Château Léoville Las Cases - Saint-Julien 2018 b5952cb1c3ab96cb3c8c63cfb3dccaca

Wine Spectator

97 / 100

byJames Molesworththe2/1/2021

Reserved, even reticent, at first, but like a cold fireplace brought back to life it slowly reveals beautifully handcrafted notes of cassis, plum reduction and blackberry puree along with hints of charcoal, warm cast iron and sweet bay leaf. A violet note chimes on the seriously long finish, adding a tantalizing treble note. A precise, regal, terroir-driven wine. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2028 through 2042. 10,000 cases made. –JM

Yvesbeck.wine

99 / 100

byYves Beckthe1/26/2021

En 2018 Las Cases a été élevé dans 90% de barriques neuves. Les vendanges se sont déroulées entre le 18 septembre et le 10 octobre. Rendement de 35,5hl/ha. Rouge grenat profond aux reflets pourpres. Que de densité dans ce bouquet où je relève des marqueurs classiques tels que le cassis ainsi que des notes de mûres suivies de nuances de graphite. Beaucoup de fraîcheur, également en attaque. Lascases se révèle avec charme et puissance et est étonnamment accessible, ce qui différencie clairement ce millésime par rapport à ce que l'on connaît de la propriété. Il y a tout pour plaire dans ce vin (mais ça on a également l'habitude) ; il est convaincant, séduisant et voué à passer quelques décennies en cave… tout en étant accessible dans sa jeunesse ; chacun y trouvera son compte. Un Las Cases charmant, puissant, précis et persistant.

Jamessuckling.com

99 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe1/19/2021

An elegant, complex nose of blackberries, blueberries and herbal and spice notes with dark-chocolate and earthy undertones. Violets, flowers and graphite, too. It’s full-bodied with firm, layered tannins and a crushed-stone undertone throughout the fresh, velvety and layered palate. Very complex, muscular and formed. The finish is endless. Lowest percentage of press wine ever in this. So deep. Try after 2027.

Decanter.com

99 / 100

byJane Ansonthe1/12/2021

Vinous

95-97 / 100

byNeal Martinthe11/15/2019

The 2018 Léoville Las-Cases was picked from 15 September and 4 October at 35.5hl/ha and then matured in 90% new oak. This has the lowest pressed wine in history at only two or three percent. This has one of the most floral bouquets that I can recall on a Léoville Las-Cases at this stage with lavender and violet scents combining with the pretty black fruit, gaining intensity all the time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a more rounded Las-Cases with plenty of plush red and black fruit and a silky finish that caresses the mouth. It is a lovely and comparatively more approachable Las-Cases that is charming from start to finish. It is not quite up there with the ethereal 2016, though it is not too far off.

WeinWisser

20 / 20

the5/7/2019

Vinous

95-98 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe5/3/2019

The 2018 Léoville Las Cases is a rich, sumptuous, exotic wine in 2018. Plush fruit and suave, silky tannins give the 2018 a level of textural richness that is unusual for a young Léoville Las Cases. Crème de cassis, lavender, mint and sweet spice all build in this extraordinarily beautiful wine. I can't recall tasting a young Las Cases with this much immediacy and sheer allure. The 2018 Las Cases has a very bright future. It is also one of the unquestioned stars of the vintage. In 2018, the blend is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc and 9% Merlot.

Jeb DUNNUCK

98-100 / 100

byJeb Dunnuckthe5/1/2019

A candidate for the wine of the vintage is the 2018 Léoville Las Cases. My notes on this incredible wine are laced with expletives that I, unfortunately, can’t repeat here. Safe to say, however, it’s one of the greatest young Bordeaux I’ve been lucky enough to taste. Based on a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, and 9% Cabernet Franc, from yields of 35.5 hectoliters per hectare, that will spend 19 months in barrel, it offers a massive bouquet of crème de cassis, lead pencil shavings, crushed violets, tobacco, and a liquid rock-like minerality. Pure magic on the palate as well, with full-bodied richness, building structure, and a seamless, weightless, yet powerful mouthfeel, it has everything you could want from a wine. It has the purity and balance to drink well in 7-8 years (I wouldn’t hold it against you if couldn’t wait that long) and will keep for 50 years or more. For the tech geeks out there, this hit 14.49% alcohol, 3.65 pH, and an IPT of 80.

Vinifera

98-100 /

byJacques Perrinthe5/1/2019

Robe profonde. Nez d'un grand classicisme, intense, scintillant, sur le graphite, les fruits, le cèdre. Corps somptueux, ample, à la texture consistante qui prend appui sur une assise magnifique; quasi imperceptible dans sa force. Et pourtant elle est là ! c'est le gant de velours qui cache la main ferme. la finale est irradiante. Rien d'austère ou d'autoritaire, mais une grâce magnifique et un délié que l'on ne trouve que chez les très grands.

