2006 CHÂTEAU LÉOVILLE LAS CASES 2ème Cru Classé Saint Julien, Lea & Sandeman

CHÂTEAU LÉOVILLE LAS CASES

2006 2ème Cru Classé Saint Julien

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

By a surprising contrast to the Clos du Marquis, the 2006 Las Cases is much more approachable. The malos were quick this year so it was in barrel earlier than usual (by the 15th of December, and the extra time in barrel before the tastings shows the the slightly more advanced style. A weighty curtain of black fruit and dry texture, cool and silky and savoury. Impressive weight and power. Not exactly charming, but this will be great, the harmony is there, along with the length. Rating: 94 L&S (Apr 2007)


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The sweetness of the fruit is backed by freshness and minerality on both nose and palate. The rounded tannins give an added weight to the fruit in the mouth but then towards the end it becomes firm and tight. 2016-35 Rating: 90-93 Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (Dec 2013)

Jean-Hubert’s crown jewel is always difficult to assess in blind conditions, although the longer you leave it in your glass, the more it unfurls and your points start ratcheting up. The 2006 is no different: a rich, meaty nose with mulberry, sloe, pencil lead, a touch of shoe polish. The palate is medium-bodied, very sleek and smooth on the entry, ripe and rounded, quite sensuous and ravishing with plush black fruit, well-integrated new oak and a decadent, domineering primal finish that will demand 10-12 years cellaring. Rating: 96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jul 2010)

Bright, full ruby. Brooding aromas of cassis, black cherry, minerals, bitter chocolate, shoe polish and violet; more Pauillac than Saint-Julien on the nose. Then rich, lush and powerful, with impressive fullness and volume. As full and sweet as this is, there's no impression of excess weight and the back end shows a distinctly austere quality, even if the serious tannins are nicely buffered by the wine's rich middle. Really stains the palate with flavor on the aftertaste. Wonderfully ripe cabernet sauvignon here; in fact, most of the cab franc in 2006 was declassified into the Clos du Marquis. Rating: 94 Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (May 2009)

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.

This wine isn't currently part of a mixed case, but you can always browse our full selection of mixed cases here.
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