2012 Leoville Las Cases
By Chateau Leoville Las Cases
2012 Leoville Las Cases from Chateau Leoville Las Cases, St-Julien, Bordeaux
In the robust library of Bordeaux's vintages, the 2012 Leoville Las Cases charts its own distinctive course. Nurtured within the lauded soil of St-Julien, this offering from Chateau Leoville Las Cases unveils not only the prestigious estate's legacy but also the vintage's unique temperament.
A Harmonious Year for a St-Julien Icon
Bordeaux watchers recall 2012 as a year that tested winemakers' prowess. A cool and wet early season flirted with adversity, but an Indian summer ushered in relief and ripeness to St-Julien's prized vines. It is these climatic intricacies of 2012 that shaped the distinctive qualities in this laudable bottle.
The result in the glass; a blend that marries depth with vivacity, 2012 Leoville Las Cases offers a palate-parting display of blackcurrant, balanced by subtler notes of tobacco and graphite – a hallmark trait of St-Julien terroir. There’s a harmonious integration of oak, endowing the wine with a framework suitable for long-term cellaring.
A Vintage Worth Coveting
Lovers of fine wine will appreciate the taut structure and poise that permeate this vintage. It bespeaks its lineage – evidence of the masterful tending and crafting by the viticulturalists and winemakers at Chateau Leoville Las Cases, who have excelled in unlocking the potential wrought by this challenging growing season.
This wine not only romances the senses but presents itself as an astute treasure for fine wine investors. With its slight departure from typical St-Julien vintages, it garners intrigue amongst connoisseurs and collectors alike.
To immerse oneself in this bottling is to understand Bordeaux's remarkable resilience and St-Julien’s remarkable capacity for elegance under pressure. The 2012 Leoville Las Cases beckons one to delve into its depths—an exploration that promises to be both richly rewarding and a sage addition to one's investment portfolio.
Market price (GBP)
£1,380.00
12x75cl
Highest score
95
POP score
92
Scores and tasting notes
A structured and powerful Las Cases. It really grabs you and makes you take note. Yet there is polish and refinement in the texture. Full body, with intense tannins and long, lively finish. The fruit acid balance is very pretty.
James Suckling - jamessuckling.com, April 4th 2013
The seriously endowed 2012 Las Cases exhibits a dense purple color as well as surprisingly sweet tannin and a forwardness that one does not normally find at this address. Medium to full-bodied with beautiful black currant, graphite, crushed rock and subtle oaky notes, it possesses lots of minerality and precision, impressive power, a rich mid-palate (which sets it apart from other St.-Juliens), and a long finish. It appears this beauty will be drinkable in 5-6 years, and last for 25 or more. One of the best, if not the finest wines made in St.-Julien in 2012 is Jean-Hubert Delon's famed Leoville Las Cases. A blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc, it tips the scales at 13.5% alcohol, which is interesting given the fact that its next door neighbor, Latour, only hit 12.8%. Delon said rot was no problem in their well-drained, gravelly vineyards (which are of first-growth quality in fact if not in name).
Robert Parker Jr - Wine Advocate #206
The bigger sister or brother of Le Petit Lion, depending on your point of view, the 2012 Leoville Las Cases has gorgeous minerality, plenty of blueberry and blackcurrant fruit that is super-pure, an opaque ruby/purple color, medium body and firm structured, slightly austere personality. This wine is built for the long-term. A blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc, it attained 13.5% alcohol, which is substantial for a 2012 Médoc. It has depth and richness, but also a boatload of tannin. Forget it for 8-10 years and drink over the following 15-20.
Robert Parker Jr - The Wine Advocate, 29 April 2015
Picked over 12 days between 4th and 18th October, the Grand Vin is a blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc with 9% pressed wine and it will be matured in 80% new oak. It has a deep, clayey-scented bouquet with blackberry, briary and espresso. The palate is fresh and lively on the entry and the tannins appear very fine, lending this Las-Cases the potential to be very feminine and lithe. It demonstrates admirable focus, it is not a particularly overly ambitious Grand Vin and appears extremely well controlled on the finish. Tasted April 2013.
Neal Martin - Wine Journal May 2013