Château Léoville Las Cases, 2ème Cru Classé, St Julien, 2021

Name: Château Léoville Las Cases, 2ème Cru Classé, St Julien
Brand: Château Léoville Las Cases
Price: 1190.74 GBP

Available Vintages

all 1995 1998 1999 2002 2006 2008 2014 2017 2018 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

justerini & brooks tasting note

Always one of the most classical wines of Bordeaux, Hubert Delon's flagship Leoville Las Cases hails from arguably the greatest vineyard of the Medoc. The 2021 reminds the LLC team of the 1988, with the advances of modern technology. Initially rather introspective, then beautiful, clear aromas of violet, cherry blossom, cassis and pencil shavings emerge. The palate is super precise, all coiled, taut, serious, muscular, somewhat concealed, but all the components are there. Finishes with long, serious, yet graceful tannins laced with fruit and graphite. A touch shy but all present and correct. Should be splendid given time. Crafted from 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot.

critic reviews

95/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, and 15% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Leoville Las Cases is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a fair bit of swirling and coaxing to reveal a pronounced core of cassis, Morello cherries, and mulberries, giving way to a fragrant undercurrent of tilled soil, charcoal, violets, and cedar, plus a touch of Sichuan pepper. The medium-bodied palate delivers impressive, tightly wound layers of black fruits and minerals, framed by ripe, fine-grained tannins and wonderful tension, finishing long and perfumed. All minerals and florals - very pretty!

DRINKING WINDOW 2026 - 2046

date of review 04/2024

94/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

Right away on the nose this is chiselled and austere in all the right places, with huge depth and character. Concentrated creme de cassis, with a hidden creamy mid palate that lurks underneath the tannic frame. Plenty of estate signature, meaning cassis, espresso, billberry, slate and graphite. Great quality, and supremely Léoville Las Cases. 85% new oak, just a touch down from normal in reflection of the vintage.

DRINKING WINDOW 2028 - 2040

date of review 04/2024

94/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2021 Léoville Las Cases is beautifully defined on the nose: blackberry, raspberry, still that subtle marine element, a hint of Japanese wakame and shucked oyster shells. The oak (85% new) is very well integrated, though it needs some time to be completely subsumed. The palate has exquisite balance—very poised and pure. It is not a heavyweight or powerful Las-Cases, yet there is convincing tension and a judicious dab of spice toward the finish that fans out and lingers. It will require several years in bottle, but it will be worth waiting for. This has the substance to age with style.

DRINKING WINDOW 2030 - 2070

date of review 02/2024

96+/100William Kelley,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2021 Leoville Las Cases has turned out beautifully in bottle and clearly numbers among the very finest wines of the vintage. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of dark berries and cassis mingled with notions of cigar wrapper, violets and pencil shavings, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated with a deep and multidimensional core of fruit framed by beautifully refined tannins and girdled by lively acids, concluding with a long, penetrating finish. Serious and structured without being austere, it's a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc and a mere 5% Merlot.

DRINKING WINDOW 2031 - 2065

date of review 02/2024