1996 Château Léoville Las Cases- France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien (7/20/2014)
Decanted for approximately 2 hours. Dark garnet with bricky hints. Nose of red currant, cedar, moca, anise, and earth which waxed and waned through the evening. Quiet on the palate at first with a major unwrapping of flavors at about the 3 hour mark, revealing layers of dark currant, mulberry, mineral, and tobacco in waves. Lower acidity and much-resolved tannins, leading to a long, silky finish of sweet plum fruit gripped in fine-grained stone. Very balanced, elegant wine which is still slumbering and needs 5-10 more years. (93 pts.)
I love the '96 LLC, particularly for its potential. I bought enough of it to try a bottle every couple of years, until it finally enters its drinking window (at which time it should be truly fantastic). Thanks for weighing in on its current status.
Thanks for the note! I have just a few and so haven’t tried any yet, but these are helpful in letting me space them out.
K&L also just got these in stock for the crazy price of $430. Not sure why it’s so expensive, especially since it’s available from other reliable retailers in the mid $200s. K&L pricing isn’t usually the best, but it’s usually not too much more expensive than the best pricing…
Previous notes had indicated variable states of readiness so I thought I would give it a whirl. I would say (on the basis of one sample) that one has little to lose by waiting. With a lengthy decant, however, there appears to be a glimpse of what the future holds.
The 1996 left bankers used to be a relative bargain when I bought these maybe 5 years ago but heck not now!
I had a bottle of '96 LLC last year. Drunk over two days. Decanted for 3 hours. Its got the stuffing and a very good balance. Its still quite backward showing the joint characteristics of the vintage coupled with how obdurate LLC can be and I think will require another 10 years to blossom.
I am 1 down and 11 to go…
The 96 just like the other LLCs is aging slowly.
My take from 2012.
1996 Château Léoville Las Cases- France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien (9/12/2012) Faryan’s Grand Sendoff – Blue Duck Tavern - Mostly matured Bordeauxs (Blue Duck Tavern - Washington D.C.): Deeply toned and big scale. Sweet Inky black fruits, cassis, graphite, vanilla, mushroom and earth. Still extremely youthful and developing slowly. Exceptional concentration, sweet, silky and clean palate. Nicely integrated tannins. Clear LLC signature of clean, youthful and modern. Drinking nicely but will improve at least for the next 20 years and will last for a while thereafter. (95 pts.)
