Château Léoville Las Cases 2016

Stunning aromatic complexity; majestic structure, unique density, class-act tannins, great, never-ending length... Superb.

This is really dense, yet remarkably polished and poised, delivering wave after wave of blueberry, açaí berry, raspberry and blackberry purée notes, all while warm tar and sweet tobacco details cruise underneath. There's a long, smoldering cast-iron note through the finish that adds both austerity and authority in a truly unique manner. Best from 2025 through 2045. 13,333 cases made.

Las Cases is firmly positioned at the top of the second growths and, tasting this wine, it is easy to see why. There is no hurry to drink this though. Intense and tightly wound, there is a stony, mineral edge which, combined with the pure, dark currant fruit, spicy oak, firm tannins and lingering acidity, suggest this will blossom in five years and live for 50.

Very complex and alluringly spicy aromas that bubble in and out of the nose, together with fresh tobacco, raspberries and iodine, moving into blackcurrants, blackberries and a gently gravely, stony edge. The palate has incredible polish that is a foil for the intense power and concentration of this wine. The texture is flawless, building smoothly with fine-grained and focused tannins that sustain a long, fresh finish. The new 1986, which was a legend. This is probably better. A blend of 75 percent cabernet sauvignon, 14 percent merlot and 11 percent cabernet franc. Try from 2024.

Notably dark purple. Surprisingly luscious for a wine from this stable. The mulberry fruit is so intense that it manages at this stage to mask the considerable tannic charge. This seems much more approachable than when I have tasted it before (see my previous tasting notes here). (JR)

This has really expanded since my initial barrel tasting. The nose explodes, literally! The fruit jumps from the glass, it is that concentrated. Blackberry, cassis and tobacco are everywhere. It’s so concentrated, you could almost eat it with a spoon! The fruit coats your mouth. But it’s the level of density and freshness, coupled with all those sweet, pure fruit sensations, that lets you know this wine means business. You can actually feel the fruit expanding on your palate! This is what great wine is all about. Produced from a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc.

Deep dark ruby, opaque core with a bright narrow rim. Subtle hints of liquorice and cassis, tobacco nuances, a touch of fine noble wood and delicate hints of candied orange zest. Powerfully close-knit with ripe cherry, vivid, integrated tannins and fresh acidity. The mineral finish has good length with dark berry fruit and a lemon touch. A wine for laying down which will benefit from at least ten years.

Elegant nose, dark fruity with stony and gravelly notes, ripe cherry, cassis, tobacco and fine wood. Very dense yet fresh palate, finely built with a very high level of finely grained tannin, flavour intensity and savoury dark fruit, crushed berries, tobacco, discreet wood and a very long, dense finish. Serious structure and weight that should drink well already soon, but as usual has the potential for another half decade or so.

The 2016 Léoville Las Cases is the finest vintage I’ve ever tasted from this estate; in fact, in this reviewer’s opinion, this magical, perfect wine couldn’t be better. Made from 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc aged 22 months in 90% new oak, it reveals a deep, saturated purple color as well as a thrilling bouquet of crème de cassis, iris flowers, graphite, crushed rocks, and freshly sharpened lead pencils. A perfect example of the old saying “an iron fist in a velvet glove,” it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, layered, stacked mid-palate, flawless integration of its acidity and tannins, and a monster finish. The balance and purity here are off the charts. Hide bottles for a decade or so and enjoy over the following half a century.

Deep, dark, hidden depths to the colour here, and this has the highest tannin count (82 IPT) of all the vintages I am tasting, including 2020. Classic 2016 flavours and aromatics from this part of Bordeaux: crushed rocks, concentrated crème de cassis, slate-licking minerality—it scrapes across the palate. Almost softened by chocolate shavings, though the sensation is closer to biting into a cocoa bean. The precision and tightrope-walking feel are incredible; this is flying high and will only get better and better over time. I’m standing by this score, but don’t expect it to show the best of itself any time soon. 50% new oak.

A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, and 11% Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Leoville Las Cases is deep purple-black in color. It bursts forth with flamboyant notes of crushed blackcurrants, juicy blackberries, and candied violets, giving way to slowly emerging nuances of charcoal, iron ore, wet pebbles, mossy tree bark, and black truffles. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is a powerhouse of black fruit and mineral layers, supported by super-firm, super-ripe tannins and fantastic tension, finishing epically long and achingly beautiful. So Good! You could actually drink this now, crime that it would be, but it is just so delicious even in its youth. It should go on for half a century or more.

Exemplary breadth and refinement, with the fullness of its incomparable terroir already clearly perceptible. One of the peaks of the vintage.

The 2016 will go down in history for its balance and structure.