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| | Vintage | 2003 |  Label 1 of 728 
 | | Type | Red | | Producer | Château Léoville Las Cases (web) | | Variety | Red Bordeaux Blend | | Designation | n/a | | Vineyard | n/a | | Country | France | | Region | Bordeaux | | SubRegion | Médoc | | Appellation | St. Julien | | UPC Code(s) | 0198172000086, 0400005885099, 087000337428, 1000000000211, 3258691208053, 3419466144284, 3700274601015, 3700274606607, 370027462885, 3701368611033, 400004326586, 649944072355, 732511018006, 802236002090, 852187003431, 870952007163 |
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 93.1 pts. and median of 94 pts. in 237 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by alamoave on 4/13/2024 & rated 94 points: A word I don’t associate with LLC - voluptuous. This is a thing of beauty. Short decant. Long finish. (573 views) | | | Tasted by the player on 4/12/2024 & rated 95 points: Lovely evolved Lascases and that's always so rare to say. Deep ruby red color hardly any signs of aging on the rim. Nose of perfumed cassis, lots of graphite, pencil lead, cigar box, blackberries, pepper. Great weight, medium to full bodied, coats mid palate with dark red and black fruits, finishes very long with some bitter chocolate notes.a hedonistic LLC at last? (627 views) | | | Tasted by Lyttelton on 3/29/2024: Best of all the ‘03 so far (919 views) | | | Tasted by liber on 3/22/2024 & rated 95 points: 1st of 36, opened an hour then decanted 90 minutes, perfect level curiously crumbly but clean cork - glossy, dark but transparent ruby, purple rimmed; very much on the cassis fruit, fresh and pure for 03, hints of cigar box and graphite, fragrant, complex and classy; fullish, very long, persistent, decent concentration, fruit masking fine tannic underpinning, much simpler as yet than nose, really quite adolescent but with volume and drive of fine vintage, beautiful balance for 03, much upside here, 30+ years. At least VF (18.5)........has 1st growth quality and will take decades to show its true potential; my sense is that it's behind 62, 75, 82, 85, 86, 90, 96 and the potentially sensational 2000- time will tell! (1129 views) | | | Tasted by Collector1855 on 3/3/2024 & rated 93 points: During a Matter of Taste dinner, no detailed tasting notes. Dense dark fruit with torrefaction. Good enough freshness for 2003, medium complexity. (1363 views) | | | Tasted by hkbob on 2/1/2024 & rated 95 points: Opaque garnet. This was an excellent wine with its dark fruit, creosote, fresh tobacco and earthy notes at the fore all overlayed with a sweetness reminiscent of the ripe fruit. This wine shows quite young and vibrant with a long grippy finish which belies the torrid heat of the vintage. Just entering its prime drinking window with lots of time on the clock for further development. Delicious. (1614 views) | | | Tasted by Derek Darth Taster on 12/3/2023 & rated 93 points: Late night Maison Dakota. Drank in Grassl 1855.
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of tobacco cigar box, pencil lead, blackberries, black plums, dark red cherry plum, cedarwood. Developed.
On the palate, dry, medium+ acidity, medium alcohol (13%), smooth resolved high tannins, medium+ body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of dark red cherryplum, sweet black plum, blackberry, blackcurrant, cigarbox, graphite pencil lead, sweet cedar, integrated oak, bit of leather. Long finish.
