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2016 Chateau Leoville Las Cases (Direct)Blend from France

$324.99

List Price: $379.99 - You're saving $55.00!

Ratings:

100

The 2016 Léoville Las Cases is the finest vintage I’ve ever tasted from this estate; in fact, in this reviewer’s opinion, this magical, perfect wine couldn’t be better. Made from 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc aged 22 months in 90% new oak, it reveals a deep, saturated purple color as well as a thrilling bouquet of crème de cassis, iris flowers, graphite, crushed rocks, and freshly sharpened lead pencils. A perfect example of the old saying “an iron fist in a velvet glove,” it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, layered, stacked mid-palate, flawless integration of its acidity and tannins, and a monster finish. The balance and purity here are off the charts. Hide bottles for a decade or so and enjoy over the following half a century.

100 William Kelley - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

One of the high points of this great vintage, the 2016 Léoville Las Cases is a brilliant wine that unwinds in the glass with aromas of dark berries, pencil shavings, cigar wrapper, loamy soil and violets. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it's concentrated and complete, with beautifully refined tannins, vibrant acids and a long, mineral finish. Even in this series of great wines, it stands out for its cool classicism and unerring precision. Still an infant, while the 2016 is sufficiently polished to be far from forbidding, the real fireworks won't begin for another decade.

100 Lisa Perrotti-Brown - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Very deep purple-black colored, the 2016 Léoville Las Cases (composed of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc) is quite closed to begin, yet with patient coaxing it unfurls beautifully to reveal suggestions of ripe blackcurrants, black raspberries, warm redcurrants and wild blueberries, followed by touches of unsmoked cigars, tilled red soil, cast iron pan, fallen leaves and lavender plus wonderfully fragrant wafts of lilacs and baking spices. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with tightly knit, very subtle layers of minerals, floral notions and black and red berries, all framed by exquisitely ripe, silt-like tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing with epic length and depth. Simply captivating even in its youth, give it at least a decade in the cellar and then enjoy it over the next 50+ years.

100 Jeff Leve - The Wine Cellar Insider

This has really expanded since my initial barrel tasting. The nose explodes, literally! The fruit jumps from the glass, it is that concentrated. Blackberry, blackcurrant and tobacco are all over the place. This is so concentrated, you can almost eat it with a spoon! The fruit coats your mouth. But it is the level of density and freshness, coupled with all those sweet, pure fruit sensations that let you know, this wine means business. You can actually feel the fruit expand on your palate! This is what great wine is all about. Produced from a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc.

100 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

Very complex and alluringly spicy aromas that bubble in and out of the nose, together with fresh tobacco, raspberries and iodine, moving into blackcurrants, blackberries and a gently gravely, stony edge. The palate has incredible polish that is a foil for the intense power and concentration of this wine. The texture is flawless, building smoothly with fine-grained and focused tannins that sustain a long, fresh finish. The new 1986, which was a legend. This is probably better. A blend of 75 per cent cabernet sauvignon, 14 per cent merlot and 11 per cent cabernet franc. Try from 2024.

100 Jane Anson - Decanter

Nothing under 20 years old supplies fruit for the grand vin de Léoville. It's extremely dark and rich, a stately purple in colour with some violet around the rim. Right from the off it expands upwards and outwards, showing polished dark, dark fruits such as black cherry and cassis, alongside slate, liquorice and rosemary. It's mouthfilling and almost less austere than all of the others, yet it's a serious wine. The tannins close in on themselves at the end, showing how this is built to last. A great advert for the whole of Bordeaux, and for me it's the clear wine of the vintage.

100 Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Independent

A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, and 11% Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Leoville Las Cases is deep purple-black in color. It bursts forth with flamboyant notes of crushed blackcurrants, juicy blackberries, and candied violets, giving way to slowly emerging nuances of charcoal, iron ore, wet pebbles, mossy tree bark, and black truffles. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is a powerhouse of black fruit and mineral layers, supported by super-firm, super-ripe tannins and fantastic tension, finishing epically long and achingly beautiful. So Good! You could actually drink this now, crime that it would be, but it is just so delicious even in its youth. It should go on for half a century or more.

