Leoville Las Cases 2022 (750ML)

100 WA / 100 JS / 98-100 WI / 99 DE / 99 VM / 99 JD / 99 JA / 98 AG / 97 WS

The 2022 Léoville Las Cases is just as remarkable in bottle as it was from barrel. Wafting from the glass with aromas of beautifully pure cassis fruit mingled with notions of violets, burning embers and subtle cigar box, it has already almost entirely integrated its new oak. Full-bodied, dense and layered, it's deep and resonant, with striking concentration, precision and harmony, concluding with a long, palate-staining finish. This striking Saint-Julien really is one of the wines of the vintage, and the best young Léoville Las Cases I've ever tasted. - William Kelley, Wine Advocate

Sophistication and pure beauty on the nose, showing intense lead pencil, blackcurrants, ink and blackberries as well as crushed stones. Spellbinding. Medium-bodied, it grows endlessly on the palate, superb tannins caressing like the finest silk. It just keeps on coming. The character is immaculate. Ethereal. Power with elegance. 83.5% cabernet sauvignon, 10.5% cabernet franc and 6% merlot. It gives the impression you can drink it now, but it needs five to six years of bottle age. A neoclassical masterpiece. Try after 2031, but if you want to taste it now, I understand. - James Suckling

A blend of 83.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10.5% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Merlot, with a pH of 3.8, the 2022 Leoville Las Cases is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a lot of waking up before it strides confidently out of the glass with classic scents of warm cassis, juicy black plums, and pencil shavings, giving way to wafts of evocative scents of iron ore, crushed rocks, wood smoke, and violets, with a hint of star anise. The medium to full-bodied palate is the Taj Mahal of Cabernets, built with an amazing structure and so many intricate layers, it makes the mind spin. Youthful, crunchy black fruits and mineral sparks give way to a core of savory notes and plum preserves, intertwined with a firm backbone of exquisitely ripe tannins, and a very long, seamlessly lively finish. Wow! - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent

Beautifully lifted floral, blue fruit and cola aromas on the nose. Expressive and open. Effortlessly finessed but tightly packed and knitted down still. This impresses from the first sip with a burst of cool, fresh acidity against ripe, almost fleshy summer berry fruit - strawberries, cherries and juicy blueberries. Tannins are silky and well integrated and this has such forward motion from start to finish. Undeniable power meets grip and intensity in the wet stone, liquorice, graphite and slate minerality markers. A crisp and confident grand vin with plenty of structure and ageing potential. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter

The nascent 2022 Léoville Las-Cases, matured in 85% new oak, instantly makes an impression and vindicates my rhapsodizing from barrel. Intense yet boasting exquisite delineation, the aromatics are endowed with immense depth, retaining those estuarine nuances, hints of blue fruit, fig and crushed violets. The palate is medium-bodied with svelte tannins. Stunningly balanced and poised, satin-like in texture yet with ample backbone and grip to guarantee longevity, this ranks amongst the best Grand Vins that I have tasted from Jean-Hubert Delon's Saint-Julien estate. This flirts with perfection. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

A monumental wine, the 2022 Château Léoville Las Cases is seriously dense and powerful, with a locked and loaded nose of cassis, crushed stone, graphite, and remarkable mineral intensity. Focused and structured on the palate as well as full-bodied, it has fine tannins and sensational purity. The 2022 is based on 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 6% Merlot, brought up in a mix of new and used oak. Hide bottles for 10-15 years and it should drink beautifully over the following 40-50 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

Cassis puree, bitter chocolate, so much power and intensity, with a joy and an immediacy that you rarely get in Las Cases. The tannins have a slight tug on the finish which tells you that the power of this vintage remains a little unruly, needs wrestling into place on this particular site. But hard to argue with, layered, powerful, confident, slow-moving. Arnaud Delon is joining his father at the Delon estates, and the new winery is due for completion by September 2025. 84% new oak for ageing. Eric Boissenot consultant, harvest September 8 to 30. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

The 2022 Léoville Las-Cases is a wine of tremendous substance and pure power. Even with all of its textural intensity, Léoville Las Cases remains wonderfully light on its feet. The 2022 is part of the modern series of Las Cases, wines that won’t take decades to be at their best. I especially admire its brightness, energy and drive. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

Dark, winey and alluring, this offers a deep well of steeped black currant, blackberry and black cherry paste flavors that are sappy in their intensity. Sweet bay, violet, tobacco and apple wood accents fill in along the way, giving this superb range, while the long, cast iron–edged finish pulls everything to its vanishing point. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Best from 2027 through 2045. - James Molesworth, Wine Spectator