Château Léoville Las Cases 2004

Characteristics and tasting tips for Château Léoville Las Cases 2004

Tasting

Color

The color reveals a deep ruby-red hue with purple highlights, reflecting fine concentration and remarkable youthfulness for a wine approaching twenty years of age.

Nose

The bouquet displays remarkable aromatic complexity, with notes of blackcurrant, black cherry, and blackberry. With aeration, nuances of cedar, tobacco, graphite, and undergrowth emerge, accompanied by subtle menthol touches and a distinctive minerality reminiscent of wet stone.

Palate

The palate is medium-bodied to full-bodied, with a round, velvety texture. The tannins, firm and granular, reflect the masculine structure typical of the Las Cases style. Lively acidity brings freshness and balance, supporting a long, persistent finish with peppery and mineral notes.

Food and wine pairings

This wine pairs perfectly with noble red meats such as beef tenderloin, a grilled ribeye, or tournedos. It also elegantly accompanies game dishes such as venison or wild boar, as well as roast lamb. Aged hard cheeses, such as Comté or well-aged Cantal, also make excellent pairings.

Service and storage

Château Léoville Las Cases 2004 is best served between 15.5 and 18°C. Decanting for one to two hours allows the wine to fully reveal its aromatic complexity. This vintage can be enjoyed now and will continue to evolve favorably until around 2040.

A classic Saint-Julien combining elegance and structure

The estate

The Château Léoville Las Cases, a family-owned property since the 19th century, is located in Saint-Julien-Beychevelle in the AOC Saint-Julien in Gironde. Created between 1826 and 1840 following the division of the Domaine de Léoville, it now spans 98 hectares of Garonne gravel, including the remarkable 50-hectare Grand Clos enclosed by walls. Classified as a Second Growth in 1855, it stands out for exemplary consistency over the past four decades and wines built for long aging.

The vineyard

Château Léoville Las Cases 2004 comes from an exceptional vineyard located in Saint-Julien, whose historic heart is formed by the famous 50-hectare Grand Clos surrounded by walls. The vines, averaging around thirty years of age, thrive on Quaternary gravel soils over clay-gravel and sandy-gravel subsoils. These terroirs benefit from optimal drainage and a temperate oceanic climate, encouraging slow, gradual ripening of the grapes.

The vintage

The 2004 vintage in Bordeaux proved complex and contrasted. After a cool, wet spring in May, summer brought variable conditions with rainfall in August. The decisive turning point came in September, when sunny weather and cool nights allowed optimal ripening of the grapes. Harvest took place from October 4 to 17, making it possible to pick fruit at ideal ripeness while preserving excellent freshness.

Winemaking and aging

Winemaking for Château Léoville Las Cases 2004 was carried out parcel by parcel with rigorous selection, with only 34% of production retained for the grand vin. Aging took place over 18 to 20 months in oak barrels, with 50 to 100% new oak, allowing harmonious integration of the oak aromas without masking the expression of the terroir.

Grape varieties

Cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc.