2018 Château Léoville-Las Cases

Tasted blind. First bottle TCA. Bright, dense crimson. Rather enticingly enigmatic on the nose. Then rich and ripe and expansive on the palate. Lovely balance and restraint. Really builds towards the end. Very fine tannins. (JR)

Layered with dry tannins and concentrated texture, this major wine offers an impressive structure and promises considerable aging. Black-currant fruits are still tied to the tannins. The wine exudes richness and a classic profile. To say this wine will age is an understatement. Do not touch before 2028 at the earliest. Roger Voss

Of all the properties in Bordeaux that can benefit from a year where alcohols and ripe fruit combine to give a touch of gloss and richness through the mid-palate, the monumental Léoville Las Cases must be it. Nothing is taken away from the stately, concentrated and powerful character of the tannins, but it has a dense, velvety texture alongside cassis, bilberry, black chocolate and liquorice root, poised but hinting of generosity to come. One of my wines of the vintage, and impossible not to include in this list of top 50 to lay down. 90% new oak. 80IPT. 3.65pH. Yield of 35.5hl/ha. Harvest September 15 to October 4.