France · Bordeaux

Chateau Leoville Las Cases

Léoville Las Cases is the largest of the three Léoville estates in St-Julien and is widely regarded as the finest, producing wines that rival and sometimes surpass the First Growths of Pauillac. The estate encompasses 97 hectares, the heart of which is the Grand Enclos — a single walled parcel adjoining Château Latour — that produces the grand vin. Under the stewardship of Michel Delon and later his son Jean-Hubert, Las Cases has been run with obsessive quality control: strict selection, low yields, and precise vinification that has created one of the most age-worthy and complex wines in Bordeaux. The style is austere in youth, built on dense Cabernet Sauvignon tannins with graphite, lead pencil, cassis, and cedar aromas that only open fully after 15–20 years in bottle. Legendary vintages include 1982, 1986, 1996, 2000, 2005, 2009, and 2010. The second wine, Clos du Marquis, has been so highly regarded that it was effectively replaced by a new second wine, Le Petit Lion, to set Clos du Marquis apart as a separate cuvée. At auction, Las Cases is one of the most actively traded St-Julien estates, with serious collectors tracking every vintage as a benchmark for the appellation.