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Léoville Las Cases 2008

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > St Julien
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc/Merlot

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Léoville-Las Cases

Label

Tasting Notes

A classic style of Las Cases that is somewhat masculine for the vintage, tannic and backward, and less formidably concentrated than the 2009 or 2010, the 2008 needs 7-8 years of cellaring. Dense purple, the aromatics are closed, but with coaxing and aggressive swirling, notes of crushed rock, black currants and some forest floor notes emerge. Impressively built, medium to full-bodied, layered and stunningly concentrated, this is a sleeper vintage for Leoville Las Cases that should improve considerably, given how closed it was the day I tasted it. It is another 30+ year wine from proprietor Jean-Hubert Delon.

93
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (194), May 2011

Another underrated vintage for this estate, the 2008 Léoville Las Cases is a vibrant, youthfully primary wine that's aging at a slower pace than the 2009. Unfurling to reveal aromas of dark berries and cherries mingled with subtle hints of pencil shavings and nicely integrated new oak, it's medium to full-bodied, taut and layered, with tangy acids, ripe tannins and a long, penetrating finish. Displaying compelling purity and energy, it's a serious Las Cases that will richly reward the patient but which is still some way away from its drinking window. 2026 - 2065

95+
William Kelley, Wine Advocate, August 2022

Wonderful nose of roses, violets, raspberries and black licorice. Full-bodied, with a solid core of ripe fruit and lots of beautiful wood. Excellent.

91/94
James Suckling, WineSpectator.com, April 2009

The 2008 Léoville Las Cases is composed of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc. Medium to deep garnet colored, it slowly unfurls to reveal compelling scents of Morello cherries, black raspberries, stewed plums and cassis with hints of dried Provence herbs, mocha, underbrush and charcoal, plus a lively waft of eucalyptus. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-coating black fruit layers with loads of bright herbal and minty sparks, supported by grainy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long and savory.

93
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (March 2021), March 2021

Extremely deep blackish crimson. Spicy oak on the nose - very intense. Then amazingly opulent on the nose. Round and dense and dramatic. Like a cross between mulberries and tarmacadam. The Cabernets were naturally more than 13% apparently. Real excitement. Neat though not extraordinarily long finish. Still very, very youthful. The finish is very dry and brooding but much more supple than some earlier vintages

17
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2009
Read more tasting notes...

Readers should not be surprised that the 2008 Leoville Las Cases is a great classic as the selection process here is as Draconian as at any of the first-growths. Slightly more than one-third of the production made it into the grand vin, a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Merlot. Yields were just under 38 hectoliters per hectare, and the natural alcohol of 13.4% is among the highest ever measured at this estate. The harvest was very late, between October 6-18, and the result is a wine boasting extraordinarily sweet tannin as well as abundant black cherry and cassis notes intermixed with a prominent underlying minerality. Despite the massive density, concentration, and length, the wine is extremely precise, nuanced, and impeccably pure. This phenomenal effort should be more drinkable in its youth than many other vintages of Las Cases because of the ripe tannins and sweet fruit density. It will need 5-10 years of cellaring, and should last for 40+ years.

95/97+
Robert Parker, RobertParker.com (182), April 2009

A blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc (a little higher than usual) with 10.3% pressed wine. Cropped at 37.9hl/ha and coming in at a respectable 13.4% alcohol, the harvest commencing on 6th October, this has a ravishing nose of cassis, black plum, violets and a touch of eucalyptus - quite atypical for an '08. The palate is full-bodied with cashmere tannins on the entry, seductive, a little spicy, the back palate with almost a vanillary sweet finish. This is a lascivious Las-Cases that is nigh irresistible at this stage. Gorgeous - but how will it age? Tasted April 2009

92/94
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, April 2009
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.