Vinum Fine Wine List March-April 2010
CHÂTEAU LÉOVILLE LAS CASES: A SUPER-SECOND By Daryl Goh
The commune of St Julien in the Médoc has no first-growth châteaux, and one feels slightly sorry for it compared to its neighbour Pauillac to the north, with a rather greedy 3. However, amongst its ranks are a number of excellent second-growths which do in some years give the first-growths a run for their money. Last year I wrote of a winter tasting in London of Château Margaux, laid on by the Institute of Masters of Wine. This year it was the turn of Léoville Las Cases.
The Léoville estate was once the largest in the whole of the Médoc, and the estates formed by division are still considered large. In the 18th Century, Alexandre de Gasq left 4 shares in the estate. One of these shares eventually came into the Barton family as Léoville Barton. The other 3 shares were distributed in 1840 between a brother and sister; the sister married the Baron de Poyferré, and her share was renamed Léoville Poyferré, whilst the share given to her brother came to be known as Léoville Las Cases, after one of the descendents of Alexandre de Gasq, the Marquis de Las Cases.
In 1900, Théophile Skawinski, the general manager of the estate, was given 1 of 20 shares in the property. He was great-great grandfather of the present owners, again a brother and sister, Jean- Hubert Delon and Geneviève d’Alton. Over the course of the 20th Century, the family acquired more shares in the estate, and in 1994 the estate came under full ownership of the family.
By a quirk of the divisions, Poyferré and Las Cases have had to share the winemaking facilities since 1840, with the winemakers at Poyferré having to cross the road to the château opposite, on Las Cases land. Recent building work at Poyferré have reduced their dependence on this facility, but it is rather confusing. Last year for an event at Poyferré we were directed to the carpark at Las Cases and then had to run across the road.
Jean-Hubert Delon believes that the heart of the old Léoville estate lies within the vineyards of Las- Cases, and that the terroir here is superior to that of Poyferré or Barton. I dare say there would be some disagreement were you to get Didier Cuvelier, the owner of Poyferré and Anthony Barton in the same room!
The holdings of Las Cases, totaling 98 hectares lie in two significant parcels, along with a few scatterings here and there. The first stretches north from the town of St Julien along the D2 up to the border with Pauillac, and the illustrious neighbour of Latour. This is the heart of the old Léoville estate, in Jean-Hubert’s eyes, and is the origin of the Grand Vin, a powerful, muscular, exotic expression . The second parcel stretches to the west of St Julien in a long ribbon, and is where the wine for Clos du Marquis is sourced, producing a more open, accessible style.
As such, Clos du Marquis is not a second wine in the traditional sense, but the Delons prefer to think of Las Cases as two estates in one, with each having their own identity and style. A new wine has been introduced as the true second wine, Le Petit Lion de Léoville Las Cases, referring to the lion that stands on top of the gate to the estate.
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The family also own Château Potensac in the Médoc, and Château Nenin in Pomerol. Jean-Hubert and his sister Geneviève inherited Potensac, a 77 hectare estate from their paternal grandmother, an estate always known for its solid, consistent wines which belie their Cru Bourgeois classification. They purchased Nenin in 1997 from a cousin, maintaining the family theme, and invested heavily to raise the sullied reputation of this once highly-regarded estate. The wines have something of the Médoc about them; firm and upright, with less lushness.
The Delon family are by all accounts fiery, self-confident and almost petulant, something that has been seen in the marketplace. If market conditions are such that it is believed that a wine cannot be sold for its ‘correct’ value, then it will not be released. The estate has also been accused of driving up the price for its wines by releasing tiny quantities in the most sought-after years.
The family’s commitment to quality cannot be questioned, although how that quality is realised has been a source of much intergenerational angst. It is said that Michel Delon, the father of the current owner refused to step into the château’s chai until the day his own father retired and handed over the keys. In turn, Jean-Hubert has been critical of his father’s preference for extremely high levels of ripeness, likening certain vintages to Californian blockbusters. Michel’s belief that Petit Verdot lacked sufficient finesse to be put into his Grand Vin was also a target for Jean-Hubert’s ire.
These stories were recounted to us at the tasting by the gentleman hosting it, none other than Jean- Hubert Delon’s brother-in-law Yorick d’Alton. He mentioned them with a nonchalance that comes with being a long-term observer. No doubt it is part and parcel of being a member of the family!
