Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a very solid wine with tannins that are very firm and dense. There is power without excessive alcohol, lending a classic feel, and a pure line from fruit, acidity and tannin. The result is as much about fruit as structure.
Barrel Sample: 95-97 Points -
Jeb Dunnuck
Standing out for its sheer purity and class, the 2012 Leoville-Las Cases is about as seamless as they come, with medium to full-bodied richness, fabulous notes of crème de cassis, cedary spice, plums, spice and wood smoke, with its oak component pushed well into the background. While not a blockbuster, it is impeccably balanced, with a full, layered mid-palate, building tannin and a rock-solid finish. Give this straight up classy 2012 4-5 years in the cellar and enjoy bottles over the following two decades or more.
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James Suckling
A structured and powerful Las Cases. It really grabs you and makes you take note. Yet there is polish and refinement in the texture. Full body, with intense tannins and long, lively finish. The fruit acid balance is very pretty. 94-95
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Wafting from the glass with aromas of rich berries, plums, loamy soil, baking spices and pencil shavings, the 2012 Leoville Las Cases is medium to full-bodied, lively and layered, with impressive concentration for the vintage, supple tannins and a charming, enveloping profile. Seamless and beautifully integrated, at age 10, this quintessential classic is already surprisingly approachable, though of course it still has several decades of graceful evolution ahead of it. Best After 2022
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Wine Spectator
This is among the tightest wines at this early stage, with a wall of smoldering charcoal holding the core of dark plum, blackberry paste and cassis in reserve. The sleek finish shows admirable length and a mouthwatering echo of iron. This harnesses the austerity of the vintage to its advantage, and should unwind slowly in the cellar. Best from 2018 through 2030.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2012 Château Léoville Las Cases continues to evolve as a wine between the First Growths and Super Seconds (top quality Second Growths). Over the past two decades, the wines have shown more power than I could have ever imagined would have come out of Saint-Julien—some would argue that since Léoville Las Cases is only a stone's throw from Château Latour, it should be considered more like a powerful Pauillac. While this vintage shows plenty of black fruits and richness, there is elegance here that is very becoming of this wine. (Tasted: April 9, 2013, Saint-Julien, France) barrel sample: 91-93
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
An icon of balance and tradition, St. Julien boasts the highest proportion of classed growths in the Médoc. What it lacks in any first growths, it makes up in the rest: five amazing second growth chateaux, two superb third growths and four well-reputed fourth growths. While the actual class rankings set in 1855 (first, second, and so on the fifth) today do not necessarily indicate a score of quality, the classification system is important to understand in the context of Bordeaux history. Today rivalry among the classed chateaux only serves to elevate the appellation overall.
One of its best historically, the estate of Leoville, was the largest in the Médoc in the 18th century, before it was divided into the three second growths known today as Chateau Léoville-Las-Cases, Léoville-Poyferré and Léoville-Barton. Located in the north section, these are stone’s throw from Chateau Latour in Pauillac and share much in common with that well-esteemed estate.
The relatively homogeneous gravelly and rocky top soil on top of clay-limestone subsoil is broken only by a narrow strip of bank on either side of the “jalle,” or stream, that bisects the zone and flows into the Gironde.
St. Julien wines are for those wanting subtlety, balance and consistency in their Bordeaux. Rewarding and persistent, the best among these Bordeaux Blends are full of blueberry, blackberry, cassis, plum, tobacco and licorice. They are intense and complex and finish with fine, velvety tannins.