Léoville Las Cases - Saint-Julien 2014

Vinous

95

byNeal Martinthe4/2/2024

The 2014 Léoville Las-Cases has a backward nose with the unenviable task of following the Léoville Poyferré. But there is complexity here, more tertiary in style, with autumn leaves and cigar smoke infusing the red fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannins, fleshy to the degree that it disguises the backbone. Mouthfilling on the finish that actually reminds me of Léoville Poyferré. Seductive. Tasted blind at the Southwold 10-Year-On tasting.

Vinous

95

byNeal Martinthe3/28/2018

The 2014 Léoville Las-Cases has a (typically) more introverted, tertiary, austere bouquet compared to the Léoville Barton. Despite coaxing it does not possess much lift – sullen, a wine with a "Closed" sign dangling on the front door. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, solid with a sweet core, nicely proportion but just not quite conveying the same joie-de-vivre and energy as its peers. "Perhaps it is saving everything for later?" are the words I penned before this wine's identity is revealed...well, I should have known. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

Jeb DUNNUCK

94

byJeb Dunnuckthe11/30/2017

Wine Advocate

96

byNeal Martinthe3/31/2017

The 2014 Leoville-Las Cases is a blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, with Cabernet Franc and Merlot, cropped at 33 hectoliters per hectare and matured in 85% new oak. There is 6.8% vin de presse this year. Picked between 30 September and 13 October over 12 days. It has a delectable bouquet with very precise, mineral-rich black fruit infused with oyster shell, which appears to be a leitmotif of Jean-Huber Delon's 2014s! The palate is medium-bodied with wondrous purity and tension, the acidity beautifully poised and imparting the palpable sense of energy from start to finish. Where it really excels is on the finish: exquisite structure, very complex with enormous persistence that lingers for more than a minute. Surely the wine of the appellation, ditto one of the best Left Bank 2014s.

Jamessuckling.com

98

byJames Sucklingthe2/16/2017

I love the nose of blackberries, blueberries, flowers and citrus. Hints of stones and wet earth. Full body and ultra-fine tannins that are so long and seamless. Incredible length. A wine that you want to drink now.

Vinous

95

byAntonio Gallonithe2/6/2017

Readers will have to be patient with the 2014 Léoville-las-Cases, as it is not likely to show well for a number of years. Tightly wound but also medium-bodied and classic in its construction, the 2014 is going to need quite a bit of time to come together. Léoville-las-Cases is so often a wine of power, but here the refined site of the vintage is very much in evidence. The 2014 is a Las Cases built on finesse. 95+

Wine Spectator

95

byJames Molesworththe1/4/2017

Densely packed, with cassis, steeped plum and blackberry coulis notes that are compressed with layers of cold charcoal and graphite. Very pure, giving this a long, sleek and racy feel, while a terrific iron underpinning drives the finish. Best from 2020 through 2040. From France.—J.M.

Le Point

16,5-17

byJacques Dupontthe5/21/2015

Fruits noirs, boisé, biscuit, bouche droite, fine, serrée, garnie, élégant, fin, long, finale relevée, persistant sur la cerise. Tonique. 

Vinous

91-94

byAntonio Gallonithe5/11/2015

The 2014 Léoville-las-Cases is striking, even if it is reticent. Crème de cassis, blueberry jam, pencil shavings, cloves and new leather are all woven together effortlessly. Today, the 2014 comes across as restrained and finessed, with less of the volume and energy that is common. It's hard to imagine the notoriously slow-to-mature Léoville-las-Cases won't blossom during its élevage, but at this stage the elements aren't fully put together. The blend is 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc and 10% Merlot.

The Wine Cellar Insider

95-96

byJeff Levethe5/5/2015

With a deep, garnet hue, this full-bodied, concentrated, powerful wine starts off with cedar, earth and cassis. The firm, polished tannins leave your palate loitering about with spice and blackberry. This powerful, structured, bright, crunchy wine has a classic, fresh style. It’s important to note that its ample tannins and classic demeanor will require over a decade—probably two— before it really begins to drink well. Produced from a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc and 10% Merlot, the wine reached 13.8% alcohol with a pH of 3.49 and is now aging in 85% new French oak barrels. 95-96 Pts

Wine Advocate

94-96

byNeal Martinthe4/30/2015

The Château Léoville-Las-Cases 2014 is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc and 10% Merlot cropped at 33 hectoliter per hectare matured in 85% new oak. There is 6.8% vin de presse this year. Picked between 30 September and 13 October over 12 days, it has an intense, graphite-scented bouquet, one of the most Pauillac-like that I have encountered, extremely precise and perhaps less flamboyant than recent vintages. This is very controlled. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, succinctly pitched acidity and an almost pixelated finish that lingers long and tenderly. I love the elegance here – this is an outstanding wine from Jean-Hubert Delon and his team and dare I say, equal to some of the First Growths.

Asian Palate

96

byJeannie Cho Lee MWthe4/20/2015

Layers of flavors that range from spices, dark berries to earth and fine herbs. There is both freshness and minerality in this vintage which is wonderful - subtle, layered and intense. A powerful wine by Las Cases this year with high alcohol levels of 14%, that is higher than 2009, 2010 or 2005.

Decanter.com

18,5

bySteven Spurrierthe4/17/2015

Fragrant density from 79% Cabernet Sauvignon. Fine chalky tannins and great purity and depth – quite severe in the Las Cases style but clearly a wine of great class. Drink: 2020-2040 (95)

Jancis Robinson

17

byJancis Robinsonthe4/16/2015

79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot. Some press wine. Very dark crimson. Intense nose but much lighter and more transparent than Las Cases of old. A little tough at the moment. Dry finish but neither austere nor overdone. Almost delicate – not an adjective I would normally associate with Las Cases.  13.8%Drink 2025-2040

Jamessuckling.com

96-97

byJames Sucklingthe4/10/2015

The aromas to this wine are enchanting with blackberries, dried flowers, blueberries, citrus and stones. Full body, ultra-fine tannins and bright acidity. Citrus skin undertones. Very, very long. Structured. This is 13.8 alcohol meaning the cabernet was incredibly ripe for the vintage. Yet it remains agile, structured and bright.

timatkin.com

96

byTim Atkin MWthe4/7/2015

René Gabriel

19

byRené Gabrielthe4/1/2015

70 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 11 % Cabernet Franc, 10 % Merlot. 33 hl/ha. Tiefes Purpur, satt in der Mitte, Granatschimmer am Rand. Von dem ersten Nasenansatz ist es eine generöse Fortsetzung dessen, was man beim Kontakt vom sehr gelungenen kleinen Löwen (le Petit Lion) erspüren konnte. Die Süsse ist berauschend und das Nasenbild komplex. Ein Reigen von reifen Pflaumen, Pralinen, Kokos, Black Currant und dunklen Edelhölzer. Im zweiten Ansatz Kaffee in vielen Variationen und ein Hauch von Dörrbananen. Das Cremige geht im Gaumen nahtlos weiter so, mit reifen Tanninen und mit einer umfassenden, aber royalen Adstringenz. Man hat hier fast mehr Pralinen wie Frucht in der generellen Aromatik. Das Weinfett ist üppig und so hat dieser Las-Cases ein erotisches Genusspotential. Damit will ich sagen, dass er sich vom Stil her den Jahrgängen 1985, und 1998 ähnelt. Und genau hier komme ich in einen rechnerischen Notstand. Denn der 1985er Las Cases war der beste Wein in diesem Jahrgang und hatte ihn mit 19-Punkten und der mit dem Stil vergleichbare 1998er liegt bei mir bei 18/20. Da ich keine halben Punkte mache und an diesen Wein glaube, setze ich ihn jetzt schon auf jenes Niveau, welches ich in seiner besten Genussreife (ca. 2025) vermute. Für Jean-Hubert Délon war es ein persönlicher Cabernet-Rekord. Nicht wegen der Menge, sondern vom potentiellen Alkoholgehalt her. 19/20 2022 – 2048

Wine Enthusiast

97

byRoger Vossthe4/1/2015

96–98. Barrel Sample. This is a sophisticated wine, already one of the stars of the vintage. It has a concentrated color and serious tannins that are presented in a stylish package of smooth, polished fruitiness and ample acidity. It is certainly for long-term aging.   — R.V.  (4/1/2015)

Wine Spectator

94-97

byJames Molesworththe3/30/2015

A pure, coiled and focused wine, with a superdense core of red and black currant fruit, carried by a mouthwatering ironspine. The long finish features gorgeous notes of dried anise and smoldering charcoal, while the fruit stays pure and racy.The grip takes over in the end, big time. Another brick house in the making.