2016 Clos du Marquis, Léoville Las Cases, St Julien, Bordeaux, France
OVERVIEW
From Second Growth Château Leoville Las Cases comes their second wine Clos du Marquis, an opulent and age worthy St Julien that stands up to many Second Growth's first wines and available at a very fair price point.
Silky, precise and incredibly long, this is regarded as the best Clos du Marquis yet produced, even topping the outstanding 2015. A special wine.
CRITIC REVIEWS
This has a very suave, fresh and upbeat feel overall, with freshly baked berry pastry and ripe raspberry, boysenberry and red-plum aromas in abundance. The palate has a superb array of rich, fresh and deeply fruited tannins that roll smoothly into the elegant, focused and perfectly balanced finish. Try from 2023. 95 Points. James Suckling
Blended of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Clos du Marquis has a very deep garnet-purple color and is a little broody to begin, giving way to notes of crushed blackcurrants and black cherries with touches of warm plums, pencil shavings, earth and new leather with a waft of yeast extract. Medium-bodied with a rock-solid frame of grainy tannins, it has bold fruit matched by freshness, finishing long and mineral laced. Drink 2021-2038. 94 Points. Wine Advocate
The 2016 Clos du Marquis was picked from 30 September to 19 October and consists of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, matured in 55% new oak. Yields came in at 40 hectoliters per hectare and the alcohol at 13.55%. The bouquet is very intense at the moment with small black cherries, incense, iris and a touch of shucked oyster shells. The palate is beautiful, perhaps one of the most powerful that I came across in Saint Julien, certainly no shy retiring flower, yet it effortlessly manages to retain the precision and tension one expects from this cru. There is a firm back bone here, but the tannins are so precise that you barely notice, while the aftertaste has superb salinity. This is a majestic Clos du Marquis, but it will require several years in the cellar. Drink 2025 - 2055. 95 Points. Neal Martin
Clos du Marquis is not the easiest wine to taste young, as it’s pretty uncompromising stuff that needs time in barrel (and bottle) to soften. There’s a touch of the hair shirt here, with bloody, ferrous grip, savoury tannins, plenty of oak and hunkered down fruit. 2025-38 94 Points. Tim Atkin
FOOD PAIRING INSPIRATION
A wine for a special occasion, this will pair well with most dark meats and would be a treat for Christmas dinner.
VINTAGE AND WINEMAKING
Considered an outstanding vintage by the Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast, 2015 and 2016 were both excellent vintages in the middle of the decade. Despite early bud break, followed by a couple of wet months, the long, dry, sun-filled summer provided excellent conditions for ripening.
73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc went into the blend which was harvested at 40hl/ha and the maturation enjoyed 55% new oak.
PRODUCER NOTES
Next door to Latour and created in 1902, Clos du Marquis originated from the ‘Petit Clos’ adjacent to the Château de Léoville, home of the Marquis de Las Cases. It is derived from the great terroirs of the Saint-Julien appellation that were not part of the former Léoville estate. These are located further west and surrounded by some of the most prestigious second growths from Saint- Julien and Pauillac including Léoville Poyferré, Léoville Barton and Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Clos du Marquis thus displays typical Saint-Julien characteristics: structure, complexity, balance and great ageing potential.
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SERVICE AND STORAGE TIPS
The wine should be stored over the longer term at 12c. We recommend this wine be brought up to around 16c for service. This temperature more closely resembles cellar conditions and allows the wine to be lifted and have freshness. For such a young wine, if it were served today we would recommend a few hours in a young wine decanter.
DELIVERY INFORMATION
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2016 Clos du Marquis, Léoville Las Cases, St Julien, Bordeaux, France
| Wine Card | |
| Wine Producer | Château Léoville Las Cases |
| Wine Region | Bordeaux |
| Wine Classification | AOC St Julien |
| Wine Type | Red |
| Grape Variety | Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot |
| Vintage | 2016 |
| Vintage Quality | Extraordinary - Parker |
| Maturity | Drinking Now - Will improve |
| Body | Full Bodied |
| Sweetness | Dry |
| Alcohol % | 13.5% |
| Bottle Type | Bordeaux 75cl |
| Serving Temperature | 16-18°C |
| Food Pairing | Beef, Game, Steak, Roasts |
| Awards | 95 Points - James Suckling |
| 95 Points - Neal Martin | |
| 94 Points - Tim Atkin |
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