Castle Léoville Las Cases - Saint-Julien 1982

L'Amateur de Bordeaux

/ 100

the1/1/2004

La production de ce second cru classé de Saint-Julien est parmi les plu srégulières, les plus élégantes et les plus racées de la planète. Nonobstant, le millésime 1982, Château Léoville Las cases exprime toute la splendeur et le charme du vignoble bordelais. c'est un vin "étalon", un vin pour amoureux (...)

Wine Advocate

100 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe3/1/2002

Encore peu évolué, le 1982 de Las Cases semble passer au stade de l'adolescence. D'un rubis pourpre dense et trouble, il exhale des senteurs de graphite, de doux caramel, de confiture de cerise noire, de cassis et de minéral.Le nez ne se révélant qu'au mouvement du verre, je conseillerais aux amateurs de décanter ce vin 2 à 4 heures avant de le déguster. Pour un ensemble aussi faible en acidité , il étonne par son ampleur et sa précision, et témoigne aussi d'une concentration et d'une fraîcheur extraordinaires.(...) Le 1982 est presque monstrueux en terme de richesse en extrait, de gras et de densité. Encore jeune, il évoque davantage un bordeaux de 7 à 8 nas d'âge qu'un vin de plus de 20 ans. Un monument! A boire jusqu'en 2035.

Wine Advocate

100 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe6/30/2000

Tasted three times over a two month period, this youthful yet profoundly complex wine gets my nod as the finest Leoville-Las-Cases ever made. It reveals massive proportions yet extraordinary purity, elegance, and balance. This dense ruby/purple-colored 1982 still looks and tastes as if it were 5-8 years old.
The nose offers up blazingly well-delineated, pure aromas of creme de cassis, cherry jam, minerals, and toasty new oak. This unctuously-textured, gorgeously rich, pure, super-concentrated, low acid effort concludes with a 45+ second finish. There is still tannin to shed in this unbelievably fresh, lively, full-bodied, vibrant wine. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2035.

Wine Spectator

95 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe11/30/1998

A racy, classy, silky wine. Inky-ruby color. Black cherry, mineral and wet earth aromas. Medium-bodied, with very silky tannins and a long, superfine finish. Has always been excellent.--1982 Bordeaux horizontal. Best after 2000

La Revue du Vin de France

18 / 20

the5/1/1996

Il se caractérise par uen robe bleu-noir d'une jeunesse confondante, un nez de grande classe. Ce vin est saisissant de puissance et de densité en bouche, avec un équilibre parfait en alcool et des tannins d'une race presque insolente. Voici un vin admirable, sans aucun doute l'un des sommets absolus de ce millésime.

Wine Advocate

100 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe12/31/1995

The 1982 Leoville-Las Cases remains one of the awesome examples of this great vintage. Rich, full-bodied, and backward, this thick-looking, opaque ruby/purple-colored wine is just beginning to display aromatic development. Jammy aromas of cassis intertwined with scents of vanilla, lead pencil, cedar, melted caramel, and toast are followed by a massively-endowed, full-bodied wine that will benefit from another 7-10 years of cellaring. This hugely impressive, low acid Las Cases is crammed with ripe fruit. It is the most hedonistic and concentrated Leoville-Las Cases I have ever tasted, just eclipsing the other-worldly 1986. It is approachable now, but my instincts suggest more patience. Drink it between 2000-2030 . It is a monumental wine! Tasted 23 times since bottling with consistent notes.

Wine Advocate

100 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe10/31/1995

This tasting consisted of each of the varietal components of Las Cases, followed by the final blend for Leoville-Las Cases. 1982 remains Leoville-Las Cases' greatest vintage in the post-World War II era. In this heralded vintage, every component wine revealed fabulous ripeness, concentration, and balance. The sensational Merlot is Petrus-like in its awesome intensity and viscous, exotic personality. Aromas of ripe coffee, jammy black-cherries, cassis, and smoke leap from the glass. Full-bodied, with exceptional richness and thickness, and low acid, this is a marvelous Merlot. Wow, wouldn't I like to have purchased four or five cases of this opulent wine! Already drinking beautifully, it tastes like a terrific Pomerol. The Cabernet Franc is all complexity, sweetness, and ripe fruit presented in an ostentatious style. It possesses better acidity than the Merlot. The huge, opaque purple-colored Cabernet Sauvignon is extraordinarily concentrated and tannic. Reminiscent of a barrel sample, this spicy, rich, still extremely young wine offers up a massive, Mouton-Rothschild-like, tobacco, lead pencil, and cassis-scented nose. The opaque black-colored Petit Verdot is monstrously-sized, with tough, hard tannin, and amazing fruit extraction, but it is oh, so astringent. The 1982 Leoville-Las Cases remains one of the awesome examples of this great vintage. Rich, full-bodied, and backward, this thick-looking, opaque ruby/purple-colored wine is just beginning to display aromatic development. Jammy aromas of cassis intertwined with scents of vanilla, lead pencil, and toast are followed by a massively-endowed, full-bodied wine that will benefit from another 7-10 years of cellaring. This hugely impressive, low acid Las Cases is crammed with ripe fruit. It is the most hedonistic and concentrated Leoville-Las Cases I have ever tasted, just eclipsing the other-worldly 1986. Approachable now, it will last for 20-25 years.

Wine Advocate

100 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe10/31/1994

Tasted 14 Times Since Bottling With Consistent Notes The 1982 is unquestionably the greatest Leoville-Las-Cases I have tasted. As fine as the 1986, 1988, 1989, and 1990 are, this is the wine to own. The color has moved from a dark opaque ruby/purple, to a more garnet tone. The nose offers huge, still immature aromas of cassis, minerals, and that elusive lead pencil smell that is associated more with Pauillac than St.-Julien. There is a roasted richness to the wine, as well as tremendous viscosity and unctuosity to the chewy, super-concentrated flavors. Full-bodied, and not as classically austere as purists might wish, this multi-dimensional, profound wine is loaded with flavor, and has a phenomenal finish. It is the essence of Leoville-Las-Cases. Like many 1982s, the sweetness that resulted from such ripe grapes is displayed throughout the aromas and flavors. While drinkable now, it is still youthful and at least 4-5 years away from full maturity. It should last for 35 years.