1982 Château Léoville Las Cases St. Julien Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note
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1982
Château Léoville Las Cases (St. Julien)
It took decades to come around, but today, the wine is a pleasure and a thrill to taste. Elegant, classic, full-bodied, vibrant, and concentrated, the wine displays its black currants, forest floor, cedar wood, lead pencil, and spice nuances with a minimum of coaxing. Long and intense with lift, and fullness on the palate, a bit of air before service helps. Drink from 2022-2040. 4,474 Views Tasted Oct 12, 2022This wine has required a lot of patience from consumers. 36 years to be exact. However, this was worth the wait. The wine has softened, filled out and opened up. With a short decant, the cedar, tobacco and blackberry were accompanied by cigar box aromatics. Full-bodied, concentrated and complex, the wine is regal, a little bit firm and incredibly long and mouth-filling. If you have been waiting for the wine to mature, this is ready for consumption. 6,476 Views Tasted Nov 24, 2018One of the best showings yet for this long, aging wine. It only took 35 years to come around and begin to open. Worth the way? Maybe. It depends on how much you like sweet, fresh, pure, red fruits and cassis blended with tobacco, cedar, forest floor and earthy nuances. Full bodied, crisp, fresh and strict, but also regal in its bearings, this is a stunner. 7,225 Views Tasted May 17, 2017It took more than 30 years, but this wine continues coming around and improving. It can offer great drinking. That is, if you like a powerful, concentrated, masculine and full bodied wine with depth, tannin, crunchy, crisp cassis and an earthy, tobacco and cedar chest nose that can be summed up as a perfect example of what great, classic Bordeaux is all about. 8,145 Views Tasted Jan 14, 2016It took more than 30 years to come around, or should I say to start coming around, as clearly there is a lot still being held in reserve. But there is more tan enough earthy, tobacco, cedar and cassis to get your engines running. Long, regal, structured and crisp, I'm sure this will be even better when it hits 50 years of age. This is old school, classic Bordeaux at its best. 8,476 Views Tasted Oct 20, 20141982 Leoville Las Cases does not resemble a 30 year old Bordeaux wine in the color, bouquet or maturity level. It’s also probably the least consistent wine of the vintage. In the worst cases, the wine remains stubbornly tannic and displays a slight austere character. The best examples offer aromatics packed with earth, cassis, tobacco, cedar and cigar ash. Fortunately, this bottle was one of the better examples! Big, powerful and full bodied, the wine is packed with layers of ripe, earthy blackberries and cassis. Depending on the provenance, this wine has the structure and stuffing to continue to age and develop. 9,813 Views Tasted Jun 18, 2013Tobacco, smoke, cedar, cassis, earth and barnyard aromas signified a wine that should taste more developed than it is. At 30 years of age, 1982 Leoville Las Cases demands several more years for the tannins to become resolved and for the wine to fully open. The structure and raw materials are there, along with ripe fruit, the only thing missing is more patience. I'm willing to give it another 5 more years. 12,377 Views Tasted Mar 18, 2012Dark ruby in color, potent tobacco, forest floor, 5 spice, cassis, smoke and truffle scents open to a full bodied, concentrated, tannic wine that at close to 30 years of age is starting to open up. The wine ends with a long, powerful cassis and blackberry filled finish. Give it another 5 years to develop. 12,924 Views Tasted May 15, 20111982 Leoville Las Cases needs coaxing to bring out the earthy, cassis, spice, truffle and forest floor aromatics. This full bodied, stern wine demands at least another decade to hit maturity. Masculine and brawny in style, this old school Bordeaux wine ends with sensations of cassis, cranberry and strawberry. 94 Pts 12,422 Views Tasted Dec 12, 20101982 Leoville Las Cases is all about the aromatics. Underbrush, truffle, forest floor, tobacco, charcoal and cassis. Tannic and powerful, but lacking the finesse and grace, as well as the level of ripeness in the tannins that the 1990 shows. The wine ends in a long, black cherry, spice and cassis filled finish. 95 Pts 12,435 Views Tasted Nov 3, 2010This wine continues to baffle me with its stubborn refusal to open up and Bob's 100 Pt score. Black fruit, cedar, earth, truffle and oak make up the perfume. There is a lot of concentration in this full bodied wine. But everything does not come fully together. 10,107 Views Tasted Jun 30, 2009Deep, dark, dense but with an austere side. This is a serious wine with a lot of complexity, but, it could use a bit more charm. With additional bottle age, this will improve. 7,535 Views Tasted Nov 15, 2007Concentrated with cassis accented, black fruit, truffles, tobacco and earth, this huge wine has a lot to like about it. But it's still young and requires another decade or more before sharing all its charms. 7,574 Views Tasted Jul 5, 2006Sporting dark, purple color and a perfume of cassis, black fruit, coffee and plums. Amazing mouth presence! Thick, dense and extremely concentrated with all the right stuff. The flavors attack every nook and cranny of your palate. 7,689 Views Tasted Feb 17, 2005Cassis, ripe black fruit, anise, smoke and forest aromatics could be found with swirling. Still young, primary and tight. This is aging very slowly. Full bodied, concentrated and tannic, this wine should flesh out and come together someday. 7,702 Views Tasted Jan 10, 2005Very dark purple color. Aromatics include cassis, licorice, black fruits and spices. This wine is very dense and concentrated. But will it ever mature? The 82 Las Cases demands at least another decade in the bottle. 7,726 Views Tasted Dec 25, 2003 |
When to Drink Chateau Leoville Las Cases, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time
Chateau Leoville Las Cases is not a wine to drink on the young side. The wine is usually far too tannic, powerful, and reserved during its youth. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 3-6 hours, give or take.
This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.
Chateau Leoville Las Cases is usually better with at least 15 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. Chateau Latour offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 20-50 years of age after the vintage.
Serving Chateau Leoville Las Cases with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips
Leoville Las Cases is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.
Chateau Leoville Las Cases is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau Leoville Las Cases is a perfect match with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta as well as cheeses.