1922 Château Léoville Las Cases

Community Tasting Notes (2) Avg Score: 95 points

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  5/9/2019 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Tippy-top shoulder fill and a vibrant ruby color were visible through the thick dark glass bottle, so you could just tell this one was going to be good. Cork came out in one solid piece with the chateau markings still legible. Aromatic enough to smell all the way over on the decanting table, like bushels of fresh apples, and the color in the decanter is that same enticing ruby. The texture is as smooth as butter. The first sip is focused on the fruit, the same juicy orchard fruit forecast by the aroma, but it does leave me wondering if that's its last gasp or if there's gonna be another layer of something more interesting. And then that extra layer pops on the back end, with a big backdraft of tobacco and a general earthiness, maybe obliquely evoking underbrush but much more savory. It makes for quite the contrast because the front end is all fruity and bona fide refreshing (!) while all the tertiary stuff is loaded in the back. The bright red fruit plays at the higher end of the scale so the darker earthy elements do a good job of making this complete. About 90 minutes in the fruit seems to show a deeper complexion, the palate thickens up, the texture picks up a bit more grit, and some of those interesting backpalate elements hit the bouquet.
  
  This is the second '22 Bordeaux I've had. The '22 Talbot from the same cellar was at least as good - not as finessed, but a bit more going on in the flavor department. Broadbent gives the vintage a biting one star out of five with the remarks: "Good spring and early summer but spoiled by cold wet September. Huge crop but variable. Late pickers did best. Not worth seeking." So sounds like a year that had the chance to develop some good material if growers were able to save it at the end. This one clearly did. It's still a beauty in fine shape at 97 years old, and maybe a bit off peak, but not by much.

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  10/12/2018 - Ben Christiansen wrote:

  That is amazing. Menthol and pure. Alive as. Says Karl.

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