Leoville Las Cases 2000

St Julien, Second Growth

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Tasting Notes
Along with the Medoc first growths, Leoville Barton, Chateau Montrose, Sociando Mallet, and a handful of other producers, Leoville Las Cases continues to make a wine meant for very long-term cellaring. When I did my earlier tastings of the 2000, my projected maturity dates were 2012-2040, but it is looking more like 2020-2050. This full-bodied blend of nearly 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.4% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc still has a youthful ruby/purple color, notes of graphite, kirsch liqueur, black currants, and lead pencil shavings, with good acidity, the tell-tale purity, layered ripeness and intensity, and a profound finish. However, with its high level of tannin and brooding backwardness, this superb effort needs to be forgotten for up to a decade. (98+ Points) Score: 98 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2020-2050 01 June 2010
This wine has put on weight and, as impressive as it was from cask, it is even more brilliant from bottle. Only 35% of the crop made it into the 2000 Leoville Las Cases, a blend of 76.8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.4% Merlot, and 8.8% Cabernet Franc. The wine is truly profound, with an opaque purple color and a tight but promising nose of vanilla, sweet cherry liqueur, black currants, and licorice in a dense, full-bodied, almost painfully rich, intense style with no hard edges. This seamless classic builds in the mouth, with a finish that lasts over 60 seconds. Still primary, yet extraordinarily pure, this compelling wine, which continues to build flavor intensity and exhibit additional layers of texture, is a tour de force in winemaking and certainly one of the great Leoville Las Cases. In another sense, it symbolizes / pays homage to proprietor Michel Delon, who passed away in 2000. Michel has been succeeded by his son, Jean-Hubert, another perfectionist. Score: 99 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2012-2040 01 April 2003
Great purity of cassis and black cherry fruit dominates the aromatics of the medium to full-bodied, austere, tannic, concentrated, voluminous 2000 Leoville Las Cases. It is a classic Las Cases exhibiting subtle oak, and a palate that builds with intensity as the wine aerates. The tannin still overlays it, giving it a youthful, backward, unevolved personality. Score: 93 - 95 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2010-2035 01 February 2002
A sleek, super-concentrated, pure Leoville-Las-Cases has once again been produced. Yields were approximately 47 hectoliters per hectare, and only 35% of the crop was utilized in the grand vin. This wine is dominated by its high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon (76.14%, with the balance being 14.40% Cabernet Franc and the rest Merlot). Opaque black/purple-colored, with a reticent but promising bouquet of creme de cassis, blackberry and cherry liqueur, vanilla, minerals, and spice box, this medium to full-bodied, rich 2000 explodes on the back of the palate with high tannin as well as zesty acidity. A backward vin de garde, it will require 8-10 years of cellaring. Score: 94 - 96 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2010-2040 01 April 2001
Dark, brooding colour. Very introvert and still difficult to read though extremely solid. Then a polish and a suggestion of fireworks hints that this will be an extremely interesting wine with time. Very clean and appetising and bracing. Super-claret indeed! Score: 18 - 19 Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2016-2040 23 March 2010
Absolutely fantastic. This is one of the most exciting young reds I have tasted in a long, long time. It shows intense aromas of berries, currants and minerals, with hints of mint. Full-bodied and packed with fruit and tannins, its long finish is refined and silky. A benchmark for the vintage. Las Cases has always wanted to make first-growth quality in a top-notch vintage, and it certainly did in 2000. Best after 2012. 15,000 cases made. Score: 100 James Suckling, Wine Spectator Maturity: 2012+ 31 March 2003

Tasting Notes

Along with the Medoc first growths, Leoville Barton, Chateau Montrose, Sociando Mallet, and a handful of other producers, Leoville Las Cases continues to make a wine meant for very long-term cellaring. When I did my earlier tastings of the 2000, my projected maturity dates were 2012-2040, but it is looking more like 2020-2050. This full-bodied blend of nearly 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.4% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc still has a youthful ruby/purple color, notes of graphite, kirsch liqueur, black currants, and lead pencil shavings, with good acidity, the tell-tale purity, layered ripeness and intensity, and a profound finish. However, with its high level of tannin and brooding backwardness, this superb effort needs to be forgotten for up to a decade. (98+ Points)

Score: 98

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2020-2050 01 June 2010

This wine has put on weight and, as impressive as it was from cask, it is even more brilliant from bottle. Only 35% of the crop made it into the 2000 Leoville Las Cases, a blend of 76.8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.4% Merlot, and 8.8% Cabernet Franc. The wine is truly profound, with an opaque purple color and a tight but promising nose of vanilla, sweet cherry liqueur, black currants, and licorice in a dense, full-bodied, almost painfully rich, intense style with no hard edges. This seamless classic builds in the mouth, with a finish that lasts over 60 seconds. Still primary, yet extraordinarily pure, this compelling wine, which continues to build flavor intensity and exhibit additional layers of texture, is a tour de force in winemaking and certainly one of the great Leoville Las Cases. In another sense, it symbolizes / pays homage to proprietor Michel Delon, who passed away in 2000. Michel has been succeeded by his son, Jean-Hubert, another perfectionist.

Score: 99

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2012-2040 01 April 2003

Great purity of cassis and black cherry fruit dominates the aromatics of the medium to full-bodied, austere, tannic, concentrated, voluminous 2000 Leoville Las Cases. It is a classic Las Cases exhibiting subtle oak, and a palate that builds with intensity as the wine aerates. The tannin still overlays it, giving it a youthful, backward, unevolved personality.

Score: 93 - 95

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2010-2035 01 February 2002

A sleek, super-concentrated, pure Leoville-Las-Cases has once again been produced. Yields were approximately 47 hectoliters per hectare, and only 35% of the crop was utilized in the grand vin. This wine is dominated by its high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon (76.14%, with the balance being 14.40% Cabernet Franc and the rest Merlot). Opaque black/purple-colored, with a reticent but promising bouquet of creme de cassis, blackberry and cherry liqueur, vanilla, minerals, and spice box, this medium to full-bodied, rich 2000 explodes on the back of the palate with high tannin as well as zesty acidity. A backward vin de garde, it will require 8-10 years of cellaring.

Score: 94 - 96

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2010-2040 01 April 2001

Dark, brooding colour. Very introvert and still difficult to read though extremely solid. Then a polish and a suggestion of fireworks hints that this will be an extremely interesting wine with time. Very clean and appetising and bracing. Super-claret indeed!

Score: 18 - 19

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2016-2040 23 March 2010

Absolutely fantastic. This is one of the most exciting young reds I have tasted in a long, long time. It shows intense aromas of berries, currants and minerals, with hints of mint. Full-bodied and packed with fruit and tannins, its long finish is refined and silky. A benchmark for the vintage. Las Cases has always wanted to make first-growth quality in a top-notch vintage, and it certainly did in 2000. Best after 2012. 15,000 cases made.

Score: 100

James Suckling, Wine Spectator Maturity: 2012+ 31 March 2003

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