Leoville Las Cases 2010

St Julien, Second Growth

Units	Size	Case size	GBP Price:	Quantities	Buy

Tasting Notes
The most powerful wine in this vertical is the 2010 Léoville Las Cases, a full-bodied, deep and multidimensional behemoth redolent of rich berries, cassis, burning embers, pencil shavings and loamy soil. Broad-shouldered, layered and muscular, with huge reserves of concentration and sweet, powdery tannin, it concludes with a broad, resonant finish. This is a prodigious, somewhat imposing Las Cases that is still an infant a decade after bottling. Score: 98 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2025-2065 18 August 2022
The aromas to this wine have a beautiful purity of raspberries, blueberries, currants, and flowers that follow to a a full body, with super integrated tannins that are like the finest silk in texture. It shows elegant and pretty fruit character and a reserve and finesse of such great years as 1989 and 1995. The bright strong acidity gives a crunchy and creamy texture. This has a tiny bit more Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend than 2009. Give it at least six to eight years of bottle age. Score: 99 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Maturity: 2019+ 04 February 2013
The 2010 is a quintessentially elegant, classic wine of Bordeaux - firm, rigid, perhaps slightly lighter than most of the other St.-Juliens, but stylish, potentially complex, and reminiscent of the style of the 1986, but more concentrated and powerful. It is a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc with a normal pH of 3.56. It was raised in 75% new oak and the alcohol came to 13.7%. This wine displays loads of black currants, cedar wood and vanillin, but needs a good 7-8 years of cellaring, if not much longer. It should last for 30+ years. Score: 96 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2020-2050 01 February 2013
As one would expect, this is a powerful, concentrated wine with 13.7% natural alcohol (compared to 2005's 13.2%). The pH is quite normal at 3.56, and its relatively high total acidity gives it a classic, fresh, yet backward style. Given how long vintages such as 1982, 1986, and I suspect, 2000 are taking to reach maturity, prospective purchasers of this wine should easily invest in a decade of cellaring, although I suspect it will be closer to 15 or more years before it reveals secondary nuances. A good 40- to 50-year wine, it is a dense purple, full-bodied style of Las Cases, with classic sweet kirsch, graphite and black currant fruit as well as hints of new saddle leather and subtle oak. Backward, layered and multi-dimensional, the wine is stunningly rich, but brooding. Forget it at least until 2020 or later. Score: 95 - 98 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 04 May 2011
This top second growth neighbours Chateau Latour on the border of St Julien and Pauillac, and is regularly one of the top non-Firsts Growths with a serious claim for promotion. Usually brooding, closed and difficult to taste en primeur but in 2010 it is surprisingly generous for Lascases. A hugeful mouthful, tons of body and acidity, but light on its feet for such as powerful wine. All very creamy but just a little disjointed - sandpaper texture followed by polishing with velvet. A wine of two halves. Score: 94 - 97 Albany Vintners, - 28 April 2011
Excellent deep crimson. Very introvert and very dry. Super-sweet start and initially seems much rounder and less obdurate than usual. Though those dry tannins certainly creep up on you at the end! Some silkiness and glorying in the special ripeness of the Cabernet in this wine. Very dry end. Not that long funnily enough. A certain transparency that is not usually there. Score: 17 - 18 Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2020-2040 19 April 2011
Cropped at 36.7hl/ha, the Leoville Las-Cases is a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc, offering 13.7% alcohol and a pH of 3.56. It will be raised in 75% new oak. The nose is very intense with notes of blackberry, cassis, tobacco and a touch of black truffle, all very well defined and perhaps less generous, but more cerebral than the 2009. The palate is full-bodied with exceptionally silky smooth tannins, wonderful harmony and sense of beguiling composure and completeness. The finish is tannic, driven by the ripe Cabernet Sauvignon. I expect this Las-Cases to close down for a few years...it will need time to mellow and reach its drinking plateau. Drink 2025- Tasted March 2011. Score: 96 - 98 Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2025+ 15 April 2011
Stunning concentration of fruit, precision and purity, a great vineyard expression and a totally great wine in the most simple sense of the term. Score: 19 - 20 Decanter, Decanter.com Maturity: 2025-2050 01 April 2011
This has almost searing acidity running through it, but it's ripe and mouthwatering, harnessing a massive core of black currant and red licorice notes. Supertight but very fine-grained, this gets tighter, but also longer, as it moves along. This could age in reverse for a while, before it starts to unwind. A brick house. Tasted non-blind. Score: 95 - 98 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator 31 March 2011

Tasting Notes

The most powerful wine in this vertical is the 2010 Léoville Las Cases, a full-bodied, deep and multidimensional behemoth redolent of rich berries, cassis, burning embers, pencil shavings and loamy soil. Broad-shouldered, layered and muscular, with huge reserves of concentration and sweet, powdery tannin, it concludes with a broad, resonant finish. This is a prodigious, somewhat imposing Las Cases that is still an infant a decade after bottling.

