Leoville Lascases

Tasting Notes:
This wine has put on weight and, as impressive as it was from cask, it is even more brilliant from bottle. Only 35% of the crop made it into the 2000 Leoville Las Cases, a blend of 76.8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.4% Merlot, and 8.8% Cabernet Franc. The wine is truly profound, with an opaque purple color and a tight but promising nose of vanilla, sweet cherry liqueur, black currants, and licorice in a dense, full-bodied, almost painfully rich, intense style with no hard edges. This seamless classic builds in the mouth, with a finish that lasts over 60 seconds. Still primary, yet extraordinarily pure, this compelling wine, which continues to build flavor intensity and exhibit additional layers of texture, is a tour de force in winemaking and certainly one of the great Leoville Las Cases. In another sense, it symbolizes / pays homage to proprietor Michel Delon, who passed away in 2000. Michel has been succeeded by his son, Jean-Hubert, another perfectionist. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2040. The Wine Advocate, #146 Apr-03.
Parker Points: 99
Drinking Period: 2012-2040

Tasting Notes:
My notes on the 1989 and 1990 wines have been consistent over the last three years. The 1989 continues to lose ground, although it is obviously an outstanding wine, while the 1990 continues to escalate in quality. The 1990 continues to put on weight and richness, and it now clearly appears to be the superior vintage for Leoville-Las-Cases. The 1990 reveals a dense, dark purple color, followed by a sweet, pure nose of black fruits, minerals, lead pencil, and vanillin. Broad, expansive flavors come across as rich, pure, and concentrated, but never heavy or coarse. Beautifully integrated tannin and acidity are barely noticeable in this classic, full-bodied, velvety-textured, youthful yet exceptional St.-Julien. The 1990 is more fun to taste than the 1989, but readers should not interpret that comment to suggest it is ready to drink. This wine needs another 5-6 years of cellaring, after which it should last for 20-25 years. Wine Advocate #109 (Feb 1997).
Parker Points: 96
Drinking Period: 2002-2027

Tasting Notes:
The 1986 Leoville-Las Cases, which Delon continues to believe is his finest vintage in the eighties (even eclipsing the 1982), still exhibits a black/purple color with no signs of age. The nose offers up aromas of exceptionally ripe cassis fruit intertwined with scents of vanillin, minerals, and spices. The wine is full-bodied, exceptionally well-delineated, and phenomenally concentrated. Still unevolved and youthful, this is one of the most profound Leoville-Las-Cases, but for my palate, it remains a notch behind both the 1982 and 1996. Robert Parker Bordeaux Book, 3rd Edition (1998).
Parker Points: 98
Drinking Period: 2003-2030

Tasting Notes:
The 1986 Leoville-Las Cases, which Delon continues to believe is his finest vintage in the eighties (even eclipsing the 1982), still exhibits a black/purple color with no signs of age. The nose offers up aromas of exceptionally ripe cassis fruit intertwined with scents of vanillin, minerals, and spices. The wine is full-bodied, exceptionally well-delineated, and phenomenally concentrated. Still unevolved and youthful, this is one of the most profound Leoville-Las-Cases, but for my palate, it remains a notch behind both the 1982 and 1996. Robert Parker Bordeaux Book, 3rd Edition (1998).
Parker Points: 98
Drinking Period: 2003-2030

Tasting Notes:
The 1986 Leoville-Las Cases, which Delon continues to believe is his finest vintage in the eighties (even eclipsing the 1982), still exhibits a black/purple color with no signs of age. The nose offers up aromas of exceptionally ripe cassis fruit intertwined with scents of vanillin, minerals, and spices. The wine is full-bodied, exceptionally well-delineated, and phenomenally concentrated. Still unevolved and youthful, this is one of the most profound Leoville-Las-Cases, but for my palate, it remains a notch behind both the 1982 and 1996. Robert Parker Bordeaux Book, 3rd Edition (1998).
Parker Points: 98
Drinking Period: 2003-2030

