2001 Chateau Leoville Las Cases Pre-Arrival Offer

Chateau Leoville Las Cases is one of the larger classified estates in Bordeaux, with the Second Growth Saint-Julien property totalling 98 hectares. Winemaking is very traditional, using old oak vats for fermentation, and up to 90% new French oak for maturation. While the wines can look rather austere in their youth, from great years they can resemble some of the finest First Growth wines as they reach maturity. The Chateau also produces a second wine, Le Petit Lion du Marquis de Las Cases (from 2009), which is not to be confused with Clos du Marquis, a wine that is always produced from a separate parcel and is considered a standalone brand.

"It would be fascinating to compare the 2001 directly with the much-lauded 2000, as the two are very close in quality to my palate." - William Kelley, Wine Advocate

Other Reviews....
One vintage that was missing from my extensive vertical earlier this year was the 2001 Léoville Las Cases, and when curiosity got the better of me, I opened a bottle from my own cellar. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of cassis, cigar wrapper, pencil shavings and classy new oak, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a layered core of vibrant fruit, ripe structuring tannins and a long, penetrating finish. Youthful and a little aloof, it's a classic Las Cases that is just at the very beginning of a long drinking window. It would be fascinating to compare the 2001 directly with the much-lauded 2000, as the two are very close in quality to my palate. Drink 2025-2065.
96 points
William Kelley - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Dec 2023)

The 2001 Léoville Las Cases is simply stunning. I was fully prepared to decant it given that Las Cases is almost always a brute in its youth. And make no mistake about it, a twenty year-old Las Cases is still a youngster. Quite frankly, I am not at all prepared for the sheer intensity and richness that emanates from the glass. No decanting needed. The 2001 is simply magnificent upon opening. A rush of generous inky blackberry jam, spice, graphite and leather conveys superb textural intensity. Time in the glass helps the aromatics come alive. Shockingly rich and voluptuous, the 2001 is also wonderfully open today. Uncharacteristically so for Las Cases, in fact. But who’s complaining? Certainly not me.
Even so, the 2001 is ultimately a mid-weight Las Cases, with plenty of opulent fruit, but not quite the tannic heft that is such a signature of this reference-point St. Julien. Readers lucky enough to own the 2001 are in for a real treat. This is an especially fine bottle, perhaps the finest I have come across. Aside from all the technical analyses and descriptors, what really matters most is that the 2001 is a wine that delivers immense drinking pleasure. I absolutely loved it. Drink 2021-2051.
96 points
Antonio Galloni - Vinous (Aug 2021)

A very typical Las Cases with a Pauillac note, even though it’s St.-Julien. Lead pencil, dried herb, currant and black olive. Medium-to full-bodied, firm and creamy with a long finish. It’s very persistent. Pretty austerity. Be sure to decant this a couple of hours in advance. Drink or hold.
95 points
James Suckling (Jan 2021)

Coming from an underrated vintage in Bordeaux, the 2001 Château Léoville Las Cases is 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, and 12% Cabernet Franc that hit 13% natural alcohol with a pH of 3.7 and an IPT of 70. This was a milder, cooler year, and the 2001 offers a more complex, mature bouquet of cedary herbs, menthol, tobacco, lead pencils, and dried flowers, with a wonderful core of sweet red and black fruits. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has a wonderful mid-palate, sweet tannins, and a great finish. It's drinking at point today yet certainly has another 10-15 years of prime drinking. Drink 2021-2036.
94 points
Jeb Dunnuck (Mar 2021)

Pencil lead, leather, smoked cedar and reserved but carefully sculpted cassis and bilberry fruit - this is Léoville-Las Cases showing its classicism in a vintage that is the home of balanced, nuanced and elegant wines. It continues to open and gather depth over 15 minutes in the glass, suggesting there is plenty of potential ahead, but the tannins have now softened and integrated into the overall structure. Grip and freshness runs right through the palate, and a Cabernet-dominated savouriness makes you salivate through the finish. Plenty of power at 21 years old. Beautiful dark fruits, a successful reflection of a vintage that still has plenty to offer. Drink 2021-2044.
95 points
Jane Anson - Decanter (Feb 2021)

Conditions of Pre Arrival Offer:
1. There is no minimum order unless stated.
2. All wines are 750ml unless indicated otherwise.
3. Payment is due at the time of ordering to secure stocks.
4. The wines are being collected and shipped in refrigerated containers and are due to arrive in February 2026.
5. Nicks Wine Merchants reserve the right to pass on any changes in Government duties and taxes and delivery charges from the date of order to the date of final delivery of the wine.
6. Errors and omissions excepted.
7. Delivery charges may apply - these can be determined by visiting the Freight Rates page.