Léoville Las Cases - Saint-Julien 1995

Jeb DUNNUCK

94

par Jeb Dunnuck le 05/03/2021

Showing beautifully today, the 1995 Château Léoville Las Cases is a blend of 67% Cabernet, 26% Merlot, and 7% Cabernet Franc (a normal blend for that period) and hit 12.95% alcohol. Coming from a vintage featuring a cool, rainy spring followed by a sunny, mild growing season, it has a more upfront, fruit-driven style that still offers lots of classic Las Cases minerality in its red and black currant fruits as well as notes of cedary herbs, graphite, wood smoke, and forest floor nuances. With medium to full-bodied richness, a round, supple, mouth-filling texture, velvety, almost resolved tannins, and a beautiful finish, it's ideal for enjoying any time over the coming two decades. I don't think it has the same elegance and weightlessness as the 1982 nor the precision of the 1996 (which this wine is often compared to), but it's a gorgeous wine in every sense.

Decanter Magazine

93

par Jane Anson le 26/02/2021

A dry, although not excessively hot, summer meant there were some blockages in the vines, and there are clear exotic notes through the palate, with the wine showing cinnamon, saffron and dried fruit. This is one of the sweet spots of Las Cases, as it hits the balance between power, tannin, black tea and bilberries, still showcasing the Pauillac side of St-Julien with a freshness and sappiness even at 26 years old. A brilliant example of how well this estate can age - and also how a touch of exoticism can soften its famous austerity. A real tickling of spice on the finish, a little dry as all older Bordeaux can be, but it is full of hidden pleasures if you just let it uncurl in the glass. Jean-Hubert Delon was here alongside his father at the time, taking over alone from 1996.

Drinking Window 2021 - 2036

Jamessuckling.com

97

par James Suckling le 19/01/2021

I love the aromas here with forest flowers, wild mushrooms and tobacco, as well as currants. Full and very layered with creamy tannins that caress your palate. So long and enticing. Such a gorgeous Bordeaux that is just starting to show its real self. Love it. Drink or hold.

Wine Advocate

96

par Neal Martin le 01/02/2011

Tasted at the Las-Cases off-line at The Square. The 1995 and 1996 Las-Cases are both monumental wines and the former does not disappoint here. It has a spellbinding nose of blackberry, cassis, melted tar and sous-bois with so much vibrancy and vivacity. The palate is full-bodied with succulent, rounded tannins, enormous depth and power. The finish is beautifully poised and minerally, much more feminine than the ’96. This is a Las-Cases with guile and grace, but it deserves at least 2 hours decanting to open up. Tasted February 2011.

Wine Spectator

95

par James Suckling le 15/09/1998

Slowly builds on your palate, then delivers fabulous character and structure. Extremely well-crafted young red. Complex aromas of violets, berries, cinnamon and currants. Full-bodied, with extremely well-integrated tannins and a long, long finish. Best from 2003 through 2013. 18,000 cases made.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

94

par Stephen Tanzer le 30/06/1998

Deep ruby-red. Deep, lively aromas of red- and blackcurrants, licorice, tobacco and grilled nuts. Great sweetness and silky texture in the mouth currently overshadows the wine strong supporting acidity and tight core of spice and minerals. The toothcoating tannins don't cover as much of the mouth as those of the '96 do, but this wine offers uncanny length. 94(+?)

Wine Advocate

95

par Robert Parker le 28/02/1998

If it were not for the prodigious 1996, everyone would be concentrating on getting their hands on a few bottles of the fabulous 1995 Leoville-Las-Cases, which is one of the vintage's great success stories. The wine boasts an opaque ruby/purple color, and exceptionally pure, beautifully knit aromas of black fruits, minerals, vanillin, and spice. On the attack, it is staggeringly rich, yet displays more noticeable tannin than its younger sibling. Exceptionally ripe cassis fruit, the judicious use of toasty new oak, and a thrilling mineral character intertwined with the high quality of fruit routinely obtained by Las Cases, make this a compelling effort. There is probably nearly as much tannin as in the 1996, but it is not as perfectly sweet as in the 1996. The finish is incredibly long in this classic. Only 35% of the harvest was of sufficient quality for the 1995 Leoville-Las-Cases. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2025.

Wine Advocate

95

par Robert Parker le 01/01/1998

In a year where 65% of the production was eliminated, Las Cases has turned out an amazingly profound, opaque black/purple-colored wine that offers the essence of cassis fruit in its formidably endowed personality. The wine hits the palate with an explosion of ripe fruit. Possessing nicely integrated acid, alcohol, and tannin, the 1995 Leoville-Las-Cases is full and rich, yet marvelously well-balanced. This is a classic example of packing significant power and flavor intensity into a wine, without causing it to taste heavy or ponderous. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2030. This lion never falls asleep on the job! Last tasted 1/97

Wine Advocate

94-96

par Robert Parker le 28/02/1997

Michel Delon, a great man, is the consummate proprietor, meticulously administering this vast estate spread out along the St.-Julien/Pauillac border, separated from Latour's finest vineyard by a mere ten feet. The 1993-95 vintages from Delon are brilliant wines. Leoville-Las-Cases remains one of the irrefutable reference points for high class Bordeaux. In a year where 65% of the production was eliminated, Las Cases has turned out an amazingly profound, opaque black/purple-colored wine that offers the essence of cassis fruit in its formidably endowed personality. The wine hits the palate with an explosion of ripe fruit. Possessing nicely integrated acid, alcohol, and tannin, the 1995 Leoville-Las-Cases is full and rich, yet marvelously well-balanced. This is a classic example of packing significant power and flavor intensity into a wine, without causing it to taste heavy or ponderous. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2030. This lion never falls asleep on the job!

Wine Advocate

94-96

par Robert Parker le 30/04/1996

This great estate, run with extraordinary passion and brilliance by Michel Delon, has once again turned in superlative efforts - wines that are unquestionably of first-growth quality. The 1995 is a tantalizing effort. Only 35% of the harvest made it into this wine. While most producers were raving about the quality of their Cabernet Franc in 1995, Michel Delon felt it was atypical, and thus he utilized none in the blend, creating an essentially Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot wine. The 1995 Las Cases, which falls just short of rivaling the 1982, 1986, and 1990, has the potential to easily surpass the 1989, perhaps even the 1990. It exhibits (by analysis) a level of tannin unequaled since 1986. However, readers would not know that when tasting the wine. It reveals an opaque black/purple color, and a spectacularly sweet, rich nose that soars from the glass, offering up intense richness and fabulous purity. This is a profoundly concentrated, statuesque wine of enormous richness and character with extraordinary balance. It does not taste as tannic as the statistics suggest, but the tannin will undoubtedly become more evident as the wine evolves. Although it will be approachable in its youth, it will need 10-15 years to hit its stride. It will keep for 25+ years. The lion of St.-Julien roars again.