The young vines have resumed production in the Clos du Marquis vineyard and, in order to maintain their consistently recognised quality, have decided to make their own secondary wine, La Petite Marquise, which comes mainly from the fine terroir of the Clos du Marquis, is subtle and refined. It has a harmonious expression and a refined tannin structure. Elegant and deliberately flirtatious, it should be consumed relatively early due to the high proportion of Merlot in its blend, La Petite Marquise is above all a tribute to all the women who have contributed to the history of the estate over the centuries.
The vineyards originate from the Petit Clos estate adjacent to the Château de Léoville-Marquis de Las Cases. The terroir is also in the Saint-Julien appellation, which is more westerly and is surrounded by famous Grand Crus, notably Saint-Julien and Pauillac, and the second growths of Léoville Poyferré, Léoville Barton, Pichon Longueville Comtesse de L'Ouverture, and Pichon Longueville. The Pauillac second growths, Château Léoville Poyferré, Château Léoville Barton, and Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, are located around the estate, 500 metres west of Château Leoville-Las-Cases, but are not part of Leoville-Las-Cases. It was not part of the Leoville-Las-Cases terroir and had been promoted as a sub-label of Leoville-Las-Cases since its launch until 2007, when Le Petit Lion du Marquis de Las Cases was launched as a new sub-label and the original Clos du Marguis became a stand-alone wine. The original Clos du Marguis became a stand-alone wine, thus demonstrating the high quality of this wine, which perfectly expresses the typical characteristics of the Saint-Julien appellation: structure, complexity, harmony, unusualness, and the ability to age.
The vineyard is approximately 45 hectares in size, with 30 year old vines on Quaternary gravel soils, older and smaller than those of Leoville-Las-Cases, and a humusy grey loam topsoil underlain by gravelly clay soils rich in organic matter. The grapes are hand-picked, then taken to the cellar for destemming and fermentation at controlled temperatures, where the fermenting must is pumped over and sprayed on the cap, with maceration continuing throughout. At the end of the fermentation process, the wine was matured in 40% new oak barrels and then clarified before being bottled.
The vineyards originate from the Petit Clos estate adjacent to the Chateau de Léoville-Marquis de Las Cases. The terroir is also in the Saint-Julien appellation, which is more westerly and is surrounded by many famous Grand Crus, notably Saint-Julien and Pauillac, and the second growths of Léoville Poyferré, Léoville Barton, Pichon Longueville Comtesse de L'Ouverture, and Pichon Longueville. The Pauillac second growths, Château Léoville Poyferré, Château Léoville Barton, and Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, are located in the vicinity, 500 metres west of the Château of the Lions of Leoville-Las-Cases, but are not part of the Leoville-Las-Cases estate. It is not part of the Leoville-Las-Cases terroir and has been promoted as a sub-label of Leoville-Las-Cases since its launch until 2007, when Le Petit Lion du Marquis de Las Cases was launched as a new sub-label and the original Clos du Marguis became a stand-alone wine. The original Clos du Marguis became a stand-alone wine, thus demonstrating the high quality of this wine, which perfectly expresses the typical characteristics of the Saint-Julien appellation: structure, complexity, harmony, unusualness, and the ability to age.
