Château Léoville Las Cases, 2ème Cru Classé, St Julien, 2023
Building work continues in St Julien, so we tasted out of context in Pomerol. Unusually aromatic and accessible for a Las Cases. Initially quite a complex, floral nose with notes of cassis, pencils shavings, sandalwood and rocks below. This feels less aloof than normal but is that at the expense of matière? Rather gentle and flowing through the middle with waves of bittersweet fruit, then there’s a note of acid freshness that keeps it slightly tart and pert. There's a little astringency on the finish too. It feels like a departure from the house style we have admired for so long. One would hope it regains focus and gravitas during élevage. A blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 4% Merlot.
critic reviews
The 2023 Léoville Las Cases is matured in 80% new oak and bottled at the end of June 2025. Initially, the bouquet is very tight and requires considerable aeration to unlock the aromas of blackberry, cassis, cedar and light briny notes. Very well-defined, though it is cut from a different cloth than the dazzling '22. This seems more introspective. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, very harmonious with seamlessly integrated oak. There is a gentle build in the mouth, caressing, finely tuned with a touch of black pepper toward the finish that lingers on the aftertaste. Excellent.
Structured and powerful, this is not as forbidding as En Primeur in many vintages of Las Cases, showing both flesh and florality, but the tannic walls of this great estate remain fully in place, coupled with layers of cassis and bilberry fruits, subtle hints of bitter aniseed, fennel, cola, espresso, squid ink, textured slate tannins. Expect inky depths and unashamed austerity, a wine that will take its time to open, making no excuses for demanding patience. So so good, with a balance and classicism that delivers on the best of the vintage. 80% new oak, 6.6% press wine, 3.79h, harvest September 9 to October 2, 43hl/h yield. First year in the new cellars, with 43.5ha going into the main wine from the historic walled vineyard site.
The 2023 Leoville Las Cases is deep garnet-purple in color. After a little shaking, notes of ripe blackcurrants, black cherries, and mulberries slowly emerge from the glass, giving way to a fragrant undercurrent of iris, crushed rocks, fertile loam, and dark chocolate. The medium-bodied palate is very tightly wound with taut black berry layers and loads of mineral accents, framed by firm fine-grained tannins and wonderful tension, finishing on a lingering ferrous note. This should be a very long-lived Las Cases! The blend is 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Merlot, with pH 3.79, alcohol of 13.1%, and TPI 72. It is aging for around 18 months in French oak barriques, 80% new.
A blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and only 4% Merlot, the 2023 Leoville Las Cases is one of the more serious, structured wines of the vintage, reminiscent of a modern-day version of the estate's excellent 2001. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of cherries, cassis and plums mingled with hints of licorice, mint and creamy new oak, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a taut core of fruit, lively acids and plenty of fine, youthfully firm tannins. It will require and reward patience.