillac red wine. Or, more precisely, the Médoc Second Growth that most resembles Chateau Latour].
Under the Delon family's patronage, Las Cases wines are almost always consistently reliable. In the 2002 Wine Spectator Top 100, the 1999 vintage of Las Cases ranked 10th, with no Bordeaux wines in the top 9, demonstrating its exceptional quality. The 2000 and 2005 vintages both achieved perfect scores of 100 from Wine Spectator, while the 1982 vintage, a true century vintage, received six 100-point awards from wine critic Parker, highlighting its aging potential. Although this winery no longer needs the accolades of being among the top 100, in 1999, when many first-tier wineries faltered, Las Cases still left its mark on the Bordeaux wine world as a near-first-growth.
Under Eric Boissenot's leadership, Las Cases now uses stainless steel, oak, and cement tanks of varying sizes, ranging from 40 hL to 216 hL, to age its flagship wines from different vintages. Eric also maintains the Green Harvest method advocated by the current owner Delon's father, allowing the grapes to ripen more fully.
Most vintages use up to 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and are aged in 60-80% new oak barrels for 18-20 months. Because of the high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon, Las Cases is often regarded by wine critics as a product with a distinctly Pauillac character.
