2007 Château Léoville-Las Cases

An underestimated vintage that has aged a little quicker than the 2005 (or 2006, 2008 and 2009), and therefore makes it a good choice for any impatient Las Cases lovers. This focus on a floral character aromatically, along with truffles, brambled fruits, orange zest, earth, this is a gorgeous wine that floats above the palate, and takes you far above what most 2007s can deliver. It's a vintage that I really enjoy right now, and can recommend several wines from, but this stands out for its quiet concentration and interest - there doesn't seem to be any other word for it, it's a wine you want to read, spend time with, be quietly impressed by. Jean-Hubert Delon owner, 50% new oak.

A strong effort for the vintage, the 2007 Léoville Las Cases offers up aromas of dark fruits, burning embers, cedar box and toasty oak. Medium to full-bodied, with a fleshy mid-palate, powdery tannins and good length on the finish, it displays a sweetness of fruit and completeness that are rare in 2007.

The 2007 Léoville Las-Cases is a vintage that I have not encountered for a couple of years. It has a tobacco-driven bouquet with the dried blood elements that I remarked upon in my previous tasting note. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red berry fruit, perhaps with less of the tobacco influence that I noticed before, harmonious with a fine bead of acidity. Now à point, this is a lovely Saint-Julien, quite mellow for this estate with a tingle of pepper on the aftertaste. Readers are advised to give this a 3 to 4-hour decant.