Château Léoville Las Cases 1983

Characteristics and tasting tips for Château Léoville Las Cases 1983

Tasting

Colour
The wine displays a deep ruby hue verging on purple, retaining a fine intensity despite the passing years, with slightly lighter glints at the rim.

Nose
The bouquet is highly complex, weaving aromas of black fruit such as blackcurrant with tertiary notes of tobacco, leather and pencil lead. With aeration, subtle hints of cedar, coffee and toffee, along with a pronounced minerality, further enrich the whole.

Palate
On the palate, the wine offers an ample, structured texture, supported by firm yet perfectly integrated tannins. The balance is remarkable, leading to a long, harmonious finish punctuated by spicy and woody nuances.

Food and wine pairings

This red wine is an ideal match for full-flavoured meats such as a rib of beef, braised oxtail or game in sauce. It will also beautifully complement a tournedos Rossini or a pan-fried medley of wild mushrooms.

Serving and cellaring

To fully appreciate Château Léoville Las Cases 1983, it is highly recommended to decant it several hours before tasting and to serve it at a temperature of 16–18°C. This wine is ready to drink now, but its firm structure will allow it to age in the cellar until around 2030.

The depth and complexity of a great Saint-Julien wine

The estate

Born in 1840 from the division of a vast historic estate, Château Léoville Las Cases is an iconic property located in Saint-Julien-Beychevelle, in the Bordeaux region of France. Classified as a Second Growth in 1855, the estate is often described as a "super second" owing to the exceptional quality of its wines. Today, this Médoc gem is owned by Jean-Hubert Delon. The Delon family upholds a tradition of exacting standards and rigorous selection, elevating the estate's wines to rank among the finest on the Left Bank.

The vineyard

Covering 98 hectares, the vineyard enjoys a privileged location in the north of the Saint-Julien appellation. The heart of the estate, the Grand Clos, borders the Gironde estuary, which provides a protective microclimate. The vines, with an average age of over fifty years, are densely planted on Quaternary gravel mounds overlying sandy-gravel and clay subsoils. The vineyard is meticulously tended, and the harvest is carried out entirely by hand.

The vintage

1983 brought good weather conditions to the Médoc. The favourable climate allowed the grapes to reach optimal ripeness, ensuring healthy, high-quality harvests from which to craft wines with a firm structure.

Vinification and ageing

Château Léoville Las Cases 1983 is made using traditional, plot-by-plot vinification. The grapes are fermented in wooden, concrete and stainless steel vats, with gravity being used to preserve the integrity of the fruit. After malolactic fermentation in vat, the wine undergoes extended ageing for 16 to 20 months in oak barrels, including a high proportion of new oak, to refine the tannins and add complexity.

Grape varieties

This wine is a blend of between 75 and 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10 to 15% Cabernet Franc and 5 to 15% Merlot, sometimes with a touch of Petit Verdot.