November 24, 2023 - Nice balance, medium- body. Fruity, but a bit too green, needs more time for me. Lots of potential. Next one 2026.
August 19, 2021 - Much more approachable now than when I tried it last year. The nose is still dominated by green pepper and fresh red fruit that has not ripened. The palate is more smooth, with tannins that are just right, and a medium finish. Red fruit on the palate and a lingering finish of tobacco. Ready to drink
April 19, 2021 - St.Julien tasting. Next to the stellar 2010s of Leoville Poyferre and Ducru Beaucaillou this 2013 LLC really looked measly. I confirms that 2013 is a thoroughly lousy vintage. No offence, this wine is lovely, with soft tannins, not over extracted but it drinks like a fruity happy-go-lucky 20$ CabSav and neither has the depth nor the length of a Left Bank Grand Cru. There is always so much marketing talk by the big Chateaux about selecting only their best for the 1st wine and leaving the rest to the 2nd wine etc., but when push comes to shove in a very bad vintage like 2013 they still stay away from declassifying their entire 1st wine and make a 2nd wine only in this year. Let me be very clear: Producing this LLC was a mistake!
March 13, 2021 - Quite thin and still a bit closed. Not sure where this will end up
November 7, 2020 - Nose of green pepper, mint, leather and forest floor. The palate is smooth and the tannins light with a medium minty finish. Licorice, pepper, and a hint of dark fruit. Ready to drink.
January 18, 2020 - Dark ruby. Nose of bright red and dark cherries, berries,quite a bit of green elements, bell pepper, sweet spice. The palate shows the weakness of the vintage; good balance initially but th fruit is thin and soon dominated by the high acidity ending in a medium finish. Not as bad as what they say for the vintage but clearly what I tasted does not justify a LLC price tag.
January 30, 2018 - IMW Bordeaux Tasting - 2013 Vintage (Hyatt, San Francisco): Very green raw bell pepper pyrazines on the nose. On the palate, good depth and flavor concentration with some black fruit but the acid is just too high.
January 23, 2018 - Spicy, elegant, ripe, complex. High acidity and slightly untamed tannins, overall balanced. Long finish. Classic Bordeaux left bank.
March 9, 2017 - Les Vinissimes de NICOLAS (Paris, Maison des Polytechniciens): Couleur : grenat.
Nez d’intensité aromatique moyenne (+). Frais, mentholée, notes de tabac, de réglisse, d’épices, fruits frais, subtils mais précis (prunes, mûres).
Bouche : Attaque souple, douce et assez pleine d’un point de vue aromatique. Corps normal à normal (+), bouche juteuse, ronde. Une belle texture soyeuse et veloutée, une expression aromatique fraîche, raffinée et assez nette. Par ailleurs, j’ai été relativement impressionné par la profondeur développée dans ce millésime difficile. Ce 2013 est/pourra être abordable dans sa jeunesse grâce à des tanins globalement enrobés même s’ils se resserrent légèrement en fin de bouche.
Finale de longueur normale, juteuse, sur de la mûre, de la framboise noire et des épices douces.
Note : 16,5-16,75/20 (92-93/100)
May 25, 2016 - Elegant is used in a variety of ways with tasting notes in either a complimentary sense, or in a pejorative manner. With 2013 Leoville Las Cases, it's a positive trait as Leoville Las Cases is not usually a wine that can be enjoyed before it's 10th birthday. With the 2013, the fruits are ripe, present, elegant and even soft, as are the tannins. The wine is fresh, clean and correct. If you're looking for an LLC to enjoy in its youth, while waiting for the more powerful, tannic years to come around, this is the vintage.