CHÂTEAU LÉOVILLE LAS CASES

2002 2ème Cru Classé Saint Julien

Grapes Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, Merlot
Colour Red
Origin France, Bordeaux
Sub-district Haut Médoc
Village Saint Julien
Classification 2ème Cru Classé
ABV 13.5%

From very low yields (what were they doing here? It is way below their neighbours) 14.5% Merlot, 13.9% Cabernet Franc, 66.7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, and even at these yields, only 43% of the production will be ‘Grand Vin’. A very deep ruby with garnet nuances and a pure blue rim. Lovely thick, glass-clinging colour, a deep sonorous complexity of wood, black fruit and spice, with grilled notes, leading in to a feel of ripe but very present tannins, and a long but very tannic finish. Are they trying to out-Latour their neighbour? I am not sure they are not succeeding. L&S (Mar 2005)


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Deeper in colour and presence than the 1995, this jumps into the world of young Las Cases, a reminder that 20 years of age is pretty much the minimum to begin truly drinking and appreciating this wine, as it makes its shift from monumental to graceful. Black fruit, cassis, blackberry, tannins are tingling and gripping, transmitting power and energy to the mint leaf, slate, crushed rock and eucalyptus finish. Just revving out of the gate, and as it lingers in the glass, the earthy truffled notes you find in the older vintages are just making an appearance, the ghost of Las Cases future. A tightrope walk of concentration and elegance. 50% new oak. Jean-Hubert Delon owner. Drinking range: 2023 - 2044 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (Jan 2023)

Only 43% of the production made it into the final blend of this remarkable 2002. Produced from a low 17 hectoliters per hectare, it includes 66.7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.5% Merlot, 13.9% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot. It has the highest alcohol ever achieved in a Leoville Las Cases (13.5%) as well as a lofty pH of 3.85. Nevertheless, the impression is one of a structured wine with considerable density, a ruby/purple color, layers of flavor, and a classic overall personality. The wine exhibits pure black currant, licorice-infused fruit, huge body, a viscous mid-palate, and a long, heady finish. I suspect this wine won’t be nearly as charming as the 2003 in its youth, but it hasn’t yet closed down, and I am amazed at just how rich, intense, and full-bodied it tastes even after bottling. This is certainly one of the half dozen or so candidates for wine of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2030+. Rating: 95 points Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (Apr 2010)

Moderately saturated red-ruby. Captivating if cooler nose of blackcurrant, licorice and minerals. Very intensely flavored and gripping if currently quite tight. The black fruit and menthol flavors show an almost medicinal austerity and uncanny penetration on the palate. Very ripe for 2002, at 13.5%, with a pH of 3.85. Today, I find a more classically firm finish and a bit more personality than in the young 2004, but then the new vintage has a long way to go before it's in bottle. Rating: 93 Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (May 2005)

Château Léoville Las Cases

St Julien Deuxième cru 1855 One of the leading "super-seconds" - a second growth chateau who's wines rival, in terms of quality and often price, the fabled First Growths of the Haut-Médoc. Before the Revolution, the Leoville estate was one of the largest and grandest in the region. At the time, it was in the aristrocratic ownership of the family of the Marquis de Las-Cases-Beauvoir. Unsurprisingly, the Marquis had to flee. To avoid Leoville being seized, the family decided to sell up but the complicated ownership of the estate, which was split between siblings, prevented the sale of Leoville as a whole and, in the end, only a small portion was sold off, to Hugh Barton, and this became Château Leoville Barton. The remainder of the estate came back to the Marquis' family when his son, Pierre-Jean, inherited most of Leoville, the only exception being a small portion inherited by his sister Jeanne. Jeanne's daughter married Baron Jean-Marie de Poyferré and, in 1840, this portion of the estate sheered off to become Château Leoville Poyferré. To stop further divisions among inheriting children, a holding company was founded to own Château Las Cases. Théophile Skawinski, who managed the estate, bought some shares which later passed to his son-in-law André Delon. The Delon family continued to buy share as they became available until, eventually, they became the owners of Château Leoville Las Cases. The bulk of Las Cases's vineyards - the Grand Clos - sit at the very northern end of St Julien, facing Château Latour across the Ruisseau de Juillac. The vines are planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. The hand-picked grapes are fermented in an unusual array of wooden, stainless-steel and cement tanks. Wines spend 20 months in oak, with the proportion of new wood for the grand vin varying from 50% to 100% depending on the vintage. Château Leoville Las Cases have one of the most highly regarded "second wines" in Bordeaux - Clos du Marquis. The first vintage was in 1902, long predating most of its competitors. Its status as a true "second wine" is sometimes disputed, as there is a distinct Clos du Marquis vineyard, a little way to the west of the Grand Clos, although the cuvée does include some declassifications from the grand vin and fruit of younger vines. Its status as a "second wine" also belies the quality which exceeds many of the region's "first" wines.

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