Leoville Las Cases 1982 (3.0L)

100 RP / 99 JD / 98 DE / 98 WCI / 97 WA / 18 JR

The 1982 Leoville-Las Cases remains one of the awesome examples of this great vintage. Rich, full-bodied, and backward, this thick-looking, opaque ruby/purple-colored wine is just beginning to display aromatic development. Jammy aromas of cassis intertwined with scents of vanilla, lead pencil, cedar, melted caramel, and toast are followed by a massively-endowed, full-bodied wine that will benefit from another 7-10 years of cellaring. This hugely impressive, low acid Las Cases is crammed with ripe fruit. It is the most hedonistic and concentrated Leoville-Las Cases I have ever tasted, just eclipsing the other-worldly 1986. It is approachable now, but my instincts suggest more patience. Drink it between 2000-2030 . It is a monumental wine! Tasted 23 times since bottling with consistent notes. - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

Tasted at the domaine, the 1982 Leoville Las Cases is just about pure perfection, and while certainly mature, it has plenty of life ahead of it. Thrilling notes of blackcurrants, kirsch, tobacco leaf, cedar box, menthol, and exotic spices all emerge from this seamless, powerful yet magically elegant Leoville Las Cases. Opening up in the glass, with a smoky, singular character, it's an incredible wine from this terroir that has an almost Latour-like regal quality. It should continue drinking well for another 10-15 years and I'm sure will keep even longer. Jeb Dunnuck

I always considered this wine, alongside Pichon Lalande, as one of the great wines of the 80s. A decade ago I recall it knocking spots off the legendary 1982 Mouton at Marcus Wearing in London. Still today it is a wine that needs time in the glass. Initially it is very closed but the underlying concentration is phenomenal. The black fruit aromas in combination with the ripeness of the vintage are almost overwhelming after an hour in the glass. The tannin is big and, as yet, not completely resolved. This is a wine that, unbelievably, still needs time to be at its very best. A goliath of St-Julien. Tasted Feb. 2023. Gareth Birchley, Decanter

It took decades to come around, but today, the wine is a pleasure and a thrill to taste. Elegant, classic, full-bodied, vibrant, and concentrated, the wine displays its black currants, forest floor, cedar wood, lead pencil, and spice nuances with a minimum of coaxing. Long and intense with lift, and fullness on the palate, a bit of air before service helps. Drink from 2022-2040.-Jeff Leve, Wine Cellar insider, tasted 10/22