Léoville Las Cases 2013

Better than many of the Medoc first-growths, the 2013 Las Cases was harvested relatively late, between October 2 and 17. It is a blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc. Only 40% of the production made it into the grand vin, and the finished alcohol was 13.1%. It reveals a dense ruby/purple color, supple tannins, good texture and depth, excellent freshness and intense dark currant and black cherry fruit notes. While not a blockbuster, it is a medium-bodied, well-endowed 2013 that should drink well for 10-15 years.

n honorable effort for a challenging vintage, the 2013 Léoville Las Cases delivers notions of cassis, raw cocoa and sweet, toasty new oak, followed by a medium-bodied palate with tangy acids and a saline finish. It's one of the Médoc's best wines in this forgettable year. 2015 - 2027

The 2013 Leoville-Las Cases has perhaps one of the most understated bouquets for this estate in recent years. I do not mean that in a bad sense, after all, this was a vintage whereby it would be foolish to push too much. It gently unfolds with blackberry, bilberry and a light marine influence - iodine, a hint of black olive. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, nicely balanced with a saline note that comes through towards the finish. I appreciate the cohesiveness and refinement of this Leoville-Las Cases, certainly one of the best Médocs of this difficult vintage.

Extremely fine and complex for the vintage with blueberry, black currant and mineral aromas and flavors. Racy and refined backbone of tannins. Long and subtle. Drink in 2019.

The rule that in difficult vintages you should go to the best estates is more than amply proved here with the 2013 Las Cases. Even the colour takes you far away from the usual expectations of a year when pretty much everything went wrong. The IPT (essentially the tannin count) is lower than usual at 63IPT compared to for example 82IPT in 2016, but there is still a deep plum colour through the glass, although fading a touch on the outer edges. Smoked caramel on the nose, which is unusual in Las Cases, but it's enticing, and the dried roses that you get in older vintages are here already, along with fruit that leans towards raspberry rather than cassis, layered up with gingerbread and turmeric spice, and fresh acidities that give lift rather than bite. Still not a 2013 that I would say put away or cellar, but it's easily one of the wines of the vintage. Jean-Hubert Delon owner.