Very good quality. Doesn't have a whole lot of ripeness as I thought of a 2003. Quite complex although it seems to lack depth and full bodied oomph. A well-controlled 13% alc. Drinking well already. (2336 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 11/25/2023 & rated 95 points: One of the fresher, more vibrant wines from the vintage that is notorious for so many jammy wines. Medium-bodied, ready-to-drink, plummy, earthy, tobacco, and blackberry-filled wine with a softness in the finish and no signs of jam or fig notes. Drink from 2023-2037. (3462 views) | | | Tasted by JLCFan on 7/27/2023 & rated 93 points: Very, very big fruit and very, very young-tasting. Intense red fruit, grippy tannins, still a lot of structure. Not a lot of tertiary development (3064 views) | | | Tasted by d'Artagnan on 5/19/2023 & rated 93 points: Nez typique médoc, cèdre et cassis. Vin rond, dodu et un peu fumé, encore boisé et jeune, avec des tanins enrobés. Il n’a pas encore développé la complexité d’un vieux vin, il parait très jeune. 93++ (3647 views) | | | Tasted by Martyl9 on 5/7/2023 & rated 60 points: the wine was cooked , in a half bottle (3178 views) | | | Tasted by Cailles on 5/7/2023 & rated 92 points: Bordeaux 2003 – 20 Years On – 33 Reds: All wines tasted blind, not decanted (some wines would have needed it). Observations: 1) 2003 is not a good vintage. The wines don’t have the depth and elegance of good years. But I was positively surprised, that while it’s clearly a hot year, there are less overripe, over-extracted and prematurely dying wines than in 09/10. Still, there is no comparison to how Chateauxs handle hot years today. 2) Compared to five other vintage retrospectives, the 2003 came in last place (lower average score than 2011), with just Chateau Margaux reaching a group score above 95pts. 3) Margaux wines showed best, with the typical immediate charm, while St. Estephe and Pauillac have potential but will need more time (and/or would have needed more air). 4) Right bank wines did not show as good with some alcohol showing and a few wines being on a downhill path. I would not chase 2003 right banks.
At this point in the tasting, my will to drink and analyze another red wine was very low, so take this score and review with a grain of salt. The three Leovilles all had less charm and precision than the Pauillac’s but especially the Margauxs before. From memory, the Poyferre (93pts) was the best of the three Leovilles. This is surprising as it is usually riper and more modern than the two others which doesn’t seem like a great fit for a hot vintage. The wine showed a bit rounder and more harmonious than the others but without an exciting complexity. The Las Cases and Barton (both 92pts) were a step below but probably just would have needed a bit of air to open up.
Decanting: My guess is that this needs a few hours in the decanter.
Group average: 93.2 pts
Group rank: Shared 18th out of 29 reds (3904 views) | | | Tasted by SH Wu on 4/23/2023 & rated 92 points: Well-structured bordeaux with the minerality and acidity to match. This gets easily overshadowed in a tasting line-up of more showy wines, but it certainly draws you in as it starts to show its tobacco and cedar.
This feels like it has much to run, though the tannins are already in a good place. Two hours of air in bottle and it is already showing great. (2890 views) | | | Tasted by Purple Tooth on 3/22/2023 & rated 92 points: Always happy to drink this and excited to try it again, but this has never excited me enough to go looking for it. Lots of deep red fruit, good freshness (A bit too much and lacking in progress) and a middle of the road amount of fruit and some cedary notes floating off the top that tell you that you are drinking something with some age on it. A very nice and long finish with traces of oak creme, cedar, and deep red fruit. Drink (2814 views) | | | Tasted by sirpat00 on 3/20/2023 & rated 88 points: Grand Bordeaux 2003 horizontal tasting (Fribourg): Bordeaux 2003 vintage horizontal hosted by a private collector and moderated by Jean-Marc Quarin. Main observations: 1/ Average quality is acceptable, but weighted down by various low-lights, esp. on the right bank. 2/ In general a tannic vintage, lacking balance. 3/ Top 3 wines were Lafite, Mouton and Margaux (all 95). See the tasting story for a complete overview and additional vintage comments.
