2019 Leoville Las Cases
By Chateau Leoville Las Cases
2019 Leoville Las Cases from Chateau Leoville Las Cases, St-Julien, Bordeaux
The celebrated 2019 vintage from the hallowed cellars of Chateau Leoville Las Cases resonates with bespoke elegance and an exquisite balance that underlines a year of rich storytelling in viticulture. This St-Julien landmark has consistently lulled fine wine collectors into a sense of reverie with its offerings, and the 2019 vintage is a testament to its storied legacy.
A Vintage Defined
In the continuum of Bordeaux magnificence, the 2019 Leoville Las Cases strikes an artful equipoise between classic structure and modern expression. This vintage emerged from a year characterised by meteorological grace—late frosts sidestepped the prime vineyards, summer heatwaves brushed just enough to stress the vines to perfection and an auspicious autumn sealed maturation with harmony. Here, nature's meticulous calibration begot a vintage with exceptional ageing potential.
The Silhouette of Sophistication
The terroir's deep gravel beds, interlaced with sandy clay, have transferred their minerality to this sophisticated blend. On the nose, black fruits meld with whispers of tobacco and violets; on the palate, you encounter measured layers of cassis and smouldering embers—the quintessential St-Julien profile illuminated by a contemporary touch. A striking acidity ensures that each sip finishes with precision, hinting at decades of evolvement ahead.
Indeed, investors will be hard-pressed to find a more compelling blend that intertwines the assurance of maturity with investment-worthy grace. In this context, Chateau Leoville Las Cases showcases again why its classified offerings are covetable entries in any portfolio.
An Epilogue in Fine Wine Investing
The 2019 vintage from Chateau Leoville Las Cases casts a shadow as long as its pedigree suggests. With each nuanced bottle lies a wealth of cellar-worthy promise—an investment piece not just for collectors but also for those seeking to enrich their experiences with a libation that eloquently narrates the story of its birth year—a year distinguished within the venerable limits of St-Julien's dominion.
Market price (HKD)
HK$15,960.00
12x75cl
Highest score
98
POP score
92.78
Scores and tasting notes
The 2019 Léoville Las Cases is a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 11% Merlot. Harvest began early for the Merlot, on the 18th of September, and the Cabernets were picked in October, finishing on the 8th of October. The IPT number (measurement of tannins) is 80—the same as 2018. The alcohol came at 14.02% (lower than 2018), but it does seem a little lower than this percentage, probably because the pH is a little lower this year, at 3.67. It is aging in French oak barriques, 90% new. The color is opaque purple-black, with a nose that unfurls slowly in the glass, beginning with vibrant, expressive black fruit notes of freshly crushed blackcurrants, ripe blackberries and fresh black cherries, followed by a beguiling array of floral and earth nuances—candied violets, lavender, fragrant soil, underbrush, crushed rocks and black truffles. The medium to full-bodied wine dances ever so gracefully on the palate, demurely revealing tightly wound layers of of bright, crunchy black fruits and tantalizing floral and mineral sparks, supported by a rock-solid structure of firm, finely grained tannins and fantastic tension, finishing with epic persistence. Although the style is completely different, the barrel sample is behaving a lot like the Haut-Brion sample was when I tasted it, in that it appears to be holding just that little bit extra back right now. I have to call it as I see it today, but I wouldn't be surprised if when I come back to taste this from bottle, it shows me all that and a lot more.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Advocate, 18 June 2020