2019 Chateau Leoville-Las Cases 'Le Petit Lion du Marquis de Las Cases' Saint Julien

One of the oldest Medoc estates, Domaine de Léoville belonged to some of the wealthiest and most influential noble French families before it was acquired by the Las Cases family. The estate was split up between 1826 and 1840 as a result of the French Revolution. (Expropriation of emigrants’ property and constitution of egalitarian redistribution). Château Léoville Las Cases was created, thanks to a kind of birthright, from 3/5 of the original estate and the heart of the domain.

The Grand Vin’s current terroir has therefore been at the historic heart of the original terroir since the 17th century. Pierre Jean, Adolphe, and Gabriel de Las Cases were successive heirs to the property until 1900 when Théophile Skawinski purchased a share in the estate and became its manager. Léoville Las Cases has now been managed by the same family since the late 19th century and is today represented by Jean-Hubert Delon, sole owner of the Château and proprietor of Château Potensac in the Medoc and Château Nénin in Pomerol.

The Clos encases a terroir of very great complexity. It is mainly composed of Quaternary gravel ("graves") over gravelly sand and gravelly clay subsoils. Leoville also finds clays that are variably deep and compact, but which sometimes break through to the surface. The proximity of the Gironde River has created a wide diversity of soils, formed over various geological periods by successive superimpositions.

Château Léoville Las Cases recently replanted several vineyard plots on its famous Saint-Julien terroirs. As these vines started producing fruit, the estate introduced a new second wine with the 2007 vintage.

Meet Le Petit Lion. Crafted with the same care as its prestigious siblings, this wine is all about fresh, ripe fruit flavors. It’s made to be approachable and ready to enjoy sooner, with a good amount of Merlot in the blend, giving it a softer, easy-drinking style. It’s Saint-Julien sophistication made simple.

50% Cabernet Sauvignon 44% Merlot 6% Cabernet Franc. A Petit Lion that is immediately seductive, thanks to its fulness and freshness. A perfect balance between lusciousness and tension, typical of the Léoville Las Cases terroir. A magnificent second wine of great persistence from dedicated parcels of young Cabernets and old Merlots.

Blackberry, blackcurrant and wet-earth character with spice and sweet tobacco. Bark and cloves, too. It’s medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins and a long finish. Excellent second wine from Las Cases. Best with three to four years of bottle age, but try after 2024. ~95 James Suckling

Bright ruby colour, purple reflections. Fine herbal spice, red forest fruit, a hint of oak, nuances of cherries and blueberries in the background, a hint of iodine, typical Léoville Las Cases DNA on the nose. Juicy, red berry fruit, fresh and silky on the palate, fine, well-integrated tannins, mineral and salty, will benefit from a few more years of bottle age. ~94 Falstaff

From the first sip Le Petit Lion, we are in the universe of Léoville Las Cases. Dripping with pencil lead and graphite, crushed rocks and restrained elegance, pure and chiselled cassis and bilberry fruits. The personality of this wine is something to behold and enjoy. All grapes come from within the walled L’Enclos that runs alongside the river, on the border of St Julien and Pauillac, and as with the main wine it takes its character from each appellation. 30% new oak. 3.55ph. ~94 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

The second wine of the château, the 2019 Le Petit Lion is based on 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc that saw 30% new French oak. Beautiful cassis and black cherry fruits as well as cedar pencil, tobacco, and damp earth all emerge on the nose, and it's medium to full-bodied, has a balanced, seamless texture, wonderful depth of fruit, and a great finish. It's one heck of a second wine that will have two decades of prime drinking. ~93 Jeb Dunnuck

The grapes come from within the walled L'Enclos for this 2nd wine, and straight away you see a higher intensity and focus than with the more open Clos de Marquis. The majority Merlot gives a plump character to the ripe berry fruits but they are old vines with plenty of intensity. Great entry point to Las Cases, with lift and focus on the finish - you still get the austerity and tight tannic delivery that is part and parcel of the Las Cases experience, but there is juice and pleasure waiting here. 30% new oak. 3.55pH. ~93 Decanter

The 2019 Le Petit Lion is plush, deep and layered, but in a mid-weight style that will be approachable with minimal cellaring. Élevage has rendered the 2019 quite a bit more accessible than the barrel sample suggested. Bright red-toned fruit, chalk and lifted floral accents all grace this mid-weight second wine from Las-Cases. The 2019 is built on a core of old-vine Merlot and younger vine Cabernet Sauvignon, with some Franc to round things out. ~93 Vinous Media

The 2019 Le Petit Lion is excellent, offering up nots of dark berries, plums, pencil shavings and loamy soil, followed by a medium to full-bodied, deep and lively palate that’s nicely concentrated, concluding with a long, saline finish. It’s produced from vines within the clos of Léoville-Las Cases itself—mainly young-vine Cabernet Sauvignon and old-vine, less optimally exposed Merlot in a block that borders Latour. ~90 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

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