Véritable essence de Las Cases, ce vin est évidemment encore impénétrable. Ce vin musclé, mais aussi très complexe colle littéralement au palais. La finale déroule d'incroyables flots continus de fruits, tout en fraîcheur et en éclat. Coup de Coeur - Guide Vert 2020.

Gault & Millau (2019)
Yves Beck (2018)
Pourpre dense aux reflets violets. Quelle ouragan olfactif... un ouragan maîtrisé, d'une rare intensité aux nombreuses facettes. Je relève, pour commencer, des notes crayeuses, minérales. Viennent s'y ajouter des baies noires telles que les mûres, un peu de réglisse ainsi qu'une touche de violettes. A l'aération des notes de cerises ainsi qu'une agréable fraîcheur variétale mûre s'affichent. La mise en bouche est imposante ; non par sa puissance mais par son aptitude à afficher sa celle-ci avec beaucoup de tact et de précision. Les tannins sont crémeux, soyeux, denses, puissants et confèrent une touche suave au palais tandis que la structure soutient idéalement l'ensemble de la bouche. Quelle réussite époustouflante, quel Grand Vin. On devrait décidément penser à créer le rang der 1er Grand Cru Classé de St-Julien ! Finale fruité, intense et persistante. Une légende est née, j'en suis convaincu !

Nez racé, complexe, profond avec de légères touches boisées, des notes d'épices, de la longueur. Plein, charnu avec des tanins superbes et structurants, de la puissance totalement contenue dans un écrin soyeux, velouté et taffetas. Sur des rails avec beaucoup de race. Superbe acidité. Ce sera effectivement un très grand Léoville Las Cases. L'un des vins du millésime. Pour dans 25/30 ans même s'il est déjà élégant.

Jancis Robinson (2020)
Tasted blind. Sweet start and a very deep colour. Intense and minerally. Massively stony and dense. Sinews to the fore! Thick and sweet – a little foot-dragging at the moment but it’s got everything and the kitchen sink in there waiting to open out. Very dramatic and concentrated.

James Suckling (2019)
Very complex and alluringly spicy aromas that bubble in and out of the nose, together with fresh tobacco, raspberries and iodine, moving into blackcurrants, blackberries and a gently gravely, stony edge. The palate has incredible polish that is a foil for the intense power and concentration of this wine. The texture is flawless, building smoothly with fine-grained and focused tannins that sustain a long, fresh finish. The new 1986, which was a legend. This is probably better. Try from 2024.

Jeb Dunnuck (2019)
The 2016 Léoville Las Cases is the finest vintage I've ever tasted from this estate; in fact, in this reviewer's opinion, this magical, perfect wine couldn't be better. It reveals a deep, saturated purple color as well as a thrilling bouquet of crème de cassis, iris flowers, graphite, crushed rocks, and freshly sharpened lead pencils. A perfect example of the old saying, an iron fist in a velvet glove, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, layered, stacked mid-palate, flawless integration of its acidity and tannins, and a monster finish. The balance and purity here are off the charts. Hide bottles for a decade or so and enjoy over the following half a century.

Wine Spectator (2019)
This is really dense, yet remarkably polished and poised, delivering wave after wave of blueberry, açaí berry, raspberry and blackberry puree notes, all while warm tar and sweet tobacco details cruise underneath. There's a long, smoldering cast iron note through the finish that adds both austerity and authority in a truly unique manner. Best from 2025 through 2045. 13,333 cases made. — JM

Wine Advocate (2018)
Very deep purple-black colored, the 2016 Léoville Las Cases is quite closed to begin, yet with patient coaxing it unfurls beautifully to reveal suggestions of ripe blackcurrants, black raspberries, warm redcurrants and wild blueberries, followed by touches of unsmoked cigars, tilled red soil, cast iron pan, fallen leaves and lavender plus wonderfully fragrant wafts of lilacs and baking spices. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with tightly knit, very subtle layers of minerals, floral notions and black and red berries, all framed by exquisitely ripe, silt-like tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing with epic length and depth. Simply captivating even in its youth, give it at least a decade in the cellar and then enjoy it over the next 50+ years.

Decanter (2018)
Nothing under 20 years old supplies fruit for the grand vin de Léoville. It's extremely dark and rich, a stately purple in colour with some violet around the rim. Right from the off it expands upwards and outwards, showing polished dark, dark fruits such as black cherry and cassis, alongside slate, liquorice and rosemary. It's mouthfilling and almost less austere than all of the others, yet it's a serious wine. The tannins close in on themselves at the end, showing how this is built to last. A great advert for the whole of Bordeaux, and for me it's the clear wine of the vintage. Drinking Window 2026 - 2045.

 

Commentaire de Yohan Castaing pour Les Echos Supplément (2021) : Encore dans sa jeunesse, mais démontrant un potentiel de garde exceptionnel, Léoville Las Cases 2016 est un monument en Médoc. Précis, tendu,  plein et surtout possédant des tanins laser-like, c’est l’une des grandes bouteilles de Bordeaux !