[Leader of the Second Growths – Ch. Leoville Las Cases]
[Good reviews from many parties, high ratings for many years, close to the perfect standard]
[Super Second Growth - Rivaling Latour and Lafite]
[Robert Parker believes it can be promoted to the First Growth, and is also one of the 156 greatest wineries in the world selected by Robert Parker]
ZTF1072D Chateau Leoville Las Cases Grand Vin de Leoville 2017 Saint Julien
Special price: $1220/bottle
Origin: France/ Bordeaux/ Saint-Julien
Variety: 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc
Alcohol content: 13%
Volume: 750ml
Las Cases is always dark and bold, developing slowly and with tension. It is not suitable for immediate drinking, but patience will let drinkers know why it is "superior to the first". The whole wine has a rich dark purple color, rich smell, strong and powerful entrance, concentrated full black currant aroma, then smoke and tobacco flavor, and finally a wonderful barrel vanilla aroma. Classic Bordeaux wine, attractive tension, rich and delicate, worthy of being called the lion of the king of beasts.
JamesSuckling 98 pts
The purity here is really something. Blackberries and blackcurrants with sandalwood, mint and other classic herbs. Full-bodied and dense with ultra-fine tannins. Silky in all ways. Goes on for a long, long time. A blend of 79% cabernet sauvignon, 11% cabernet franc and 10% merlot. Joyous and serious wine for the vintage.
Decanter 97 pts
Rich ruby in colour if a little less inky than the 2015, 2016 or 2018. Clear layers of fruit, the nose is one of the rare ones in the vintage where you want to spend time just thinking about the different strands that are coming at you. Black truffle, liquorice, cinnamon spice, saffron, slate and cigar box all comprise - this is a standout wine in the vintage. They just know how to tease flavour out of the ground at this place. Yes it is closed, not exactly forbidding but certainly austere, with big tannins, but less so than in some vintages at this stage, and it unrolls in the mouth.
Jeb Dunnuck 97 pts
The grand vin 2017 Chateau Leoville Las Cases checks in as 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Merlot, harvested between the 15th of September and the 4th of October. Brought up in 90% new French oak, it has an incredibly classic style that carries loads of creme de cassis, crushed rock, graphite, and smoked tobacco-like aromatics. These carry to a full-bodied, concentrated, elegant Las Cases that has fine tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. It shows the refined, regal style of this estate, has beautiful richness and depth, and is going to drink nicely with just 5-7 years of bottle age.
Robert Parker 96 pts
One of the finest wines of the vintage in Bordeaux, the 2017 Léoville Las Cases is a beautiful Saint-Julien that bursts from the glass with expressive aromas of cassis, wild berries, pencil shavings, violets and a subtle hint of cigar box. Medium to full-bodied, supple and enveloping, its unusually charming, sensual profile largely conceals a considerable endowment of tannin and a bright spine of acidity. Largely spared by the frost due to its optimal location on the bank of the Gironde, and subject to a draconian selection, the 2017's giving style reflects not only the vintage but also more restrained use of press wine chez Las Cases, seeing only 7% in the blend as opposed to the 10% to 12% that was typical not too long ago. It's a masterpiece.
Wine Enthusiast 96 pts
The watchword for this wine is style. Tannins underline the fruit. This rich structure, while not losing the swaths of berry flavors and crisp black currants, presents the balance between the ripeness and freshness of the vintage.
Wine Spectator 96 pts
A very focused, very pure rendition, laden with cassis, plum reduction and boysenberry puree fruit that is mostly waiting in reserve. A cold cast iron edge imparts a sense of restraint, while smoldering tobacco, charcoal and alder notes are deeply buried on the finish. The opposite of flamboyant. In need of time. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Best from 2025 through 2040.
【Chateau Leoville Las Cases (Lion Winery)】
Chateau Leoville Las Cases is a second-tier winery in Bordeaux, France. "Chateau Leoville Las Cases is the most stable winery in the Medoc - and certainly one of the best. The efforts of the Delon family have made every vintage of the winery close to the standard of perfection" - <<Treasures in the Castle - Bordeaux Wine>>
The winery of Leoville-Las-Cases existed as early as 1638, but it was not a winery at that time, but the majestic Leoville Manor. Leoville Manor was once one of the oldest manors in the Medoc. The local wealthy Moytie family began to plant grapes in the 17th century. However, the manor's popularity only increased after Moytie married Blaise Anthine Alexandre de Gascq, the Duke of Leoville. As early as that time, Leoville Manor was already a well-known winery, and its reputation was closely following the current Big Five.
After several transfers, the winery was later divided into three plots, becoming the two second-class wineries today, namely Chateau Leoville Barton and Chateau Leoville-Poyferre, which each occupy about 1/4 of the original plot, and the other 2/4 of the production area has remained in the family, becoming Chateau Leoville Las Cases, which is now owned and operated by the Delon family. But the vineyards of the three are still connected. The vineyard of Chateau Leoville-Las-Cases is located in Saint-Julien, just one village away from Chateau Latour, one of the five major wineries. The vineyard covers 97 hectares and has the best vineyard conditions in the village. Although Leoville-Las-Cases is famous for its strong and rich body, this is not the result of long-term immersion, but the rich and delicate grapes, which are displayed through perfect winemaking techniques. After years of experience, Leoville-Las-Cases can now produce wines of stable and superior quality every year, whether in good or bad years. Wine writer Lin Yusen even mentioned in <<Treasures in the Castle – Bordeaux Wine>> that Chateau Leoville-Las-Cases [is the Saint-Julien that is most like Pauillac red wine. Or, to be more specific, the Medoc second-class winery that is most like Chateau Latour]
Under the protection of the Delon family, Las Cases is almost always stable and trustworthy. In the 2002 WS year-end top 100, the 1999 vintage Las Cases took the 10th place, and there was no Bordeaux in the top 9, which shows its extraordinary strength. The 2000 & 2005 vintages both won the perfect WS:100 score, and the century vintage 1982 also won 6 100 points from the wine emperor Parker, which shows the aging of its wine. Although this winery no longer needs the blessing of the top 100 wineries, in 1999 when many wineries of higher grades bowed down, Las Cases still left its mark on the Bordeaux wine world as a quasi-first-class winery.
