Château Léoville Las Cases 1996

Incredible nose of blackberry, mineral, cedar and currant. Full-bodied, with silky and refined tannins and a medium, caressing finish. It's a beautiful wine that begs to be drunk now but will age and improve for a long time. — ’95/’96 Bordeaux retrospective. Drink now.

85% very ripe Cabernet Sauvignon. This was the year that Delon really pushed up the prices. Amazingly deep crimson. Very fresh and rigorous. Very firm and was probably pretty tough in its youth. Long and absolutely classic. No hint of modernity – except for the super-ripe, super-sorted fruit. Very clean and breezy. (JR)

If you are seeking a vintage of Leoville Las Cases for current consumption, look no further. Full-bodied, concentrated, long, deep, and intense, the tannins are firm but soft, the fruit is perfectly ripe, and the nearly seamless finish must last at least 50 seconds or more. An hour in the decanter, or perhaps up to 2 hours, kicks this stunner into high gear.

Smoked tea, cassis, blackberry, cigar box, chamomile, mint leaf, slate and spice, this explodes out of the glass and then holds its own, not fading at all over the two or three hours we sat around the table enjoying it. The 1970 may have had the initial heart-stopping aromatics, but it was the 1996 that delivered long into the night. Concentrated, tannic, confident. Opened 1.5 hours before drinking, 50% new oak.

One of the greatest Léoville in history, majestic in form and bouquet, rigorous in its tannin, with a distinction that brings it close to Lafite.

I’ve always considered this wine one of the vintage’s greatest successes. Incredibly youthful, it offers extraordinary depth and power.