Score: 98

William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2025-2065 18 August 2022

The aromas to this wine have a beautiful purity of raspberries, blueberries, currants, and flowers that follow to a a full body, with super integrated tannins that are like the finest silk in texture. It shows elegant and pretty fruit character and a reserve and finesse of such great years as 1989 and 1995. The bright strong acidity gives a crunchy and creamy texture. This has a tiny bit more Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend than 2009. Give it at least six to eight years of bottle age.

Score: 99

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Maturity: 2019+ 04 February 2013

The 2010 is a quintessentially elegant, classic wine of Bordeaux - firm, rigid, perhaps slightly lighter than most of the other St.-Juliens, but stylish, potentially complex, and reminiscent of the style of the 1986, but more concentrated and powerful. It is a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc with a normal pH of 3.56. It was raised in 75% new oak and the alcohol came to 13.7%. This wine displays loads of black currants, cedar wood and vanillin, but needs a good 7-8 years of cellaring, if not much longer. It should last for 30+ years.

Score: 96

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2020-2050 01 February 2013

As one would expect, this is a powerful, concentrated wine with 13.7% natural alcohol (compared to 2005's 13.2%). The pH is quite normal at 3.56, and its relatively high total acidity gives it a classic, fresh, yet backward style. Given how long vintages such as 1982, 1986, and I suspect, 2000 are taking to reach maturity, prospective purchasers of this wine should easily invest in a decade of cellaring, although I suspect it will be closer to 15 or more years before it reveals secondary nuances. A good 40- to 50-year wine, it is a dense purple, full-bodied style of Las Cases, with classic sweet kirsch, graphite and black currant fruit as well as hints of new saddle leather and subtle oak. Backward, layered and multi-dimensional, the wine is stunningly rich, but brooding. Forget it at least until 2020 or later.

Score: 95 - 98

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 04 May 2011

This top second growth neighbours Chateau Latour on the border of St Julien and Pauillac, and is regularly one of the top non-Firsts Growths with a serious claim for promotion. Usually brooding, closed and difficult to taste en primeur but in 2010 it is surprisingly generous for Lascases. A hugeful mouthful, tons of body and acidity, but light on its feet for such as powerful wine. All very creamy but just a little disjointed - sandpaper texture followed by polishing with velvet. A wine of two halves.

Score: 94 - 97

Albany Vintners, - 28 April 2011

Excellent deep crimson. Very introvert and very dry. Super-sweet start and initially seems much rounder and less obdurate than usual. Though those dry tannins certainly creep up on you at the end! Some silkiness and glorying in the special ripeness of the Cabernet in this wine. Very dry end. Not that long funnily enough. A certain transparency that is not usually there.

Score: 17 - 18

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2020-2040 19 April 2011

Cropped at 36.7hl/ha, the Leoville Las-Cases is a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc, offering 13.7% alcohol and a pH of 3.56. It will be raised in 75% new oak. The nose is very intense with notes of blackberry, cassis, tobacco and a touch of black truffle, all very well defined and perhaps less generous, but more cerebral than the 2009. The palate is full-bodied with exceptionally silky smooth tannins, wonderful harmony and sense of beguiling composure and completeness. The finish is tannic, driven by the ripe Cabernet Sauvignon. I expect this Las-Cases to close down for a few years...it will need time to mellow and reach its drinking plateau. Drink 2025- Tasted March 2011.

Score: 96 - 98

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2025+ 15 April 2011

Stunning concentration of fruit, precision and purity, a great vineyard expression and a totally great wine in the most simple sense of the term.

Score: 19 - 20

Decanter, Decanter.com Maturity: 2025-2050 01 April 2011

This has almost searing acidity running through it, but it's ripe and mouthwatering, harnessing a massive core of black currant and red licorice notes. Supertight but very fine-grained, this gets tighter, but also longer, as it moves along. This could age in reverse for a while, before it starts to unwind. A brick house. Tasted non-blind.

Score: 95 - 98

James Molesworth, Wine Spectator 31 March 2011

Your Lists & Checkout

New Arrivals

Advanced Search

wine regions

quick links

Leoville Las Cases 2010

St Julien, Second Growth

search wines

Full wine List

RSS feeds

wine regions

join our mailing list