Léoville-Las Cases St.-Julien 2015

100 points (20/20)/'Le Coup de Coeur,' La Revue du Vin de France: "One of the vintage's greatest successes, it manages to summon its usual power, but without any harshness. The palate is sapid, dazzling, energetic and with an admirably lengthy finish. (2018)"

99 points Michel Bettane & Thierry Desseauve (The World of Fine Wine): "(85% CS, 6% M, 9% CF; 39hl/ha, 13.8% ABV). Ultra-deep, ultra-creamy, ultra-precise, an exceptional texture. The overall impression is sublime, with what is probably the most magical texture in the Médoc in 2015, with a creamy velvet, which successfully steers away from softness, extremely rare for a wine with more than 90% Cabernet Sauvignon. Cedar tannins and a refined retro-olfaction probably superior to that of the first growths, at least at this stage. But the oldest vines are without rivals today and the level of elaboration is difficult to imrpove on. (Issue 52; 2016)"

99 points Jeb Dunnuck: "A legendary wine in the making from the Delon Family is the 2015 Leoville Las Cases and there are very few wines more impressive in the vintage. A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and the balance Merlot, this full-bodied, tight, super-concentrated, focused 2015 boasts an awesome bouquet of crème de cassis, graphite, charcoal, lead pencil, and minerality. Deep, layered, with perfect ripeness and building tannin, hide bottle for 6-7 years and enjoy this prodigious effort over the following 3-4 decades. Drink: 2024-2064. (11/30/17)"

99 points/'Cellar Selection,' Wine Enthusiast: "This wine that comes mainly from a magnificent walled vineyard within sight of the Gironde estuary is structured and dense. Its tannins and firm character show its enormous aging potential. Powerful black fruits come from the 85% Cabernet Sauvignon in this rich, juicy wine. Drink from 2027. Alcohol 13.5%. (Apr 2018)"

98+ points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Wine Advocate): "Composed of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc and 6% Merlot, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Léoville Las Cases has a slightly closed nose, revealing notes of crème de cassis, baked blueberries and black forest cake with touches of licorice, violets and Indian spices plus a waft of dusty soil. The palate is medium to full-bodied, concentrated and built like a brick house, with firm, ripe, velvety tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and spicy. Drink: 2025-2050. (Apr 2018)"

98 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2015 Léoville Las Cases is simply captivating. Sumptuous, racy and explosive in the glass, the 2015 is endowed with tremendous energy from start to finish. An exotic melange of crème de cassis, graphite, menthol and licorice bursts onto the palate as the 2015 shows off its alluring personality. Spectacularly rich, dense and full-throttle, with huge tannins that are nearly buried underneath the fruit, the 2015 is an unusual Las Cases. It is also breathtakingly beautiful. Readers who can find it should not miss it. Drink: 2030-2055. (Feb 2018)"

98 points James Suckling: "Blackcurrant, blueberry and currant aromas with hints of black licorice and hot stones. Full-bodied with dense and integrated tannins and a long, long finish. It is all there and all about proportional harmony. Excellent focus and beauty. Drink in 2022. (2/1/18)"

97 points Wine Spectator: "Filled with blackberry, black currant, fig and boysenberry preserve flavors, this starts off showy, but a back end of brambly grip, warm tar, and pastis-soaked apple wood emerges slowly before taking an authoritative lead on the finish. All the while, a cool charcoal note weaves in and around everything. Best from 2025 through 2045. (3/31/18)"

97 points Neal Martin (Vinous): "The 2015 Léoville-Las Cases has an almost clinical, brilliantly defined bouquet of mineral-rich black fruit, cedar and veins of fresh mint. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannin, beautifully judged acidity, exquisite balance and tangible energy toward the finish of graphite-infused blackberry and a hint of clove. This is one of the appellation’s most sophisticated offerings in 2015. Chapeau, Jean-Hubert Delon. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting. (Jul 2019)"

97 points Jane Anson (Decanter): "The grand vin is heavily Cabernet Sauvignon dominant, as you would expect, with a touch of 80 year old Merlot and Léoville's wonderfully expressive Cabernet Franc. Aromas of cedar, cassis are slow to reveal their secrets. This is very closed right now, and the palate is inky with graphite and pencil lead notes, showing the power of the terroir here. There is a creamy edge to the tannins which eventually emerges. 3.7pH, IPT 76 (so less concentrated than 2016). Drinking Window: 2025-2045. (11/2/17)"