Château Léoville Las Cases

2ème Grand Cru Classé Saint-Julien 2025

Deep dark ruby garnet, opaque core, violet reflections, delicate edge brightening. Nuances of blackberries, cassis, blueberries and some nougat, fine precious wood spice, multi-faceted bouquet. Complex, taut, red berry nuances in the texture, ripe, present tannins, mineral, lemony-salty on the finish, has great animating power, red heart cherries in the aftertaste, will benefit from maturity.

One of the most serious, brooding wines of the vintage is the 2025 Léoville Las Cases, a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc and 6% Merlot. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of dark berries, plums, pencil shavings and creamy new oak, it's medium- to full-bodied, deep and dense, with prodigious reserves of sweet but assertive tannin, lively acids and a long, muscular finish. This will require patience.

The 2025 Léoville Las Cases is powerful, tightly wound and very shut down—in other words, classic Las Cases. In some recent vintages, the Grand Vin has shown somewhat softer contours, but the 2025 is really a throwback to a more muscular, classically austere style. It offers tremendous persistence and sheer power, but beyond that, the wine is pretty hard to read in the early going, certainly much more so than any of the other wines in the Delon stable. I expect this will need many years to be at its most rewarding. Based on this en primeur sample, the 2025 is a wine for readers who have actuarial tables on their side.