Bordeaux 2012 Primeurs: The Léoville Estates
After paying my unexpectedly successful visit to Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, it was a short drive northwards to Château Léoville-Las-Cases, for a tasting of wines from the Delon portfolio. Here there was none of the glitz of Ducru-Beaucaillou, no glamorous assistants or flashing neon animations. I was swiftly ushered into a back room, one very clinical in appearance, for a tasting that was conducted – apart from the occasional shrill ring of the telephone on the wall behind me – in complete silence.
Château Léoville-Las-Cases
A glance through the literature from Domaines Delon reveals a very positive view of the vintage. The vintage has, according to the author, “brought beautiful Cabernet Sauvignons and Cabernet Francs“, which offer “density, length and distinction“. Despite that spin, the literature remains interesting, not least for the comparative data it provides on ripening stages and hydric stress during the growing season, in the case of the former compared to a number of previous vintages. These data are provided in two plots which I reproduce here:
