Château Léoville Las Cases - Saint-Julien 2009 b5952cb1c3ab96cb3c8c63cfb3dccaca

Wine Advocate

97 / 100

byNeal Martinthe1/1/2013

Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. Two bottles tasted in different flights. The Chateau Leoville Las-Cases 2009 appears to have closed down a little in recent months. Here, it has a very controlled bouquet with delineated blackberry, wild hedgerow and briary and crushed stone. Later, more Pauillac-like scented emerge - mint and graphite. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. It does not quite have the clarity suggested by the aromatics, although there is certainly very good fruit concentration on the dense, almost surly finish. Tasted January 2013.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

95 / 100

byStephen Tanzerthe7/31/2012

Brilliant medium ruby. Brooding, medicinal aromas of cassis, blueberry, exotic spices and sexy oak. Large-scaled, dense and deep, with superconcentrated dark fruit and spice flavors given definition by strong acidity. Hugely rich but impeccably balanced Saint-Julien wine with a great, slowly building finish featuring a boatload of harmonious, noble, fully ripe tannins. This endless, subtle wine is at first growth level in 2009. 95 (+?) points

Wine Advocate

98 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe2/29/2012

The 2009 Leoville Las Cases may be the most open-knit and forward Las Cases I have tasted to date. Analytically, it is high in tannin and the alcohol is 13.8%, nearly a record at this estate. This blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc was showing brilliantly at the 2009 tasting I did in Hong Kong and at a later tasting. It boasts an inky/purple color, monumental concentration and lots of sweet, jammy black currant, black cherry and kirsch fruit intermixed with crushed rock and mineral notes. As always, proprietor Jean-Hubert Delon has built a massive wine with exceptional precision, unbelievable purity and aging potential of 40-50 years. I was surprised by the lusciousness of this cuvee on several occasions, and how much more forward it is given the fact that Las Cases can often be forebodingly backward and in need of 10-15 years of cellaring (at age 30, the 1982 is still a baby in terms of development!). The super-concentrated 2009 needs another 5-7 years before additional nuances emerge. This is a brilliant, full-throttle St.-Julien. (98+ points)

Jamessuckling.com

99 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe2/15/2012

Amazing aromas of cep mushrooms, dark fruits and fresh flowers, follow through to a full body and super velvety tannins with a long long finish. Gorgeous structure to this. Sexy and almost decadent. Just like when I tasted it in Hong Kong. Try in 2019.

Wine Spectator

98 / 100

byJames Molesworththe1/11/2012

This is gorgeously layered with cassis bush, anise, roasted fig and plum reduction notes all framed by very espresso and graphite. Very deep and very long, with terrific intensity on the finish thanks to razor cut from the seemingly endless iron spine. With its purity and precision, this mineral-driven Cabernet should cruise for the two decades. Best from 2020 through 2035.-J.M.

Le Figaro

96-98 / 100

byBernard Burtschythe6/30/2010

La robe est très sombre et le nez est superbe, fascinant. En bouche, l’attaque est monumentale, avec une trame d’une densité inouïe, mais le vin a de la chair avec un splendide profil aromatique. Il est bâti pour l’éternité.

timatkin.com

98 / 100

byTim Atkin MWthe6/30/2010

13.8% alcohol. 76CS, 15M, 9CF Everything you’d expect from Las-Cases in a great vintage, this is wine with power and tannin to spare. Deeply coloured, almost chewy wine, with lots of oak, but incredible structure, freshness and concentration. Meaty, savoury and textured with very fine, polished tannins and impressive length. The Delon portfolio is extremely impressive in 2009. 20+ years.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

94-97 / 100

byIan D'Agatathe6/30/2010

(76% cabernet sauvignon, 15% merlot, and 9% cabernet franc; ph 3.65; IPT 70; 13.4% alcohol; 65% new oak) Purple ruby. Initially closed nose opens slowly with air to reveal blackcurrant, blueberry, tobacco and minerals. Then remarkably supple and pliant in the mouth, with extremely sweet red and black fruit flavors complicated by graphite, tobacco and minerals. The youthful, building tannins start silky-smooth, then become a bit aggressive on the long, complex finish. Compared to Latour, whose vineyards lie practically next door, this has a much softer texture and is very much Saint-Julien, though over time it may toughen up and shut down. This wine reminded me of the excellent '66, but despite such high praise, I'm not sure it's that much better than the excellent '08 made here. Las Cases's reputation is built on some of Bordeaux's finest cabernet sauvignon of all, but Delon told me that he felt it needed a touch more merlot than usual in the final blend this year. "While normally it can do with very little merlot, not this year," said Delon. "The merlot adds a touch of charm that is lovely."

La Revue du Vin de France

19-20 / 20

the5/31/2010

Ce 2009 sera à ranger parmi les légendes du cru. Il s'agit du vin le plus puissant et le plus riche jamais élaboré par le Château (13,7°). Un niveau exceptionnel équilibré par une acidité très élevée et une masse tannique imposante. Il en résulte un vin massif, tout en retenue, mais déployant des arômes de fruits noirs bien mûrs et un volume impressionnant. Il lui faudra plusieurs décennies pour se révéler totalement; Un investissement pour les générations futures.

Le Point

19 / 20

byJacques Dupontthe5/6/2010

Nez assez marqué par la prise de bois, note miel, bouche tendue, très fraîche, les cabernets sont magnifiques et apportent fraîcheur et tension. Vin très élégant, fin, raffiné, un Léoville tout en finesse. O=2018 G=30 ans

Falstaff

96-98 / 100

byPeter Moserthe4/30/2010

Gewürzanklänge, exotisch, feine balsamische Nuancen, Orangenzesten. Mineralisch, komplex, sehr frisch, reife Kirschenfrucht, sehr kraftvolle, runde Tannine, die dem Wein eine gute Länge geben, ein Vin de Garde, viel Potenzial.

TAST

19,5 / 20

by Bettane & Desseauvethe4/30/2010

Autre chef-d’oeuvre : toute la puissance du millésime, toute la complexité et la subtilité liée au grand terroir qui lui a donné naissance et un modèle de construction de grand vin, de la précision du nez à la netteté du tanin. Chapeau bas !

Wine Advocate

96-98 / 100

byNeal Martinthe4/30/2010

Tasted at the château. A blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc, with 6.4% vin de presse, delivering 13.4% alcohol and a pH of 3.65. The nose has brilliant delineation: this is the first thing that hits you, as if you can peer into the clos of the vineyard itself. Very expressive, almost feminine and wily, crystalline (this is something that I did not expect.) The palate is medium-bodied, saturated and supple on the entry, seamless tannins, a sense of controlled opulence here, very pure, rounded towards the finish, again, gliding across the mouth and caressing, rather than gripping it. The finish is very pure, almost Napa in style, but retaining sufficient structure and prudency of alcohol to allow that Saint Julien terroir to shine through. This is an irresistible Las-Cases, perhaps a modern day ’85? Tasted March 2010.

Wine Enthusiast

96-98 / 100

byRoger Vossthe4/30/2010

A powerful wine, packed with tannins from structured Cabernet fruits. It exudes muscularity, intensity and concentration. The wood element is present. Maybe the final freshness is missing.

Wein Wisser

20 / 20

byRené Gabrielthe4/30/2010

Ertrag: 38 hl/ha. Der Grand Vin, eine Assemblage von 76 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 15 % Merlot und 9% Cabernet Franc, reift in zu 65 % neuem Holz. Sattes Purpur- Granat. Im Bouquet ein Wahnsinnscocktail von verschiedenen Beeren, konzentriert und bereits gebündelt, Amarenakirschen, Cassis und Waldhimbeeren, sehr frisch, ein delikates Cabernet-Parfüm mit Noten von Trüffel, Zitronenthymian und Minze verströmend. Am Gaumen körperreich und komplex, mit unglaublich viel Süsse in den veloursartig gegliederten Tanninen, feine Kokosaromen, Veilchen und Cassis. Der Pressweinanteil (6,4 %) verleiht dem Extrakt eine gewaltige Szechuanpfefferwürze und stützt den reichen Körper. Erinnert an den 1982er, dürfte aber deutlich feiner und klassischer sein. 2018–2040

Wine Advocate

96-100 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/28/2010

The 2009 is one of the greatest Leoville Las Cases I have ever tasted, which is saying something given the many compelling wines that have been made at this estate. A final blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 9% Cabernet Franc has resulted in a wine that appears to be a hypothetical blend of the 1982, 1986, and 1996. Its 13.8% alcohol is perhaps the only thing that sets it apart from those vintages, which had nearly a full percentage point less. The high alcohol is barely noticeable in this 2009, which boasts an inky/purple color, monumental concentration, and great clarity and purity of creme de cassis, black cherry, spice box, graphite, and wet rock characteristics. Extremely full-bodied with a boatload of sweet tannin nearly concealed by the wine-s power, glycerin, and awesome fruit concentration, this intense effort never tastes heavy or tiring. This remarkable St.- Julien should be accessible in 3-4 years, and will evolve for 40-50. (Tasted once.) Drink 2013-2063

Periodic Review of Wine

97-100 / 100

byAlan Duranthe4/28/2010

Few wines ever reach the heights of this colossal Las Cases. It has to be tasted! The intense, saturated purple color precedes roaring perfumes of blackberry liqueur, blueberry, liquefied-minerals, white flower, graphite dust, crème de cassis, and notions of sweet hicory smoke. For a wine that is so massive it is still very light. There is a surreal concentration, a full-body, density, huge extraction, a searing mouth-feel of fruit, enveloping flavors, and expansiveness. As is typical for Las Cases, it can still taste like a barrel sample even after it is bottled, a characteristic that suggests incredible longevity. Make no mistake about it, this is one of the glorious wins of the vintage, potentially lasting 50 years. Maturity period 2018-2052.

Anthony Rose

96-98 / 100

byAnthony Rosethe4/26/2010

Or to give it its full name: Grand Vin de Léoville du Marquis de Las Cases. 76% cabernet sauvignon, 15% merlot, and9% cabernet franc with 65% new oak and 13.4% alcohol. Dense, vivid ruby purple, very youthful in appearance, showing lots of spicy, vanillin oak on the nose and palate, almost Californian / New World cabernet in style, with impressive, richly concentrated, voluptuous dark fruits quality; voluptuous succulence and very well-managed tannins, not a monster, and not charming either, but fine classic Las Cases with a degree of austerity that bodes well for the future, veering more towards Pauillac in style than St. Julien.

Wine Spectator

97-100 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/9/2010

Black color. What a nose. Black licorice, raspberry, currant and dried flowers galore. Full-bodied and superpowerful, with masses of fruit and toasted oak, but a blockbuster finish of fruit, tannins and everything else. I have never tasted such a flashy sample. I am blown away by this. A more fruit-forward style for Las Cases.

Decanter Magazine

19 / 20

bySteven Spurrierthe4/9/2010

Deep purple red, naturally concentrated bouquet over really smooth, sophisticated fruit with a taffeta lift, great purity and depth of vineyard fruit, superb elegance and length. Drink 2018-40

Jancis Robinson

17 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe4/7/2010

Very deep crimson. Subtle with great depth of fruit and a hint of tobacco. This seems much sweeter and lusher than Léoville Las Cases usually does even if there is a lot of tannin underneath. Really quite voluptuous – what Bruno Borie claimed in Ducru? – but lots of fancy tannin and a bit of alcohol on the finish. Very firm but a bit of a step change with all that sweetness on the top. Drink 2020-2040