Château Léoville Las Cases 2010

The negative point first: this bottle already costs 300 euros today and will certainly not get cheaper. Yet in the glass lies the best Las Cases we have ever tasted, a characterful beast of the highest class and density, with length and depth, and an endless ageing potential. Anyone who has cellared this is sitting on a treasure they should guard like the apple of their eye!

Stunning and pure from the get-go, with intense cassis and blackberry fruit. Ultimately takes a slightly austere approach, with a wrought-iron structure driving along while pastis, black tea, licorice snap and asphalt notes course underneath. Long and loaded with grip, this remains remarkably fine-grained. A very chiseled Cabernet that is wonderfully precise and incredibly long. Best from 2020 through 2040. 12,000 cases made.

Layered, textured, deep, cigar box, cassis and earth, managing to simultaneously stretch out and burrow down. The edges open slowly but surely and seductively. Still inky in colour, this has all the powerful texture and tannic architecture that you expect from Leoville, and unlike the 2009 at its ten-year point it is still keeping plenty of secrets close to its chest. But you’re going to want to be around when it fully opens.

The aromas of this wine show a beautiful purity of raspberries, blueberries, currants, and flowers that lead to a full body, with superbly integrated tannins that feel like the finest silk in texture. It displays elegant, pretty fruit and a reserve and finesse reminiscent of such great years as 1989 and 1995. The bright, firm acidity gives a crunchy yet creamy texture. The blend has a tiny bit more Cabernet Sauvignon than in 2009. Give it at least six to eight years of bottle age.

Closing down, this is going to need extensive cellaring to display its ample character. This wine is concentrated and filled with layers of perfectly ripe berries. The tannins are polished, the acidity keeps it fresh, the texture is refined, the fruit is regal.

Dense and compact, great texture, monumental, pure blackcurrant.