Tasting Notes:
This is one of my favorite vintages of Las Cases for present day consumption. The wine reveals a youthful deep ruby/purple color, followed by a classic Las Cases bouquet of pain grille, lead pencil, minerals, and ripe black currants. Medium to full-bodied, with outstanding concentration, and soft tannin, this is a classic, fleshy 1985 that reveals none of the potential dilution noticeable in many wines from this vintage. At one time I thought this might turn out to be a modern day clone of the 1953, but it possesses a lot more flesh and intensity. Robert Parker Bordeaux Book, 3rd Edition (1998)
Parker Points: 93
Drinking Period: Now-2015

Tasting Notes:
This is one of my favorite vintages of Las Cases for present day consumption. The wine reveals a youthful deep ruby/purple color, followed by a classic Las Cases bouquet of pain grille, lead pencil, minerals, and ripe black currants. Medium to full-bodied, with outstanding concentration, and soft tannin, this is a classic, fleshy 1985 that reveals none of the potential dilution noticeable in many wines from this vintage. At one time I thought this might turn out to be a modern day clone of the 1953, but it possesses a lot more flesh and intensity. Robert Parker Bordeaux Book, 3rd Edition (1998)
Parker Points: 93
Drinking Period: Now-2015

Tasting Notes:
Tasted three times over a two month period, this youthful yet profoundly complex wine gets my nod as the finest Leoville-Las-Cases ever made. It reveals massive proportions yet extraordinary purity, elegance, and balance. This dense ruby/purple-colored 1982 still looks and tastes as if it were 5-8 years old. The nose offers up blazingly well-delineated, pure aromas of creme de cassis, cherry jam, minerals, and toasty new oak. This unctuously-textured, gorgeously rich, pure, super-concentrated, low acid effort concludes with a 45+ second finish. There is still tannin to shed in this unbelievably fresh, lively, full-bodied, vibrant wine. Robert Parker Wine Advocate
Parker Points: 100
Drinking Period: 2006-2035

Tasting Notes:
Tasted three times over a two month period, this youthful yet profoundly complex wine gets my nod as the finest Leoville-Las-Cases ever made. It reveals massive proportions yet extraordinary purity, elegance, and balance. This dense ruby/purple-colored 1982 still looks and tastes as if it were 5-8 years old. The nose offers up blazingly well-delineated, pure aromas of creme de cassis, cherry jam, minerals, and toasty new oak. This unctuously-textured, gorgeously rich, pure, super-concentrated, low acid effort concludes with a 45+ second finish. There is still tannin to shed in this unbelievably fresh, lively, full-bodied, vibrant wine. Robert Parker Wine Advocate
Parker Points: 100
Drinking Period: 2006-2035

Tasting Notes:
I have never had much fondness for this wine, and I continue to find it extremely austere, compact, and under-nourished. The wine will undoubtedly keep for another 15-20 years, but there is not much ripeness or intensity. It bears no resemblance to today's efforts from Leoville-Las-Cases. The 1970 will continue to dry out and provide charmless drinking. Robert Parker Wine Advocate
Parker Points: 79
Drinking Period: 1996-2016

Tasting Notes:
This may be the most successful wine produced by this estate during the decade of the sixties, although some bottles of the 1962 come close to offering as much pleasure as the 1966. The wine may have turned the corner and begun its decline. I have never tasted it out of larger format bottles, but I suspect magnums of this wine might merit an outstanding evaluation. The wine has always been a classic Bordeaux, with more fruit and body than many 1966s. There is a degree of austerity, but the wine's dominant characteristics include a complex, tobacco, cedar, and red currant-scented nose, medium body, excellent concentration and ripeness, and a spicy, long, moderately tannic finish. Drink it up as it is unlikely to improve. Robert Parker Wine Advocate
Parker Points: 89
Drinking Period:  -