1964 | Château Léoville-Las Cases | Grand Vin de Leoville

Detailed Description

Soft and supple, not as generous as one might expect from a highly regarded vintage for Las Cases, but showing nice cigar-box, cedar and truffle overtones to the modest currant and berry flavors.

Reviews:

• Tom Cannavan: Tasted at Ch√¢teau Doisy-Vedrines upon the death of Michel Delon. Roasted herbs, earth and leather on the nose. A ripe autumnal palate. Full mature fruits fading leaving it a little tart. Very supple mature tannins. Quite leathery and rustic. This bottle direct from the ch√¢teau, but others may be over the hill.

• James Suckling: Soft and supple, not as generous as one might expect from a highly regarded vintage for Las Cases, but showing nice cigar-box, cedar and truffle overtones to the modest currant and berry flavors.

Producer Information

Ch√¢teau L√©oville-Las Cases is an estate in the Saint-Julien appellation of Bordeaux, ranked as a second growth in the 1855 Classification of the M√©doc and Graves. Typical of the appellation, Ch√¢teau L√©oville-Las Cases is Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant, with smaller amounts of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The estate has a history dating back to the mid-17th Century, when it used to be part of a much larger estate. During the French Revolution (1789-1799) the estate was divided in two with a small section becoming Ch√¢teau L√©oville Barton. In 1840, the original estate was again divided, creating Ch√¢teau L√©oville-Poyferre. All three of the L√©oville ch√¢teaux were named in the 1855 Classification as second growths, but L√©oville-Las Cases remains the largest. There are 98 hectares (242 acres) of vineyards, planted with 66 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 24 percent Merlot, 9 percent Cabernet Franc and 1 percent Petit Verdot. The vineyard’s soils are mostly gravel over sand and clay, with some areas where the clay reaches the surface. The proximity of the Gironde moderates weather extremes, lowering the risk of frost and allowing grapes to ripen earlier than vineyards further inland. The vines are on average 40 years old. L√©oville-Las Cases produces three wines, all red Bordeaux blends. It is credited with being one of the first Bordeaux producers to release a second wine in 1902, even though the second wine in question, the Clos du Marquis, is made from a separate vineyard and thus is not really a second wine. A true second wine, Le Petit Lion du Marquis de Las Cases, was released in 2007, and is a Merlot-dominant wine made from younger vines, which are not yet ready for the grand vin. Domaines Delon, proprietors of the estate, also own Ch√¢teau Potensac in the Medoc and Ch√¢teau N√©nin in Pomerol.