He describes the equipment at the wineries with the same nonchalance, yet this belies the astonishing investment that goes into them, something which has been lavished upon the wineries for many years in the pursuit of quality. Las Cases were early adopters of climate control, going as far as to install marble floors to aid this.
Now the talk is all about optical sorting tables, developed for the coffee industry which target individual grapes, peristaltic pumps and four different types of press. Yorick d’Alton runs a negociant business, but his background is in the stainless steel business; it is no surprise then that he is comfortable discussing the hardware from industrial processes.
All this then, to make a wine whose ambitions lie fairly and squarely amongst the first growths. Its scale and proportion can impress, but there are also a number of people on whom its charms are lost. I must admit that I have tasted the wines before and thought them rather angular and overtly muscular. I am pleased to report that they showed much better at this tasting, or perhaps I was feeling in a particularly charitable mood.
THE WINES
Fugue de Nenin 1998, Pomerol Rich, spicy nose, showing open red fruit. Creamy black fruit palate, overlaid with coffee and cocoa. Medium full-bodied, a sense of weight but perhaps lacking a degree of focus. 15 pts.
Château Nenin 1999, Pomerol Bright creamy red fruit. Integrated, spicy oak, mixed with crushed stone and a leafy note. Firm, tannic wine. Youthful with black fruit, mocha and a herbal note. Dense, chewy wine which tries a little too hard. Very severe selection of the harvest left only 24% of production in the Grand Vin. 16 pts.
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Château Potensac 2003, Médoc Some floral notes, moderate fragrance, and the roasted fruit character typical of the vintage. Accessible yet upright, with a creamy core of red and black fruit. Persistent and mouthfilling, with some freshness. 16.5 pts.
Clos du Marquis 2001, St Julien Pure, fragrant nose, sweet and spiced. Coffee, cloves and a whiff of gun oil. Linear, with juicy fruit. Fine, emphatic tannins, with refreshing acidity lifting the sweet fruit core. Hints of cedary leafiness. Sleek and mineral with good persistence. Very solid performance. 17 pts.
Château Léoville Las Cases 2007, St Julien Prominent creamy, toasty oak. Peppery black fruit and leafy notes. Toasty oak is quite noticeable on the palate. Tannins are fine and well-managed, fruit character is rather reticent. Some bitter chocolate and dense fruit on the attack. 16+ pts.
Château Léoville Las Cases 2006, St Julien Heady, brooding fragrance of spiced, dark fruit. Full nose with floral and savoury hints. Blackcurrant fruit mixed with sweet spices. Full, rich body, with fine acidity. Fine, peppery tannins with hints of mint. Powerful, almost brawny wine. 17.5+ pts.
Château Léoville Las Cases 2002, St Julien Dark, blackcurranty, positive nose overlaid with a fragrant, dusky note. Wet stone, and a spiced, leafy character. Rich, dense, slightly gruff palate. Full, with grippy, persistent black fruit. Big-shouldered and concentrated. 17+ pts.
Château Léoville Las Cases 2001, St Julien Very youthful appearance. Fragrant, sweet fruit. Very pure, inviting aroma, poised and with elegance. Tight palate with a degree of finesse and persistent minerality. Quite engaging. 18 pts.
Château Léoville Las Cases 1998, St Julien Quite classic leafy, cedary cigarbox notes developing. Sweet fruit mixed with coffee and spices. Not overly generous. Smokey, juicy palate, persistent but quite austere, despite its sense of concentration. An attractive wine nonetheless. 17+ pts.
Château Léoville Las Cases 1996, St Julien Fragrant, poised and with purity. Sweet blackcurrant fruit, smokey and with cedary notes. Some black cherry too. Very attractive weight and fruit sweetness, mint and savoury notes. Quite tannic, but fine textured and with persistence and reach. Very fresh, very alluring. 19 pts.
Château Léoville Las Cases 1989, St Julien Fragrant, with smokey sweet fruit. A sweet/sour note and roasted fruit character. A little diffuse, but still very inviting. Good acidity, a lively wine. Sweet black fruit, with a mintiness running through it. Fresh, precise, but without real conviction? 17 pts.
If you have any questions or comments regarding this article please contact Daryl Goh at [email protected]
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