Chateau Leoville las Cases Saint Julien 2022 1.5Ltr

The 2022 Léoville Las Cases is just as remarkable in bottle as it was from barrel. Wafting from the glass with aromas of beautifully pure cassis fruit mingled with notions of violets, burning embers and subtle cigar box, it has already almost entirely integrated its new oak. Full-bodied, dense and layered, it's deep and resonant, with striking concentration, precision and harmony, concluding with a long, palate-staining finish. This striking Saint-Julien really is one of the wines of the vintage, and the best young Léoville Las Cases I've ever tasted.

#72 in Top 100 Wines of France, 2025. Sophistication and pure beauty on the nose, showing intense lead pencil, blackcurrants, ink and blackberries as well as crushed stones. Spellbinding. Medium-bodied, it grows endlessly on the palate, superb tannins caressing like the finest silk. It just keeps on coming. The character is immaculate. Ethereal. Power with elegance. 83.5% cabernet sauvignon, 10.5% cabernet franc and 6% merlot. It gives the impression you can drink it now, but it needs five to six years of bottle age. A neoclassical masterpiece. Try after 2031, but if you want to taste it now, I understand.

The nascent 2022 Léoville Las-Cases, matured in 85% new oak, instantly makes an impression and vindicates my rhapsodizing from barrel. Intense yet boasting exquisite delineation, the aromatics are endowed with immense depth, retaining those estuarine nuances, hints of blue fruit, fig and crushed violets. The palate is medium-bodied with svelte tannins. Stunningly balanced and poised, satin-like in texture yet with ample backbone and grip to guarantee longevity, this ranks amongst the best Grand Vins that I have tasted from Jean-Hubert Delon's Saint-Julien estate. This flirts with perfection.

Beautifully lifted floral, blue fruit and cola aromas on the nose. Expressive and open. Effortlessly finessed but tightly packed and knitted down still. This impresses from the first sip with a burst of cool, fresh acidity against ripe, almost fleshy summer berry fruit - strawberries, cherries and juicy blueberries. Tannins are silky and well integrated and this has such forward motion from start to finish. Undeniable power meets grip and intensity in the wet stone, liquorice, graphite and slate minerality markers. A crisp and confident grand vin with plenty of structure and ageing potential.

A monumental wine, the 2022 Château Léoville Las Cases is seriously dense and powerful, with a locked and loaded nose of cassis, crushed stone, graphite, and remarkable mineral intensity. Focused and structured on the palate as well as full-bodied, it has fine tannins and sensational purity. The 2022 is based on 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 6% Merlot, brought up in a mix of new and used oak. Hide bottles for 10-15 years and it should drink beautifully over the following 40-50 years.

The assemblage of the Delon grand vin is 83.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10.5% Cabernet Franc and 6% Merlot, and the press wine accounts for 8% of the blend. The élevage was in 85% new oak barrels for 18 months. The aromatics here are striking, with an almost confit intensity to the fruits, sweet currant and cranberry, with a touch of white pepper and pressed iris. The palate starts out with an immediately complete style, a fresh and polished substance which shimmers with dark fruits, liquorice, olive, tar and salted black cherries, all of which lies draped over a rich and ripe tannic structure, which provides a beautifully harmonious presence through the end of the palate and into the finish. Such delicious and divine harmony here, with great tannic structure, which builds to a strong crescendo in the midpalate on a second taste, the interplay between the dark tannins and the salted black fruits just glorious, and yet it all feels so fresh and bright. The finish is long and gripped by powdery, polished tannins which linger forever at the end of the palate. The alcohol is 14% on the label.

Dark, winey and alluring, this offers a deep well of steeped black currant, blackberry and black cherry paste flavors that are sappy in their intensity. Sweet bay, violet, tobacco and apple wood accents fill in along the way, giving this superb range, while the long, cast iron–edged finish pulls everything to its vanishing point. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Best from 2027 through 2045. From France. (Collectible)