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2012 Château Leoville-Las-Cases

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Latest Sale Price

October 27, 2024 - $150

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RATINGS

95The Wine Advocate

...medium to full-bodied, lively and layered, with impressive concentration for the vintage, supple tannins and a charming, enveloping profile. Seamless and beautifully integrated, at age 10, this quintessential classic is already surprisingly approachable, though of course it still has several decades of graceful evolution ahead of it.

94Wine Spectator

...a wall of smoldering charcoal holding the core of dark plum, blackberry paste and cassis in reserve. The sleek finish shows admirable length and a mouthwatering echo of iron. This harnesses the austerity of the vintage to its advantage, and should unwind slowly in the cellar.

92-94Vinous / IWC

Spice and vanillin nuances complicate red cherry, blackcurrant, cedar and graphite on the captivating, classic nose. Then suave and refined in the mouth, with clean flavors of blackcurrant, cedar and herbs. Finishes very long and pure...

PRODUCER

Château Leoville-Las-Cases

Chateau Leoville-Las-Cases is a Second Growth Bordeaux located in St.-Julien-Beychevelle next door to Chateau Latour. Leoville-Las-Cases was part of a much larger estate 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 Leoville-Las-Cases in its best vintages to equal the First Growth wines of the region. The vineyards are planted in 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Annual production of the signature Bordeaux is 216,000 cases. The average age of the vines is 30 years. Clos du Marquis is the estate’s second line.

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

2012 Château Leoville-Las-Cases