1996 Clos du Marquis, Saint-Julien 1x75cl

Producer Profile

Château Léoville Las
Cases, considered the ‘Latour of St Julien’, is one of the oldest and
largest Second-Growth Estates in the Médoc. Once part of a massive
estate that incorporated Château Léoville-Barton and Leoville Poyferre
back in the 17th century, the
terroir beneath the vines is indeed steeped in history as the estate
was only split up during the French Revolution.

A stone wall encloses the largest plot of the estate’s gigantic 97
hectares, situated between the village Saint Julien and Château Latour.
Its grand gate entrance has become a symbol of all things wine-related
from the Médoc.

Léoville Las Cases has been managed by the same family since the late
19th century and owned by the Delon family since the middle of the 20th
century (also owners of Clos du Marquis, Château Potensac, and Château
Nenin).

The vines on the estate average 30 years of age and produce Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

OUR VERDICT:

Arguably the first among equals among the
super-seconds.  Don’t allow that to confuse you! LLC for short is so
good it’s in quality (if not classification) terms on a par with the
first growths in many vintages. If asked if the outstanding
quality is great because of their proximity to Château Latour, the LLC
people will sometimes answer
“No, they are very good because they are next to us!”.