100 Jane Anson - Inside Bordeaux

Deep dark hidden depths on the colour here, and this is the highest tannin count (82IPT) of all the vintagtes that I am tasting, including the 2020. Classic 2016 flavours and aromatics from this parl of Bordeaux - crushed rocks, concentrated creème de cassis, slate-licking minerality, this scrapes through the palate. Almost softened by chocolate shavings although the sensation is more akin to biting into a cocoa bean. The precision and the sense of tightrope walking is incredible, this is flying high and will only get better and better over time. I am standing by this score, but don't expect it to be showing you the best of itself any time soon. 50% new oak.

100 Peter Moser - Falstaff

Deep dark ruby, opaque core with a bright narrow rim. Subtle hints of liquorice and cassis, tobacco nuances, touch of fine noble wood touch and delicate hints of candied orange zest. Powerfully close-meshed with ripe cherry, vivid, integrated tannins and fresh acidity. The mineral finish has good length with dark berry fruit and a lemon touch. A wine for laying down which will benefit from at least ten years.

98 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2016 Léoville Las Cases is a majestic, seamless, opulent wine. Yes, I am talking about Las Cases, traditionally one of the Left Bank's most austere, forbiddingly tannic wines. Sumptuous and full-bodied, the 2016 takes over all the senses, with seemingly endless layers of inky, purplish fruit. Mint, lavender and white flowers are some of the many notes that emerge from the exotic, arrestingly beautiful bouquet as the 2016 makes its case for consideration as one of the wines of the vintage. The 2016 got an extra three months in barrel and was therefore bottled on the later side, but that does not appear to have done anything to close the wine down. The 2016 was magnificent on both occasions I tasted it. Put simply, the 2016 Las Cases is a total stunner. Don't miss it!

Product Description:

At the recent Wine Spectator New York Wine Experience, Florent Fresse, sales director at Château Léoville Las Cases, hosted a rare four-year vertical tasting of the estate’s exceptional vintages. The lineup showcased the 1986, 1996, 2006, and 2016 vintages, with each bottle handpicked, 1986 & 1996 re-corked, topped off, and all adorned with fresh labels for the event noting the wines have been at the Chateau from Harvest until shipping in 2024. Due to a port strike, an additional set of the wines had to be air-freighted. Once the port strike was resolved, Léoville Las Cases found themselves with an extra set of wines. Rather than shipping it back to the château we worked with the Negociant in charge to find homes for these stray bottles. The tasting, conducted by Florent Fresse and James Molesworth, offered collectors a deep dive into Léoville Las Cases’ history, terroir, and the consistency that has long set this estate apart. Molesworth even noted, “I always consider Las Cases the sixth first-growth,” highlighting the château's unwavering quality and historical significance. Throughout the tasting, Fresse and Molesworth explored the estate’s evolution, including its new winemaking facility, which marks the beginning of a new chapter with the 2023 and 2024 vintages. They emphasized that Léoville Las Cases has maintained its traditional winemaking ethos, rooted in its unaltered 1855-classified vineyard. Yet, the new facility represents a subtle step forward, with Fresse noting that the winery’s goal remains to create wines of balance and character rather than exclusivity.

Item # 144165
Vintage 2016
Country France
Region Bordeaux
Sub-Region St Julien
Color Red
ABV N/A
Size 750mL
Closure Cork
Varietal(s) Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc
Taste currant, blackberry, cherry, bell pepper, olive, asparagus, spice, ginger, oak, vanilla, black cherry, plum, smoke, toast, tar, tobacco, raspberry, cassis, violet, pepper and green bean
Nose currant, blackberry, cherry, cedar, cigar box, violet, rose, truffle, earth, coffee, leather, tobacco, broccoli, berry and flower

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