Château Léoville Las Cases 2004

Characteristics and tasting advice for Château Léoville Las Cases 2004

Tasting

Appearance
The wine displays a deep, intense color, reflecting its fine concentration.

Nose
The aromatic bouquet reveals great complexity, with notes of cedar and tobacco. Intense aromas of blackcurrant and blackberry are accompanied by delicate touches of vanilla. The overall impression shows evident textural richness and a remarkable fruit expression.

Palate
The palate stands out for its full body and velvety structure. The tannins, both complex and spicy, reflect great refinement. The silky texture envelops the palate, while the finish lingers at length, leaving an impression of fullness and elegance. This full-bodied wine offers lovely freshness, perfectly balancing its power.

Serving and cellaring

Château Léoville Las Cases 2004 is best served at a temperature between 16 and 18°C. An hour of aeration in a decanter will allow the wine to fully express its aromatic range. This vintage can be cellared until around 2040, during which time it will continue to develop in complexity.

An exceptional Saint-Julien at the peak of its vintage

The estate

Established in 1638, Château Léoville Las Cases is one of the oldest estates in the Médoc. Located in the Saint-Julien appellation in Bordeaux, the estate spans 97 hectares of vineyards planted on gravelly soils, including the famous 50-hectare Grand Clos enclosed by walls. Jean-Hubert Delon, the current owner and a leading Bordeaux expert, continues the family management initiated in the 19th century. Classified as a Deuxième Grand Cru in 1855, Château Léoville Las Cases stands out for its exceptionally complex terroir and its old vines, producing wines of remarkable elegance.

The vineyard

The vineyard of Château Léoville Las Cases benefits from an exceptional terroir at the heart of the Saint-Julien appellation. The vines are planted on Quaternary gravel soils, which give the wines their unique character and great complexity. The famous Grand Clos, an emblematic 50-hectare plot surrounded by walls, is home to old vines whose deep root systems allow them to draw out the very quintessence of the Médoc terroir.

The vintage

The 2004 vintage was marked by contrasting weather conditions. A warm, rainy May was followed by a cool summer with rainfall in August. September proved sunny and warm with cool nights, allowing the grapes to reach perfect ripeness. The harvest took place from October 4 to 17, 2004. These conditions made it possible to obtain ideally balanced grapes with pleasant freshness.

Grape varieties

Cabernet Sauvignon (76%), Merlot (13%), Cabernet Franc (11%).