Château Léoville Las Cases 2020

Even Las Cases appears particularly stylish, harmonious, even elegant and refined, unusually fruity even, yet well structured as always, with tannins of exceptional class and noticeable minerality, which also guarantees a long aging potential.

Sleek and slightly austere in feel, with a cold cast-iron note framing a core of tightly compressed cassis, plum and blackberry fruit flavors. Shows subtle flashes of tobacco and smoldering charcoal, as the finish lingers with verve. A stoic red. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Best from 2030 through 2045.

Perfumed touches on the nose, quite high-toned, blackcurrant almost like a liqueur with rose petal and candyfloss nuances. On the point of ripeness, still tense, not hugely expansive in the mouth or particularly weighty, but juicy with really confident energy to it – vibrant and compelling. Tannins are perfectly integrated, so fine; this has an overall silky texture with a hint of grip coming towards the mid-palate. Driven and straight, not deviating from the core. Almost unfriendly, but you know this has been well made – it’s sleek, with sinewy muscles, just caged right now and needing time to come around. I love the precision of the elements; there’s such sharp attention to detail with a liquorice, slate and pencil-lead tang. The flavours need a little coaxing; this is a sleeping beauty waiting to awaken, but when it does it will be delicious because of the precision. A wonderful wine that really makes you think about how it’s going to evolve.

A linear and very racy wine with super fine tannins that run the length of the wine. Superb. It’s full-bodied yet really focused and polished with length and intensity. Lots of currants and graphite. Very classy and fine. The new 1996. Give it six to seven years to come around.

The 2020 Léoville Las-Cases has an intense nose with blackberry, wild strawberry, cassis and just a touch of licorice. It coheres wonderfully in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied and beautifully knit together, with filigree tannins and a bright, tensile finish that fans out with real panache. Of course, it's primal and nascent, yet you can already tell the class. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

Dark garnet in color, the wine pops with aromas of tobacco leaf, cigar box, cedar, herbs, black currants, coffee, and spice. Refined, fresh, polished, and firm, the fruit is vibrant, long, and intense. The tannins are ripe, almost creamy in texture. The finish is long, regal, and compelling, leaving you with layers of black currants and cassis. Give this at least 12–15 years before popping a cork and enjoy it for the next 3 decades after that. The wine is a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, and 8% Cabernet Franc, 13.68% ABV, 3.80 pH. The harvest took place from September 12 to September 27, making this the earliest vintage since 1989. 96–98 pts

Dark ruby garnet, purple reflections, firm core, delicate rim brightening. Fine nuances of noble wood, dark berry fruit, ripe cherries, delicate hints of plums and candied orange zest, a multi-faceted bouquet. Juicy, elegant, finesse-rich structure, ripe cherries, some liquorice, perfectly ripe tannins, mineral and long-lasting, with some ageing potential, a wonderfully balanced wine that will be very seductive even when young. (2028-2065).

Another 2020 that's going to demand patience, the 2020 Château Léoville Las Cases is a Cabernet Sauvignon–dominated blend that includes 11% Cabernet Franc and 8% Merlot, raised in 80% new French oak. It's a regal, medium- to full-bodied, concentrated, flawlessly balanced 2020 with a pure core of cassis and darker currant fruits, a layered, seamless mouthfeel carrying substantial tannins, perfectly integrated oak, and subtle floral, mineral, and leafy herb nuances. Playing in the concentrated yet focused and structured style of the vintage, it will need a decade to reach the early stages of its prime drinking window and will offer 50–75 years of longevity.

Richly textured from the first moment, pencil lead, cassis, black cherry, cigar box, liquorice and espresso, just waves of utterly gorgeous flavours. I highly recommend that if you can find a way to taste a young Las Cases, it is worth your time, because the bare bones of what it will become are there, and remain visible for a few years before the entire thing clamps shut for a decade or more, prising open only one chink at a time. There are edges of violet and smoked caramel here, revealing a generous Las Cases compared to many vintages, but it will close down like the rest do, surely as night follows day. 50% new oak. The alcohol level is 1% less than 2018 and 0.5% less than in 2019, 3.65pH, 34hl/ha yield.

Made from 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Merlot, the 2020 Leoville Las Cases is deep garnet-purple in color. After a swirl or two, it erupts from the glass with explosive scents of blackcurrant cordial, stewed blackberries, juicy blackberries, and violets, leading to suggestions of licorice, cinnamon toast, and fertile loam with a touch of truffles. The medium-bodied palate is tightly wound with loads of nuanced black fruit, earthy, and floral layers, supported by very fine-grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and multi-layered.

96-97

Las Cases 2020 is a superlative wine for its depth, richness, and above all its definition. A wine that surges across the palate in successive waves and seems unwilling to stop. The enormous tannic structure is perfectly aligned and melts into the finish with absolute precision.

A noble nose with notes of blue fruits, Asian spices, soy sauce, star anise and mountain air. Very refined on the palate: supple yet structured, concentrated yet juicy. Already very harmonious and it will remain so for decades. Lovely persistence, with the impression of sensing the gravelly terroir all the way through the finish.