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Leoville Las Cases 2003

St Julien, Second Growth

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Units Size Case size GBP Price: Quantities Buy
6 75cl Bottle Case 6 £750 per Case Case [Add to shopping basket]
Tasting Notes

I am loving classified Pauillac and St Julien from this vintage right now, and Las Cases doesn't disappoint. Its texture is all satin and velvet, with waves of spiced turmeric and cloves, brambled blackcurrant, blueberry, pomegranate, passion fruit, liqourice and crushed rock, with orange rind freshness that gives a kick and a shiver of electricity. Grip and freshness, still full of life. A record temperature of 48C clocked in at the estate's weather station during the baking summer of 2003, with over 50 days when it never dropped below 30C even during the night. 50% new oak, 3.62ph, harvest September 11 to 26, Jean-Hubert Delon owner.

Score: 96

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2023-2040 18 January 2023

I do not think this wine will ever match the quality of the 1982, 1986, 1990, 1996, or 2000, and may actually end up being slightly behind the fabulous 2002. Nevertheless, this is a beautiful effort and certainly one of the top wines of the Medoc. Deep ruby/purple in color, this blend of 70.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17.2% Merlot, and 12.6% Cabernet Franc tips the scales at 13.2% alcohol (actually less than the 2002), with a relatively high pH of 3.82. The wine comes across more like the 1985, which I actually had a bottle of a few days before I tasted this wine, and I was super-impressed by how slowly that wine is aging from a relatively fast-evolving vintage. Wonderfully pure notes of cassis, vanilla, and sweet cherries and minerals are present in this medium to full-bodied wine, which is soft, fleshy, and surprisingly forward for a wine from Las Cases, and even corpulent, which is not a characteristic I often associate with this estate. The sweetness of the fruit and the lushness suggest a wine that will drink well early on but age nicely for 15-20 years. I don’t believe this is one of the most profound wines from Leoville Las Cases, but it is certainly one of the best wines of this tricky vintage.

Score: 93 - 95

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2009-2025 30 April 2005