Decanter.com

98 / 100

byJane Ansonthe4/25/2019

2018 is another vintage where it's pretty much impossible to find fault with Las Cases, and where you get a kick of happiness from tasting it. Owner Jean-Hubert Delon compares the 2016 to the 1961 and the 2018 to the 1959 - let's all check back in a few decades to see if that's true!
But where the 2016 was monumental, this has a subtlety that's rarely seen in such a young LLC. It's not that you'd call this approachable but you rarely see this level of plush density to the fruit at this stage. There's a civilised quality to the structure that makes you think, just maybe, the 2018 will be at optimum drinking before the 2016. You're still getting the complex cigar box and cassis aromatics, with deep, rippling black fruits on the palate accompanied by a cassis and liquorice whoosh and the layering up of dense but fine tannins. It demonstrates precise balance and an exceptionally long finish. All in all, this is a standout St-Julien, .
This year sees the lowest percentage of press wine ever used at this estate, coming in at under 3% (it's normally double this), because the wine already had so much structure that the normal level of press wine threw it out of balance. I'm pretty sure that I've never given a drinking window this early for LLC at En Primeur, which says something. 90% new oak. 80IPT. 3.65pH. Yield of 35.5hl/ha.Drinking Window 2028 - 2048

My Bettane + Desseauve

99-100 / 100

by Bettane & Desseauvethe4/24/2019

Deux échantillons dégustés à deux moments et dans deux lieux différents, deux certitudes : le vin est un sommet absolu à Bordeaux par son incroyable harmonie, diversité aromatique, dégradé tannique, toucher de bouche. Du moins à notre goût qui sera largement partagé. Mais pourvu que les bouchons ne trahissent pas…

La Revue du Vin de France

19-20 / 20

the4/24/2019

The Wine Cellar Insider

98-100 / 100

byJeff Levethe4/23/2019

With all its fresh fruits and leafy notes, this wine reminds me of walking into a forest after a massive rain fall. Add to that a bushel of ripe fruit, tobacco and a smoky campfire and you get the idea. The wine is powerful, dense, full-bodied and intensely concentrated. The fruit has so much lift, it's hard to believe this is over 14% in alcohol! Mouth-filling, fresh and spicy, the peppery Cabernet Sauvignon melds strength with vigor, purity and length and the wine settles in for a finish of over 50 seconds. The tasting I cannot wait to experience in a few years pairs the 2018 with the 2016 in blind conditions! The wine was made from a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc, reaching 14.49% alcohol with a pH of 3.65. The harvest took place from September 18 to October 10.

Wine Advocate

98-100 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe4/23/2019

“We produced great Cabernet Franc this year,” Directeur Général Pierre Graffeuille told me during my visit to Léoville Las Cases. Even though only 3% of the press wine was added back, he was also absolutely glowing about the quality of this too. And he should be—the finished blend for the 2018 Léoville Las Cases is yet another triumph for this great estate. Composed of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc and 9% Merlot, harvested September 15 to October 4 with yields of 35.5 hectoliters per hectare, it has 14.49% alcohol and will be aged in barriques, 90% new. Very deep purple-black in color, it is a little closed to begin, slowly emerging from the glass to reveal subtle woodsmoke, violets, tilled soil and underbrush scents over a core of warm cassis, wild blueberries and redcurrant jelly plus hints of rare beef and iron ore. Full-bodied, rich, super concentrated and bursting with latent energy, this is an atomic bomb waiting to go off in your mouth. It has a rock-solid foundation of firm, very ripe, very finely grained tannins and bold freshness supporting the muscular fruit through the epically long, amazingly nuanced finish. Simply breathtaking.

Wine Enthusiast

96-98 / 100

byRoger Vossthe4/17/2019

It is the tannins that mark out this powerful wine, presenting a fine balancing act between a firm structure and rich dark fruit flavors. It is the epitome of elegant Saint-Julien, with a welcome mix of weight and freshness.

Jamessuckling.com

99-100 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/12/2019

OMG. This shows amazing depth of fruit and density. Full-bodied and so layered with incredible fruit and power. Blackberries. Blueberries. Violets. Hints of dried flowers. Fantastic fruit and tannins, yet agile and energetic. The château says 2016 plus, plus.

Jean-Marc QUARIN

98 / 100

byJean-Marc Quarinthe4/8/2019

Wine Spectator

97-100 / 100

byJames Molesworththe4/3/2019

This is backward and dense, with thickly layered plum, blackberry, fig and blueberry reduction flavors wrapped liberally in warm ganache and melted licorice notes. A long echo of smoldering charcoal emerges at the very end. There's a lot to resolve here as the rich and austere sides are still melding, but the extra amplitude doesn't distort anything; it just all goes to 11.