2005 Château Leoville Las Cases Saint-Julien 750 ml

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Wine Facts

Critic Reviews

100 pts

Wine Spectator

"This is breathtaking. Black in color, with incredible aromas of crushed blackberry, mineral, licorice and lead pencil. Full-bodied, with a mind-blowing texture of seamless tannins that coat every millimeter of the palate. Goes on and on, with licorice, currant and flowers. Time will tell if it's better than the 2000. Best after 2017. 20,000 cases made."

99 pts

James Suckling

"A stunningly complex and complete nose of flowers, dark fruits, and minerals. Very perfumed and subtle at the same time. The palate is full, yet tight and powerful with perfect tannins and a long, long finish. The quality of the tannins is phenomenal, please leave this alone for ten years. Pull the cork in 2020."

98 pts

Vinous

"A wine for the ages, the 2005 Léoville Las Cases is slow to come out of the gate, but its beauty and pedigree are evident. The 2005 Las Cases is one of the only wines in this tasting that still needs time in bottle, something that won't come as a surprise to fans of this St. Julien estate. The 2005 offers plenty of the typical Las Cases power, but it is also remarkably nuanced and translucent for a wine of its sheer size. When all is said and done, it is in my top three or four wines of the night."

98 pts

Wine Advocate

“Another titanic effort from the Delon family, the 2005 Léoville Las Cases is probably the greatest wine made at this estate since Jean-Hubert Delon’s father produced the 1986 and 1996. Only 37% of the production made it into the 2005, a blend of primarily Cabernet Sauvignon with less than 13% Merlot and Cabernet Franc. An inky/ruby/purple color is accompanied by reticent aromatics that, with considerable coaxing, offer up subtle notes of toasty vanillin intermixed with lead pencil shavings, wet rocks, and enormously ripe, intense black cherry and creme de cassis. The wine hits the palate with a full-bodied, layered mouthfeel as well as enormous extract, concentration, and purity. This ageless, monumental claret requires a minimum of 15-20 years to approach maturity, and should last for a half century. It is about as classic a Léoville Las Cases as one will find.” Anticipated maturity: “2020-2060”

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“A Wine for the Ages”

In describing the historic 2005 Château Léoville Las Cases — what critics believe to be the vintage’s greatest Super Second — Robert Parker wrote, “Another titanic effort from the Delon family, the 2005 Léoville Las Cases is probably the greatest wine made at this estate since Jean-Hubert Delon’s father produced the 1986 and 1996.” Wine Spectator called it “breathtaking.” Antonio Galloni considers it “a wine for the ages.” James Suckling raved about the “stunningly complex and complete nose” of this “phenomenal” wine.

We’ve been sitting on a half-case of the 2005 Las Cases since 2008. Last Monday, we grilled a ribeye Willie Stargell-Pittsburgh rare, drizzled it with virgin olive oil, then cracked the black pepper. We popped the cork two hours before we lit the grill, decanted the 2005, and spent the next four hours with the most mesmerizing Saint-Julien of our lives.

On Tuesday morning — feeling no pain — we made a call to Bordeaux. Then another. Finally a third, when we hit pay dirt.

2005 Château Leoville Las Cases Saint-Julien is sold out.

2005 Château Leoville Las Cases Saint-Julien 750 ml

“A Wine for the Ages”

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