2001 Ch Léoville-Las-Cases 2ème Cru, St Julien

The 2001 Léoville Las Cases is simply stunning. I was fully prepared to decant it given that Las Cases is almost always a brute in its youth. And make no mistake about it, a twenty year-old Las Cases is still a youngster. Quite frankly, I am not at all prepared for the sheer intensity and richness that emanates from the glass. No decanting needed. The 2001 is simply magnificent upon opening. A rush of generous inky blackberry jam, spice, graphite and leather conveys superb textural intensity. Time in the glass helps the aromatics come alive. Shockingly rich and voluptuous, the 2001 is also wonderfully open today. Uncharacteristically so for Las Cases, in fact. But who’s complaining? Certainly not me.

Even so, the 2001 is ultimately a mid-weight Las Cases, with plenty of opulent fruit, but not quite the tannic heft that is such a signature of this reference-point St. Julien. Readers lucky enough to own the 2001 are in for a real treat. This is an especially fine bottle, perhaps the finest I have come across. Aside from all the technical analyses and descriptors, what really matters most is that the 2001 is a wine that delivers immense drinking pleasure. I absolutely loved it.

96 points Antonio Galloni vinous.com Aug 2021 Drink 2021-2051

Few estates in Bordeaux command the respect of Château Léoville Las Cases. Widely regarded as a "super second", the estate has long produced wines that rival the First Growths, thanks to its extraordinary Grand Clos vineyard bordering Château Latour. Owned by the Delon family for well over a century, Léoville Las Cases is renowned for uncompromising vineyard management, meticulous winemaking and Cabernet Sauvignon of exceptional structure, finesse and longevity.

The outstanding 2001 vintage produced classically proportioned Bordeaux, with Saint Julien delivering wines of remarkable balance, freshness and ageing potential. More than two decades in bottle have allowed this great Left Bank claret to develop extraordinary complexity while retaining the precision and noble structure that define the estate. It is a wine now entering a magnificent stage of maturity.

Deep garnet with a beautifully evolved brick rim, the bouquet is wonderfully complex, revealing blackcurrant, cassis and black cherry layered with cedar, cigar box and graphite. As the wine opens, notes of tobacco leaf, truffle, forest floor and pencil shavings emerge, adding remarkable depth and unmistakable Saint Julien character. The palate is beautifully resolved, combining mature black fruits with finely integrated tannins, vibrant freshness and an effortless sense of balance. There is tremendous persistence and quiet authority throughout, leading to a long, savoury finish filled with cedar, spice and mineral nuance.

This is a magnificent companion for roast saddle of lamb, dry aged rib eye, venison loin, duck with wild mushrooms or aged Comté. Drinking superbly today, it also has the pedigree and structure to reward further careful cellaring for another decade or more.

Cellaring: Drink now to 2040.