TN: 2001 Château Léoville Las Cases (France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien)

  • 2001 Château Léoville Las Cases - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien (4/22/2026)
    From my late father’s cellar, this bottle encapsulated my misgivings about LLC. It was no doubt impressive, with still prominent fruit, and enough structure to repel an army of Uruk-Hai. It lacked any sense of grace or harmony. 25 years post vintage, and it remained impenetrable. Whether the fruit could potentially outlast the Orthanc-level structure was a question left for my last bottle, to be opened when the last ship sails for Valinor.
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Fantastic note!

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I’ve owned one bottle of this since release. Every year or so I think about it, look at notes on CT, and it doesn’t sound like much fun to open.

Maybe I should just sell it.

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Love this note!

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I’ll buy it! I’m Neanderthal.

Hopefully you’re also immortal.

Don’t worry, it will be amazing in 2051!

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When I’m 84!

Yes

I plan to live forever. So far, so good.

My dad is 87 and still loves great wines and whiskeys. And his palate remains pretty damn good. Now he’s also a freak of nature, has all of his original teeth and needs no corrective eyewear at all. Defies comprehension. We have a big family dinner next week, I am so looking forward to it. Definitely gonna pop some great stuff. David sounds like your memories with your dad are similar, cherish those forever.

Whippersnapper.

Hahaha

No joke. For that wine, in that vintage, I think 50 years is a reasonable estimate. Over my lifetime, I have had at least 20 red Bordeaux at 50 or more years of age. Most of them were fine. IIRC, my last one was a Cru Bourgeois… 1966 Chateau Lanessan, about 3 years ago.

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