Tasting note:
A cool, more mineral driven bouquet with aging notes of barnyard and leather. Only limited fruit expression (cherry). Un-exiting palate which lacks aromas. Drying tannins. The weakest of the Léovilles in this vintage. (2417 views) | | | Tasted by dream on 3/2/2023 & rated 92 points: Overall the St. Julien's show more richness of fruit than the Pauillac's but also a slightly coarser texture and more heat-affected tannins with a slight roasted quality. That was the case with the LLC but still a lovely drink with plenty of depth and will be longer-lived than most in this vintage. (2166 views) | | | Tasted by BillStensrud on 2/28/2023: This was really nice wine (2050 views) | | | Tasted by DavidWong168 on 1/25/2023 & rated 91 points: Decanted for 2+ hours. Powerful perfume of cassis, tobacco leaf, cedar and accents of sandalwood and clove. Broad and silky entry redolent of raspberry and plum, with retronasal sandalwood echoes. Tannins felt a little grainy and the finish is somewhat clipped. (2467 views) | | | Tasted by devraj on 1/4/2023 & rated 95 points: Dark purple ruby in color. 2 h in decanter reveals aggressive aromas of dark cassis & raspberries, lead pencil, cedar. Massive in the mouth showing inky black fruits, dark florals, graphite, medium-low acidity, sneaky but fine tannins and a long smoky finish. This is massive and has not budged one bit. (2431 views) | | | Tasted by alamoave on 12/8/2022 & rated 91 points: First of a case. Good, but less interesting and complex than the 2000, 1989 and 1986 LLCs consumed at the same tasting dinner. The 2003 came in fourth from 8 of the 10 participants. (2471 views) | | | Tasted by DonJr on 12/5/2022 & rated 95 points: This wine is drinking well now but I suspect it has at least a decade of life left in it. Let this one breath for about an hour, you’ll be glad you did. Had with filet mignon and asparagus, such a treat. (2382 views) | | | Tasted by Philip67 on 11/30/2022 & rated 95 points: Wow! Gorgeous! Big fruit, per the year. Big structure behind, as you would expect from this producer and the hot year. BlackBerry, hints of spice and leather but mainly primary fruit. Could be Cali cab it is so big and ripe. Long and complex. Drink now and next 20 to 30 years. (2439 views) | | | Tasted by Happytoro on 11/23/2022 & rated 97 points: This is in a great drinking window. Decanted for 1.5 to 2 hours and drank over 2 hours. The wine was well balanced, without any one element overpowering the other. The tannins were velvety and soft, yet there was still some fresh acidity. I drank thiswith friends over dinner so didn't have opportunity to write detailed tasting notes. Would definitely buy again! (2204 views) | | | Tasted by tomoem on 11/10/2022 & rated 93 points: The University Club NYC "Joy of Wine" 2022 event
I rarely present notes with food as I believe wine is best judged solo, but at an event like this where food flavors loom so heavily I felt the need to disclose.
At 16 years we have here a 2nd growth which can hold its own against any 1st growth wine. The nose is aged black fruits, some raisin, aged leather, dark cherry bordering on prune. In mouth the flavors are younger with cherry, tobacco, compote and a finish which includes mushroom and cigar ash. Truly complex and certainly perhaps well matched with the Roast saddle of Lamb. The wine kept changing which is why I think the need to disclose food. What can be better than aged Las Cases......... Not much !
Palate is silky smooth. feminine, complex, leather, aged bordeaux, nice tannin structure and very very long and luxurious. Long dry finish with a touch of tannin dryness.
Very satisfied with this wine and would buy again. (2128 views) | | | Tasted by Rani on 10/17/2022 & rated 89 points: Jammy and one dimensional, though on the palate there’s fine but form tannins. I hope it will balance out with age. (2346 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Neal Martin
Vinous, A Century of Bordeaux: The Threes (Aug 2023) (8/1/2023)
(Léoville Las-Cases Léoville Las-Cases Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, Up From The Cellar No. 13 and Miscellaneous New Releases (3/5/2021)
(Chateau Leoville Las Cases) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Jane Anson
Decanter, LLC Vertical (11/17/2018)
(Château Léoville-Las Cases, St-Julien, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Julia Harding, MW
JancisRobinson.com (3/21/2013)
(Ch Léoville Las Cases St-Julien Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, March 2013 (3/1/2013)
(Château Léoville-Las-Cases St Julien Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (10/1/2010)
(Ch Léoville Las Cases St-Julien Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (3/18/2008)
(Ch Léoville Las Cases St-Julien Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Julia Harding, MW
JancisRobinson.com (1/23/2008)
(Ch Léoville Las Cases St-Julien Red) Subscribe to see review text. | The World of Fine Wine, December 2007, Issue #18
(Château Léoville Las Cases) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2005, IWC Issue #120
(Chateau Leoville Las Cases Saint Julien) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (4/7/2005)
(Ch Léoville Las Cases St-Julien Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2004, IWC Issue #114
(Chateau Leoville Las Cases Saint Julien) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (4/27/2007)
(Château Léoville Las Cases) Mushroom and caramel popcorn nose; tasty, bright raspberry and red fruit with too pronounced buttered popcorn oak edges; medium-plus finish 90+ pts. 90 points |  By Gary Vaynerchuk
Wine Library TV, Gary Vaynerchuk Appreciation Day., Episode #86 (9/7/2006)
(CHATEAU LEOVILLE LAS CASES) COLOR-great, NOSE-huge, black cherry & blackberries on an open fire; TASTE-amazing Asian spice mid-palate, finish is flying, complex, rich; EVERYTHING YOU WANT IN A WINE (tons of fruit, but complex)…BALANCE. Last for 25-40 years AWESOME, PERFECT young Bordeaux; WS-97, RP-93, GV-96+ 96+ points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and JebDunnuck.com and Decanter and JancisRobinson.com and Winedoctor and The World of Fine Wine and RJonWine.com and Wine Library TV. (manage subscription channels) |
| Château Léoville Las Cases Producer website - Read more about Chateau Leoville Las Cases
A visit to Leoville Las Cases -https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/08/leoville-du-marquis-de-las-cases.htmlRed Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanMédoc Vins du Médoc (Conseil des Vins du Médoc) - Read More about the Medoc
VdB
The eight precisely defined appellations of the whole of the Médoc (from Blanquefort Brook to the north of the Bordeaux built-up area, almost to the Pointe de Grave) may claim the Médoc appellation. But there is also a specific territory in the north of the peninsula which produces exclusively wines with this appellation. In the great majority, the Médocs come from the north of the peninsula. The great individuality of this region is that the number of vines has increased more recently here than elsewhere, apart from a few isolated spots where vines have grown for many years. Today, the size of the small estate has brought about the development of a powerful co-operative movement. Four co-operatives out of five belong to the group called Unimédoc which ensures aging, bottling and marketing a large proportion of their wines.St. Julien VdB
Read more detailed information on St. Julien and its wines The seventeenth century pioneers Traces are to be found of a Saint-Julien de Rintrac, perhaps Saint-Julien's earliest name, as from the thirteenth century. But we have to wait until the seventeenth century pioneers, urban and rural aristocrats, discover the exceptional merits of these terroirs.
Traces of this system still exist today in the structure of estates within the appellation: by the side of the two villages of Beychevelle and Saint-Julien, the large estates are heavily preponderant, representing more than four fifths of the total surface of vineyards.
The terrain is practically identical over all the commune. Only the proximity of the estuary, sometimes close, sometimes further away, can cause slight variations in climate. In fact, Saint-Julien-Beychevelle's layer of gravel takes the form of a huge rectangle over 3 miles long and 2 miles wide. And the alluvial deposits are particularly well fragmented into ridges of Garonne gravel of the early Quaternary. Accordingly, the vines are safeguarded from stagnant water.
The wines from the Saint-Julien appellation may be recognized by their unparalleled bouquet, particularly harmonious and mild. They have a fine deep colour and combine the finesse of their aromas and a solid constitution. They have body, are very rich in flavour and have a delicious and delicate bouquet.
Production conditions (Decree dated November 14, 1936)
In order to have the right to the Saint-Julien appellation of controlled origin, red wines must:
- come from the commune of Saint-Julien and from precisely defined parcels in the communes of Cussac, and Saint-Laurent, "excluding the parcels situated on recent alluvium and sand on impermeable subsoils",
- satisfy precise production conditions: grape-varieties (Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet-Franc, Carmenère, Merlot Noir, Petit Verdot, Cot or Malbec), minimum of sugar (178 grammes - 6.27 oz. - per litre of must) degree (an acquired 10°5) base yield (45 hectolitres per hectare). |
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