2002 Leoville Las Cases is intense and full of fruit on the palate.

Château Léoville Las Cases is one of three Léoville properties in the Médoc. Their 97 hectares are situated on gravelly-clay soils, stretching between the village of St-Julien and Château Latour. The wine is a Cabernet Sauvignon dominated blend, and is matured in oak barriques for 18 months.

Léoville Las Cases ferments their wine at lower than average temperatures, creating a beautifully aromatic wine. It tends to be powerful and concentrated on the palette with an exceptionally well-balanced finish.

"Only 43% of the production made it into the final blend of this remarkable 2002. Produced from a low 17 hectoliters per hectare, it includes 66.7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.5% Merlot, 13.9% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot. It has the highest alcohol ever achieved in a Leoville Las Cases (13.5%) as well as a lofty pH of 3.85. Nevertheless, the impression is one of a structured wine with considerable density, a ruby/purple colour, layers of flavour, and a classic overall personality. The wine exhibits pure black currant, liquorice-infused fruit, huge body, a viscous mid-palate, and a long, heady finish. I suspect this wine won't be nearly as charming as the 2003 in its youth, but it hasn't yet closed down, and I am amazed at just how rich, intense, and full-bodied it tastes even after bottling. This is certainly one of the half dozen or so candidates for wine of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2030+." 95 points, Robert Parker, 2005