Chateau Leoville Las Cases
1982

Appellation: St. Julien, Bordeaux, France

Tasting of 1/3/2010... Sensational Bordeaux - the best the 1982 Las Cases has shown in any of our tastings over a number of years. Excellent balance and weight to this wine, along with a truly noble feel. First-growth nose of cassis, ripe berries, violets, mint, with no sign of the standard old-age cedar notes. Tremendous length and breadth yet medium weight with no heaviness. Rating: 93. Tasting of 1/5/08.... Great purity and length in this wine, which is still totally youthful in color. Classic Bordeaux nose of dark currants, cedar, smoke, spice. But as before, it is still somewhat reticent and unyielding. There's probably a tiger waiting to be unleashed here, but it hasn't happened yet in any of our tastings. Rating: 92. Tasting of 12/27/2005.... Excellent nose featuring cedar and tobacco and some subdued dark berry fruit, but the fruit and intensity and finish were a shadow of what we recall from earlier tastings. Muted flavors and texture. Rating: 89. Tasting of May 1, 2001.... This bottle actually started off slightly musty, but the mustiness disappeared in 15 minutes or so to reveal a monster brooding under the surface. Opaque purple color, as if just out of the cask. The wine opened over an hour or so to expose a youthful, still reticent, complex nose of black currant, blackberry gelato, mint, and smoke. Very full mouth feel with a lot of residual tannin -- though the tannin in this instance was definitely less dominant than when the wine was tasted three or four years ago. This Leoville has obviously not reached its peak, and in this tasting seemed to expand dramatically the longer it was open. It was consumed over about two hours, undoubtedly well before it had showed its full character. As a result, it may be under-rated. Future looks tremendous. Rating: 94.