In Bond Fine Wine. 2004 Château Leoville Las Cases, Saint-Julien, Bordeaux, France. Second Growth • Red Bordeaux in 6x75cl. Top critic score: 93/100 (RP). Sold in bond by Albany Vintners, independent fine wine merchants.
Chateau Leoville Las Cases is widely regarded as one of the greatest wines of the Medoc, a top Second Growth with quality that often rivals the First Growths. Originally part of the Leoville estate before it was divided into three. Located in the northern part of Saint Julien, its walled Grand Enclos vineyard borders Chateau Latour in Pauillac, benefiting from similarly exceptional deep gravel and clay soils, yielding powerful ageworthy wines. The estate is owned and managed by the Delon family with Jean-Hubert Delon at the helm. Leoville Las Cases is typically dense and structured in its youth, requiring time to fully reveal its complexity but have recently increased the percentage of Cabernet Franc in the blend to enhance aromatic complexity, freshness and elegance in the blend. Las Cases has produced a string of outstanding vintages, including 1982, 1996, 2000, 2005, 2009, 2016, and…
James Suckling (JS) — 95/100 · Wine Spectator, 31/03/2007 · Drink 2012+
Intense aromas of currant, blackberry and light vanilla. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long, caressing finish. Layered, with everything in the right proportion for the vintage. Excellent. Reminds me of the 1996. Best after 2012. 20,000 cases made.
Robert Parker (RP) — 91–93/100 · Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com, 30/04/2005
Jean-Hubert Delon has produced an elegant, tannic 2004 that may lack the prodigious depth and texture of Las Cases's finest vintages, but remains quintessentially pure as well as very St.-Julien. Only 34% of the production made it into the final blend (76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc). Rigid and tight, with a deep ruby/purple-tinged color, and a sweet nose of black cherries…
Jancis Robinson MW (JR) — 17–18/20 · JancisRobinson.com, 18/08/2005 · Drink 2017-2030
[51 hl/ha; M 13%, CF 11%, M 76%; 60% new oak; 34% of the crop] Dark crimson. Lively topnotes of a confident wine with a seriously long term future ahead of it. Very concentrated but some almost sweet, treacly fruit on the front palate and then very fine tannins. Lots built in there but well integrated. Dry tannins but very fine. Not exaggerated. A good difference in drinking dates between this an…