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Clos du Marquis 1996

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

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

Label

Tasting Notes

90
Robert Parker, Bordeaux Book (4), December 2003

From my own cellar, the 1996 Clos du Marquis has sometimes been a wine that I have respected more than I have liked, yet in the last year, it appears to have undergone a transformation into a much more generous wine. Wafting from the glass with aromas of cherries, cassis, mint and sweet soil tones, my most recent bottle was medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with a deep core of fruit, supple tannins and a long, saline finish. If this trend continues, the 1996 is liable to displace the 1985 as my favorite mature vintage of Clos du Marquis.Drink Date 2016 - 2036

92
William Kelley, RobertParker.com (Cellar 33), August 2022

The 1996 Clos du Marquis is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon (lower than recent vintages), 33% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot (that usually goes into Leoville-Las Cases). Much like the 1996 Potensac that I tasted alongside at the château, the nose is youthful and backward with blackberry, freshly tilled soil, cedar and tobacco scents that gain intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with a smooth entry, plenty of crisp and pure black fruit laced with cedar, harmonious and long. This is a great Saint Julien at 20 years of age, firing on all cylinders and, to be honest, surpassing some of the Grand Vins in this vintage. Probably still available at a decent price, this comes thoroughly recommended. Tasted July 2016.

91
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (227), October 2016

Mid crimson. Mellow, fully developed nose. Clean and lively, quite delicate in terms of body. Brisk and a bit angular. Quite notable tannins still.And a bit of alcohol on the finish. Not sure about the balance of this. Drink 2006-12

16.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, September 2006
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90
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (122), April 1999

This wine may turn out to be even better than the outstanding 1995. Both are exceptional wines, with the 1996 slightly thicker and more viscous, with more noticeable new oak, as well as more massive body, and a blockbuster finish.

90/91
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (115), February 1998
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.