Château Leoville Las Cases 2025 Saint-Julien 2e Grand Cru Classé - OWC1 - Magnum

The Wine Cellar Insider
98-100 punten
Deep and dark in color, it takes less than a second to know this is a wine that meshes power with concentration, sports a regal bearing, and delivers layer after layer of vibrant blackberries, cassis, currants, and black cherries with ease. The finish is long, expansive, mouth-filling, and powerful, with a strong mineral essence that adds sapidity. This is another Leoville Las Cases that will age and evolve for over 50 years. The wine blends 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 6% Merlot. 13.6% ABV, 3.56 pH. Harvesting took place from September 5 to September 20. Yields were 23 hectoliters per hectare. Drink from 2032-2075.

Jeb Dunnuck
97-100 punten
Based on a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Merlot that's resting in 80% new barrels, the 2025 Château Léoville Las Cases is one of the wines of the vintage and just has an incredible sense of class, balance, purity, and richness. Harvest began on September 5th, the earliest ever for this estate, wrapping up on the 20th. Cassis, graphite, liquid minerality, and freshly sharpened pencil all define the nose, and it's full-bodied on the palate, with a round, layered mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and a blockbuster of a finish. If this doesn't make your eyes roll back in your head, nothing will. It checks in at 13.65% alcohol with a pH of 3.56.

Falstaff
99 punten
Deep dark ruby garnet, opaque core, violet reflections, delicate edge brightening. Nuances of blackberries, cassis, blueberries and some nougat, fine precious wood spice, multi-faceted bouquet. Complex, taut, red berry nuances in the texture, ripe, present tannins, mineral, lemony-salty on the finish, has great animating power, red heart cherries in the aftertaste, will benefit from maturity.

James Suckling
98-99 punten
The texture is fantastic, with superb aromas of graphite, blackberries and blueberries. Medium- to full-bodied with tannins that are pure and primary, like eating perfectly ripe grapes. It’s the high quality of the tannins. A very classic Las Cases. 82% cabernet sauvignon, 12% cabernet franc and 6% merlot.

Lisa Perrotti-Brown
97-99 punten
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2025 Léoville Las Cases storms from the glass with powerful notes of warm cassis, ripe plums, and anise, followed by suggestions of dark chocolate, crushed rocks, violets, and forest floor. The medium-bodied palate is so graceful and intense, delivering wonderfully pure, nuanced black fruit and mineral layers with exquisitely ripe, fine-grained tannins and great tension, finishing long and perfumed. A triumph. The blend is 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Merlot. It has a pH of 3.56 and the alcohol is 13.65%. The wine is aging for 18 months in French barriques, 80% new.

Wine Advocate
96-98 punten
One of the most serious, brooding wines of the vintage is the 2025 Léoville Las Cases, a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc and 6% Merlot. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of dark berries, plums, pencil shavings and creamy new oak, it's medium- to full-bodied, deep and dense, with prodigious reserves of sweet but assertive tannin, lively acids and a long, muscular finish. This will require patience.

Neal Martin, Vinous
96-98 punten
The 2025 Léoville Las Cases is the earliest harvest since 1989, starting on September 5 until September 20. Yields are 23 hl/ha, with a soft extraction using air pumps introduced in 2019, and it was matured in 80% new oak. It is the third vintage made in the new, impressive facility. This has another intense nose, quite flamboyant for Las Cases due to the warmth of the summer, with hints of pencil shavings and cigar box coming through with time. The palate is medium-bodied but very concentrated. Real depth and density here, very primal, with an intense, multi-layered finish that coats the mouth. Not a subtle Las Cases, nor should it be, though I aver that it will oblige long-term ageing.

Antonio Galloni, Vinous
96-98 punten
The 2025 Léoville Las Cases is powerful, tightly wound and very shut down—in other words, classic Las Cases. In some recent vintages, the Grand Vin has shown somewhat softer contours, but the 2025 is really a throwback to a more muscular, classically austere style. It offers tremendous persistence and sheer power, but beyond that, the wine is pretty hard to read in the early going, certainly much more so than any of the other wines in the Delon stable. I expect this will need many years to be at its most rewarding. Based on this en primeur sample, the 2025 is a wine for readers who have actuarial tables on their side.

Decanter
97 punten
A serious but classic Las Cases style with a fragrant nose of roses and violets, blackcurrant and plum. Grippy from the off, the Cabernet playing its part in giving structure straight away - so well defined. Power and focus, it’s ripe no doubt but with no dryness thanks to this fresh, mouthwatering fruit in the background - raspberry and cranberry, almost tart. Striking and quite a unique style: supple, energetic and vibrant yet still super coiled and tight. One to wait for with ageing for sure. Has the polish and lots of star power here - refined and focused. 3.56pH.

Jancis Robinson
17.5/20 punten
Deep colour. Quite floral and open for Las Cases. Fine texture and tannins then persistence, freshness and length. A more elegant rendering of Las Cases this year.