Chateau Leoville Las Cases 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Julien 2022

This shows no gravity. The tannins are totally melted in the wine and give it a fantastic structure, but the texture is so fresh and vivid. Crushed stone. Cloves. Chinese spices. Great finish. Opening and flying away. Orange peel. Very special. Thought-provoking. Endless. 

83.5% cabernet sauvignon, 10.5% cabernet franc and 6% merlot.

The 2022 Léoville Las Cases is stunning. Fine-grained and nuanced, the 2022 Las Cases is breathtaking. Red/purplish fruit, rose petals, lavender, spice and mocha open gradually, but what impresses most about the 2022 is its sublime finesse. Silky, plush and exceptionally beautiful, the 2022 Las Cases is shaping up to be one of the wines of the year.

Drink 2030 - 2052

The 2022 Léoville Las-Cases was picked 8-30 September with more infusion than extraction, matured in 84% new oak. Precocious, almost decadent blackberry and blueberry fruit on the nose, there is something lavish and audacious about this Saint-Julien. There is an underlying estuarine element, a whiff off the banks of the Gironde. 

The palate is medium-bodied with polished tannins, very detailed, extremely pure, and what you might call a “vertical” Las-Cases with a fabulous precision on the finish. This surpasses the 2018-2020 trio, and to use that clichéd expression is a “tour de force”.

Drink 2032 - 2080

One of the wines of the vintage this year is the 2022 Léoville Las Cases, a monument in the making that combines unerring classicism with unusual sensuality and charm by the standards of this estate’s sometimes youthfully forbidding wines. 

Exhibiting deep aromas of dark berries, violets, pencil lead, rose petals and tobacco leaf, it’s full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with terrific concentration, beautiful purity of fruit, abundant but refined tannins and a long, vibrant finish. On several occasions that I tasted it, the 2022 was surprisingly open for a young Las Cases, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it were to shut down after a few years in bottle. 

It’s a blend of 83.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10.5% Cabernet Franc and 6% Merlot.

Looking at the Grand Vin 2022 Château Léoville Las Cases, it has an almost Pauillac-like style in its ripe, powerful aromatics of graphite, lead pencil shavings, cassis, and liquid rock-like minerality. 

Full-bodied, massively concentrated, and powerful on the palate, it nevertheless stays flawlessly balanced, has just about off-the-charts purity, ripe yet building tannins, and a great finish. 

This will clearly rank with the truly greats from this address and reminds me slightly of a mix of the 2016 and 2018. It is not, however, going to be for those looking for instant gratification.

A luminous and utterly brilliant wine in 2022 that really sets itself apart. Hints of black bramble fruit, spicy peppercorns, violets, sweet cherries, crushed stones, ink and cocoa powder on the nose - all so very appealing. Tension and direction from the get-go, this is sleek and slick, dense but such alluring coolness, with crushed stones and blueberries giving minerality as well as juicy acidity providing lift. 

It’s not out to shine right now, but there’s such confidence on show. Direct, slowly expanding effortlessly as it goes from start to finish, elongating the fine tannic structure that supports but doesn’t overwhelm. So poised and refined, charming in a dark, utterly seductive way. Firm but fruity, cool and calm, coming in waves. 

One of the wines of the vintage with striking power but delivered so perfectly with everything in balance. 3.80pH. 85 IPT. A yield of 36-37hl/ha.

Drink 2030 - 2050

Heading to Léoville Las Cases in a super ripe year is always a good idea, as a riper mouthfeel balances the muscular tannins. As quietly confident as you would expect, this is packed with depth and intensity, taking the 2022 vintage and reshaping it in the character of this St Julien powerhouse. 

Graphite, crushed rocks, liquorice root, cassis, blueberry, slate, saffran, and smoked earth, all held in by tannins with grip and length. 3.8ph, and high alcohols for this estate, giving a seductive mouthfeel unusual in young Las Cases. 84% new oak, 37hl/h yield. Harvest September 8 to 30.

Drink 2032 - 2050