Leoville Las Cases 2019 (6L)

98 Points, William Kelley, Wine Advocate: "The 2019 Léoville Las Cases is a brilliant young wine that will delight Bordeaux purists. Unwinding in the glass with scents of cassis, dark berries, cigar wrapper and pencil shavings, it’s full-bodied, layered and tightly wound, with a deep core of fruit, lively acids and an abundance of rich, powdery tannins. Concentrated and serious, much like its immediate neighbor Château Latour, it is likely to emerge as one of the vintage’s longest lived—and greatest—wines." 04/22

"The 2019 Léoville–Las Cases, bottled July 2021, retains the energetic, vivacious bouquet that I noticed last year from the barrel sample, offering intense blackberry, bilberry and still those faint shucked oyster shell scents in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with wonderful detail and precision, a mixture of black and blue fruit and enthralling clarity and length. Perhaps there is a little more creaminess in terms of texture toward the finish, a bit of "baby fat" that will be subsumed with time, so give this 8–10 years in bottle if you want to taste it in full flight. [Returning after 15 or 20 minutes, I discerned more pepperiness on the finish, and perhaps also less creaminess and more structure.] 14.02% alcohol." 02/22

96+ Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous: "Just as it was from barrel, the 2019 Léoville Las-Cases is a wine of pure and total sophistication. There is not the size of some recent vintages, but instead that heft is replaced by cool refinement. The expression of fruit leans into the redder end of the spectrum as opposed to the typically darker Las-Cases profile. Hints of cedar, tobacco, mint and blood orange linger. I can't wait to see how it ages." 02/22

98 Points, James Suckling: "Currants and blackberries with crushed stones, bark and some conifer and pine cone. Perfumed. Discreet. Medium-to full-bodied with an integrated tannin structure that’s full of fine tannins that are weightless and seamless, building on the palate and coming out at the end. Needs five or six years to open. Texture of heavy silk. 79% cabernet sauvignon, 11% merlot and 10% cabernet franc. Try after 2027." 02/22

98 Points, Georgina Hindle, Decanter: "Wet stone, smoke and floral aspects to the aromatic profile - seriously inviting. Density and power here, but cooling and all in balance, full of blackcurrant and black cherries with obvious minerality. It gives such plushness in terms of roundness and grip of tannins, but also layers of perfumed fruit, ripe fruit and cooling slate and liquorice elements. A distinguished wine with a seamless tannic structure and excellent length. Lots of life here and also a real, almost sweet acidity that gives life and lift. Lots going on now but designed for long and steady ageing." 03/22

97-99+ Points, Jeb Dunnuck: "The 2019 Château Léoville Las Cases is one seriously majestic beauty that shows the elegant, pure, balanced style of this vintage to a T. The 2019 is a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc that was raised in 90% new French oak. Notes of crème de cassis, smoked black cherries, graphite, tobacco, and damp earth all emerge from the glass, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a fresh, chiseled texture, layers of ripe tannins, and a solid spine of acidity. The 2019 will be one for the ages and will need at least a decade of bottle age, but it will drink well for 50-60 years or more." 6/20