2019 Chateau Leoville-Las Cases 'Grand Vin de Leoville', Saint-Julien, France 750ml

So structured for the vintage, but there’s freshness and vibrancy from the acidity. Full-bodied, extremely creamy and polished. Plush silk. Extremely long, linear and compact.

The 2019 Léoville Las Cases is a brilliant young wine that will delight Bordeaux purists. Unwinding in the glass with scents of cassis, dark berries, cigar wrapper and pencil shavings, it’s full-bodied, layered and tightly wound, with a deep core of fruit, lively acids and an abundance of rich, powdery tannins. Concentrated and serious, much like its immediate neighbor Château Latour, it is likely to emerge as one of the vintage’s longest lived—and greatest—wines.

One of the greatest and most consistent estates of the Médoc, Léoville Las Cases is in terrific form today. The core of the estate is the 50-hectare "Clos," surrounded by walls and bordering the Gironde to the immediate south of its neighbor, Latour. In the vineyards, where Cabernet Sauvignon rules, the team are experimenting with cover crops and biodynamic methods, and in the cellars and chai, winemaking remains very traditional. The 2019 is one of the very finest wines of the vintage, though as ever, it is not intended for consumers seeking immediate gratification.