Château Léoville Las Cases 2022

For me, this was one of the best wines en primeur, and the wine delivers what it hinted at back then: a nose with almost unbeatable depth, violet aromas almost Barolo-like, behind that a basket of dark fruits and herbs; full-bodied on the attack, round—almost two mouthfuls of wine—tannins chiselled from stone, compact fruit, everything in its place; the wine is already approachable, naturally still youthful, but great wines are always great. A grand Las Cases, built for eternity.

Dark, winey and alluring, this offers a deep well of steeped black currant, blackberry and black cherry paste flavors that are sappy in their intensity. Sweet bay, violet, tobacco and apple wood accents fill in along the way, giving this superb range, while the long, cast-iron–edged finish pulls everything to its vanishing point. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Best from 2027 through 2045.

Sophistication and pure beauty on the nose, showing intense lead pencil, blackcurrants, ink and blackberries as well as crushed stones. Spellbinding. Medium-bodied, it grows endlessly on the palate, superb tannins caressing like the finest silk. It just keeps on coming. The character is immaculate. Ethereal. Power with elegance. 83.5% cabernet sauvignon, 10.5% cabernet franc and 6% merlot. It gives the impression you can drink it now, but it needs five to six years of bottle age. A neoclassical masterpiece. Try after 2031, but if you want to taste it now, I understand.

The 2022 Léoville Las-Cases is a wine of tremendous substance and pure power. Even with all of its textural intensity, Léoville Las Cases remains wonderfully light on its feet. The 2022 is part of the modern series of Las Cases, wines that won’t take decades to be at their best. I especially admire its brightness, energy and drive.

In competition for wine of the vintage, this is the finest Leoville Las Cases ever produced. Majestic on the palate, with layer after layer of perfectly ripe black and red fruits that start strong and keep on going. But what makes this so good is that, despite all its weight and density, the wine remains light on its feet, making it effortless to drink. The fruit is uncommonly rich in the mid-palate, with a seamless finish that easily hits the 60-second mark. Leoville Las Cases requires bottle aging. But with 2022, part of the magic is that it will be enjoyable with only a decade of age, while evolving and improving for 40–50 years with ease. The wine blends 83.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10.5% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Merlot. This is only the second time in the history of the estate that there is more Cabernet Franc than Merlot in the blend. Drink from 2030–2065.

Deep dark ruby in colour with an inky, opaque core, purple reflections, and subtle brightening on the rim. On the nose, subtle aromas of nougat and spices underpinned by ripe dark berry fruit, delicate hints of liquorice and cassis and a touch of orange zest. The full-bodied palate is elegant with fine fruit, fine supporting tannins, mineral, with ripe black cherry fruit and a very long, saline finish. Fresh and seductive, showing great potential for the future, a classic.

A monumental wine, the 2022 Château Léoville Las Cases is seriously dense and powerful, with a locked and loaded nose of cassis, crushed stone, graphite, and remarkable mineral intensity. Focused and structured on the palate as well as full-bodied, it has fine tannins and sensational purity. The 2022 is based on 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 6% Merlot, brought up in a mix of new and used oak. Hide bottles for 10-15 years and it should drink beautifully over the following 40-50 years.

Cassis purée, bitter chocolate, so much power and intensity, with a joy and immediacy that you rarely get in Las Cases. The tannins have a slight tug on the finish, telling you that the power of this vintage remains a little unruly and needs wrestling into place on this particular site. But hard to argue with: layered, powerful, confident, slow-moving. Arnaud Delon is joining his father at the Delon estates, and the new winery is due for completion by September 2025. 84% new oak for ageing. Eric Boissenot consultant, harvest September 8 to 30.

A meditative depth on the nose that calls for a long inhale. The bouquet is both deep, with its blackberry aromas, and expansive, with airy touches of wild blueberry and iris root. Sensual floral notes follow. On the palate, the wine unfurls like the finest sari, in raw silk, with rich colors. This is a complex, finely chiseled wine, like a lion carved in stone.

Beautifully lifted floral, blue fruit and cola aromas on the nose. Expressive and open. Effortlessly finessed but tightly packed and knitted down still. This impresses from the first sip with a burst of cool, fresh acidity against ripe, almost fleshy summer berry fruit - strawberries, cherries and juicy blueberries. Tannins are silky and well integrated and this has such forward motion from start to finish. Undeniable power meets grip and intensity in the wet stone, liquorice, graphite and slate minerality markers. A crisp and confident grand vin with plenty of structure and ageing potential.

There are wines that hardly need to speak to make their mark. They are there, scanning the horizon, creating silence, and inviting a thoughtful, almost reverent tasting—not because one should pray, but because it is essential to devote every sense to the energies this wine radiates. Notes of graphite, blueberry, pepper and cedar set the tone. The aromatic promises are nothing like a political campaign, for they are owned, absorbed and fulfilled on the palate. The wine shines with power and feels more contemporary than usual, offering openings, accessibility for a few seconds, before imposing an improbable force that puts not just the church back in the center of the village, but all of Bordeaux. If it is not alone at the summit of Olympus, it is certainly above the fray. An exceptional, imperial, disconcerting, fascinating wine that will struggle to find its equal, so brilliant it is! I cannot rate this wine 100/100 because it is better than all the 2022s that receive that score. So I’m awarding 101/100 to mark the occasion. When you are better than the best (I’m talking about the wine, of course), the difference deserves to be underlined.