Chateau Leoville las Cases Saint Julien 2005 750ml

The 2005 Leoville Las Cases is a blend of 87.6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.6% Merlot, and 4.8% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-brick in color, it explodes with black and blue fruit preserves notes before giving way to a spray of creme de cassis, hoisin, Indian spices, and crushed rocks scents. The medium-bodied palate is finely knit with elegantly styled, fragrant black fruit and earthy layers, supported by firm, densely pixilated tannins and lively acidity, finishing long and opulent. At a sweet-spot in its evolutionary curve, poised between fruitiness and a tertiary spice bomb, this is gorgeous right now, although it will cellar easily to 2055+. Leoville Las Cases is owned by the Delon family - now Jean Hubert Delon. It consists of 125 different parcels, but the heart of the estate is a walled clos that borders Latour, including around 124 acres (out of 240 in total). Of all the Saint-Julien estates, Leoville Las Cases is the closest to the estuary and to Pauillac, so in some vintages it can seem more like a Pauillac. The style here is more concentrated and opulent than other Saint-Juliens with a firmer backbone. It does behave, in many respects, like a Pauillac, except with more perfume and decadence.