Chateau Leoville Las Cases 2005

ANTONIO GALLONI: "The 2005 Léoville Las Cases is one of the most brooding, potent wines of the year. When will it be ready? The answer is not yet. Although I have had other bottles that have been showier. Inky, powerful and potent, the 2005 is a real showstopper. If opened now, the 2005 needs a good 12 hours in the decanter to start performing well. Over time, the 2005 shows it is just at the very beginning of a first plateau of maturity, with lovely aromatic complexity, layers of radiant fruit and tremendous structure to back it all up. The high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (88%) foreshadows the style that has now become the norm. Time in the glass brings out the red/purplish fruit nicely. Still, I would prefer to give the 2005 a few more years in bottle. The 2005 is a must have for readers who love Las Cases. Tasted two times."

DECANTER: "To some, this is the best wine estate in St-Julien. Château Léoville Las Cases is one of the three Léovilles and is the largest at 97 hectares. Though the wine is a 2ème Cru Classé, or second growth, many see this old estate rivalling the first growths and have prices to match. I've been lucky enough to taste this a few times this year, and the last one (at a Christie's dinner in early November) confirmed once again what an incredible wine this is. With a full 87% cabernet sauvignon, and the rest made up of merlot and cabernet franc, the colour here is rich ecclesiastical purple, and the fruit still tight and brooding, although it starts to soften up with a good carafing even now. It's the texture of Léoville Las Cases that often hits you, and the confidence of a wine that knows it has years ahead of it. Dark fruits, bitter chocolate, black truffles, all perfectly in place. One to savour. Drinking Window 2015 - 2020"

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, schwarzer Kern, violette Reflexe, in der Nase einladende reife Frucht, feiner Nougat, faszinierende Präzision. Am Gaumen transparente Frucht, ein Wein von großer Finesse, Frische und Komplexität, rotbeerige Nuancen, seidig-süße Tannine, herrliche Länge, ein perfekter Wein, der mit knapp 13 % Alkohol auskommt. Grandioses Lagerpotenzial, zweifellos in Premier-Cru-Qualität."

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."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Mid to deep crimson. A stony, mineral undertow on the nose but with lovely lift and haunting scents too. Firm with a very ripe spread of flavours that almost distract from the weight of fine tannins underneath. Unlike some wines, this wears its tannic charge effortlessly. Racy and lifted. A very successful Las Cases."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "This is a super wine, that in time, should go up in score. But patience is needed here. Decanted 4 hours, that was not enough to tame the strict tannins. Still, it was impossible not to enjoy the perfectly ripe, regal, red and black fruits, intensity, length and concentration found here. This is was the older British writers called good breed. I get their point, even if the term is archaic. All that being said, perhaps, this will be ready between 2025-2030 for the start of its long, 100 year life."

THE WINEADVOCATE: "This is a prodigious effort. A blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Merlot and Cabernet Franc (only 37% of the crop qualified for Las Cases), this dense ruby/purple wine has a stunningly pure bouquet of dark fruit, wet rocks, graphite, and subtle background toast/vanillin. Full-bodied, masculine, and very deep and concentrated, this titanic effort is at least 8-10 years away from its plateau of maturity. The Delon family have produced another legend. Anticipated maturity: 2023-2050+."

WEINWISSER: "Sattes Violett-Purpur, bläulichschwarze Reflexe. Traumhaftes, komplexes Bouquet, schwarze Pflaumen, Sandelholz, Pralinen, ein Hauch Kokos, Dörrbananen, buttrig wirkend, weit ausladend. Mundfüllender Gaumen, wieder mit einer fast ausufernden Komplexität, alles ist reif, fett und reich. Im Gegensatz zu vielen anderen Grands Crus jetzt schon mit einer perfekten Harmonie und einer Prise Erotik, deutlich in Richtung eines 1982er gehend, somit die intensive Kraft auch mit dem nötigen Charme vermischend. Sehr nahe bei 20 Punkten."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "95-97 Barrel sample. A big wine with dense tannins, but so elegant. Dark, intense, with layers of acidity underneath that only show through at the end. Unusually, Cabernet Sauvignon dominates this wine, a sign of the ripeness of the Cabernet fruit."

WINESPECTATOR: "Sleek and racy, with black currant and fig fruit laced liberally with a bright iron streak and singed alder notes. This is very tightly coiled, as the fruit seems to be preserved for now, while the cold fireplace character holds sway. A superb energy in reserve gives this more than enough time to wait. Could outlast them all in this vintage.—Blind '01/'03/'05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Best from 2025 through 2050."