-
100
/ 100
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate -
97
/ 100
Wine Advocate
Red
Classification
Cabernet Blend
Variety
1982
Vintage
750ml (Bottle)
Bottle Size
France
Country
Bordeaux, Medoc
Region
13.0%
Alcohol %
15 Plus Years
Cellaring
Scores
100 / 100"A wine that can be perplexing to taste is the 1982 Léoville Las Cases. I purchased a good bit of this wine as a wine future in 1983, and rated it 100 points early on. But I have rarely had a bottle from my own cellar that performed that well. Two recent examples, this one and one in Asia, were clearly as profound and compelling as any Léoville Las Cases could ever be. At this dinner I had several glasses from different bottles, and the wine was always extraordinary with a dense purple color that is just beginning to lighten at the edge, and lots of lead pencil, sweet black and red currant, cherry, dusty loamy soil, new saddle leather and spice box characteristics. This full-bodied, opulent, rich 1982 is a killer example of Las Cases. Virtually all of the bottles from my cellar still display a tannic, firm grip and have not performed this well. - Robert Parker, Hedonists Gazette, July 2013"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
97 / 100
"As I wrote earlier this year, the 1982 Léoville Las Cases is one of the least evolved wines of the vintage, and this impeccably conserved ex-château bottle was, if anything, even more youthful still. Retaining a saturated ruby-black hue at age 40, it unwinds in the glass with aromas of cassis and other dark fruits mingled with notions of pencil shavings and loamy soil. On the palate, it's full-bodied, broad-shouldered and muscular, with an ample core of fruit framed by voluminous, powdery tannins. Rich and concentrated, with an expansive, comparatively low-acid profile, it comes into its own with extended aeration—and with food. 97 William Kelley, Wine Advocate (264), December 2022"
- Wine Advocate
Tasting Notes
The grand vin of Léoville-Las Cases was classified as one of the original fifteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) in the 1855 Bordeaux Wine Official Classification. The estate sits right on the northern edge of the Saint-Julien AOC, bordering the vineyards of Château Latour in Pauillac. The 97-hectare vineyard is planted with 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, with the vines averaging 30 years of age. Between 180,000 and 200,000 bottles of the grand vin are produced each year. “Léoville-Las Cases is unquestionably one of the great names and wines of Bordeaux. Since 1982, it has consistently been of first-growth quality, with some vintages superior to several first growths. The wines are generally deeply coloured, tannic, big, and concentrated, and potentially long-lived. Over recent years, they have also exhibited both power and elegance in a harmonious style. These traditional St-Juliens require patience, as they are ready to drink only after 10 to 15 years’ ageing. If the 1855 classification were revised, Léoville-Las Cases would surely be a serious candidate for first-growth status.” — Robert Parker A complex nose of vanilla, chassis, wet clay, dark berries, coffee, forest floor, milk chocolate, cigar box and some earthy aromas. Full bodied with strong, polished tannins and a sweet, fresh mouth filling finish. A big wine with dense tannins, but so elegant. Dark, intense, with layers of acidity underneath that only show through at the end. Unusually, Cabernet Sauvignon dominates this wine, a sign of the ripeness of the Cabernet fruit.
Tasting Profile
- Light
- Full
- Low Tannin
- Tannic
- Sweet
- Dry
- Low Acidity
- High Acidity