Château Léoville Las Cases 1986

Characteristics and Tasting Notes for Château Léoville Las Cases 1986

Tasting Notes

Color
This vintage reveals a deep, intense color. Marked in its youth by blue-black hues, it evolves over time into superb garnet and brick-red reflections, all while retaining beautiful clarity.

Nose
The aromatic bouquet is remarkably complex. It opens with notes of ripe black fruits such as blackcurrant and blackberry, underscored by subtle floral and licorice touches. At full maturity, it reveals captivating tertiary notes of cedar, graphite, blond tobacco, fine leather, spice, minerals, and truffle.

Palate
Powerful, concentrated, and full-bodied, the attack gives way to a mid-palate of great depth. The tannins, firm and tight in the wine's early years, soften over time to offer a velvety texture. The finish is exceptionally long, precise, and marked by beautiful freshness.

Food and Wine Pairing
This great red wine calls for rich, structured dishes. It will beautifully complement roasted or grilled red meats, a fine beef rib, as well as game in sauce. At maturity, it pairs wonderfully with dishes featuring choice mushrooms, flavorful poultry such as duck or guinea fowl, or well-aged hard cheeses.

Serving and Aging
Château Léoville Las Cases 1986 boasts exceptional aging potential. Designed to endure for decades, it has now reached a superb plateau of maturity after patiently softening its tannic structure, and will continue to evolve beautifully for lovers of old vintages.

Other Characteristics
This wine has an alcohol content of 13.30% and a total acidity of 3.92 g H2SO4/l.

A Saint-Julien Monument Bearing the Name Château Léoville Las Cases

The Estate
Born at the turn of the French Revolution and the early 19th century following the division of a vast historic estate, Château Léoville Las Cases is a jewel of Bordeaux. This Second Grand Cru Classé spans 97 hectares in the Médoc. Now led by Jean-Hubert Delon, the estate belongs to the Delon family and stands as the flagship of the Domaines Delon brand. Often referred to as a "Super Second," the estate is renowned worldwide for its extreme dedication to quality and its wines of exceptional longevity.

The Vineyard
Located within the prestigious Saint-Julien appellation, the heart of the estate rests on the Grand Clos, a walled plot bordering Pauillac. This exceptional terroir consists of quaternary gravel resting on sandy-gravelly and clay-gravelly subsoils, with clay outcrops. The immediate proximity of the Gironde estuary creates a unique microclimate that protects the vines from frost and encourages early, even ripening of the grapes.

The Vintage
The year began with a cold, wet winter, leading to a slightly delayed budbreak. However, the vines caught up by the time of véraison. Fine weather then settled in steadily until harvest, with the exception of a few rain showers in late September, allowing for exceptional concentration and ripeness.

Winemaking and Aging
To craft Château Léoville Las Cases 1986, fermentation took place in temperature-controlled tanks, at slightly below-average temperatures to preserve aromatic brightness. After a strict selection of the finest lots, the wine was aged in oak barrels, with a high proportion of new wood, for twelve to twenty-four months to refine its structure.

Grape Varieties
66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot