Chateau Leoville Las Cases 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Julien 2002

"A sensational effort from proprietor Jean-Hubert Delon... The wine has tremendously high measurements of extract and phenolics. The color is nearly black/purple, and the wine looks like syrup of Leoville Las-Cases. Dense, concentrated, broodingly backward as well as tannic, but oh, so promising and intense, the 2002 reveals tremendous purity, great intensity, and a finish that lasts for 45 seconds. Clearly Leoville Las-Cases has produced a wine of first-growth quality that competes for the wine of the vintage moniker.

Only 43% of the production made it into the final blend of this remarkable 2002. Produced from a low 17 hectoliters per hectare, it includes 66.7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.5% Merlot, 13.9% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot. It has the highest alcohol ever achieved in a Leoville Las Cases 13.5%) as well as a lofty pH of 3.85. Nevertheless, the impression is one of a structured wine with considerable density, a ruby/purple color, layers of flavor, and a classic overall personality. The wine exhibits pure black currant, licorice-infused fruit, huge body, a viscous mid-palate, and a long, heady finish. I suspect this wine won’t be nearly as charming as the 2003 in its youth, but it hasn’t yet closed down, and I am amazed at just how rich, intense, and full-bodied it tastes even after bottling. This is certainly one of the half dozen or so candidates for wine of the vintage."