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2016 Le Petit Lion du Marquis de Las Cases

Not Currently In Auction

Latest Sale Price

August 3, 2025 - $61

Estimate

RATINGS

96James Suckling

...ripe but contained, red and dark-berry aromas, framed in cedar, blackcurrants and violets. The palate has exceptional depth and very focused, pristine red-plum and cherry flavors hold long and seamless into the finish.

94Jeb Dunnuck

...nose of crème de cassis, black cherries, forest floor, and tobacco, with some almost Pauillac-like lead pencil and minerality. Full-bodied, with bright acidity and remarkable purity as well as ripe tannins...

93Wine Enthusiast

It has something of the same structure but with a juicy fruitiness that contrasts with the tannins and density.

92Vinous / IWC

There is good energy to the red cherry fruit, spice and chalky notes...

90Wine Spectator

Solid, with dark plum and anise notes at the core, laced with mouthwatering briar and apple wood accents.

16.5Jancis Robinson

Sweet and fresh at the same time. Sinewy and round. Lip smacking. Just a little green note on the end. Real lift to this and not quite mouth-filling – just a little austere hole on the end but pretty good!

PRODUCER

Château Leoville-Las-Cases (Second Label)

Le Petit Lion du Marquis de Las Cases is the second wine of Chateau Léoville-Las-Cases, a second-growth Bordeaux located in St.-Julien-Beychevelle next door to Chateau Latour. Le Petit Lion was started in 2007, and it is made from newer vineyards than Léoville-Las-Cases. The estate was part of a much larger property that was broken up after the French revolution. It remains large by Bordeaux standards however, and today is comprised of 240 acres of vineyards. For decades the estate was expertly run by Michel Delon, whose wines were always considered some of the best of the Medoc. His son Jean-Hubert is now in charge, and the quality and reputation of the estate’s Bordeaux remain outstanding. Many collectors consider Léoville-Las-Cases in its best vintages to equal the First Growth wines of the region. Petit Lion is typically nearly 60% Merlot, with the remainder of the blend mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and a very small amount of Cabernet Franc.

REGION

France, Bordeaux, St.-Julien

Saint-Julien is the smallest of the four main Médoc appellations with 2,175 acres of vineyards. It is just south of Pauillac on the left bank of the Gironde, and although it has no First Growth châteaux, its 11 Classified Growth estates are widely admired. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that winemaking in Saint-Julien from all classifications “is consistently both distinctive and brilliant.” He adds it is Médoc’s “most underrated commune.” The best-known estates are Léoville Las Cases, Ducru-Beaucaillou, Léoville Poyferré, Léoville Barton and Gruaud Larose, and most of those have riverside estates. The soil in this appellation is gravelly with clay. Cabernet Sauvignon is the main grape grown, and it is blended with Cabernet Franc, Merlot and sometimes small amounts of Petit Verdot.

VINTAGE

2016 Le Petit Lion du Marquis de Las Cases

This is a second label of Château Léoville-Las-Cases