Château Léoville-Las Cases

The estate's roots reach back to 1638, when Jean de Moytie, a member of the Bordeaux Parliament, owned a vineyard called Mont-Moytie, one of the first Médoc châteaux to produce wine alongside Château Margaux and what is today Château Latour. The domain stayed in the same family for almost a century before passing by marriage to the de Gascq family; Alexandre de Gascq renamed it Leoville, or Lionville, and the estate grew to more than 300 hectares, among the largest vineyards in Bordeaux at the time. The de Gascq family also introduced practices still used today: planting smaller-berried varieties, trellising rows with pinewood, and aging wine in oak barrels cleaned with a sulfur solution. Following the French Revolution, a portion of the estate was sold to become what is now Château Léoville-Barton, and the remaining property was divided in 1840, when Pierre Jean de Las Cases, the oldest son, received the share that became Château Léoville-Las Cases, alongside the separately formed Château Léoville-Poyferré. The split as a whole ran from 1826 to 1840, and Las Cases received three-fifths of the original estate and its historic heart. Pierre Jean, Adolphe, and Gabriel de Las Cases were successive heirs until 1900, when Théophile Skawinski purchased a share in the estate and became its manager. Skawinski's shares passed to Andre Delon, the start of the Delon family's ownership in Bordeaux, and the same family has managed the estate since the late 19th century. From 1976 through 2000 the estate was directed by Michel Delon, a period in which, in thewinecellarinsider.com's assessment, it rebounded to wines worthy of its pedigree; after Michel Delon's death in 2000, his son Jean-Hubert Delon took over. Jean-Hubert Delon is sole owner today and also proprietor of Château Potensac in the Médoc and Château Nénin in Pomerol; thewinecellarinsider.com instead describes the family's ownership as shared with his sister, Genevieve d'Alton. The first vintage of Clos du Marquis was released in 1902, and its name was inspired by the Petit Clos beside the Château de Léoville, the residence of the Marquis de Las Cases. Thewinecellarinsider.com credits the estate with "one of the first official, 'Second' Bordeaux wines" in Clos du Marquis, then clarifies in the same article that Clos du Marquis is not a second wine, since its fruit comes from specific parcels in the large Léoville Las Cases vineyard.

• Origins trace to 1638, when Jean de Moytie owned the vineyard at Mont-Moytie, later renamed Leoville by the de Gascq family
• The de Gascq-era estate grew to more than 300 hectares before the French Revolution-era split created Château Léoville-Barton and, by 1840, Château Léoville-Las Cases and Château Léoville-Poyferré
• Théophile Skawinski purchased a share in 1900 and became manager, beginning the ownership line that led to the Delon family
• Michel Delon directed the estate from 1976 to 2000; his son, Jean-Hubert Delon, is sole owner today

Château Léoville-Las Cases was classified a Deuxième Cru Classé, or Second Growth, in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification. It is one of the oldest classified growths in the Médoc, with roots in the 17th century and the same family's stewardship since the late 19th century. Decanter considers it an elite among Bordeaux's 'Super Seconds,' with a reputation for wines that are powerful and age-worthy. The estate broke from tradition in 1988, when it withdrew from the Conseil des Grands Crus Classés and stopped participating in the council's events or functions, the only classified estate to do so; because the 1855 Classification itself is part of French law, the estate cannot withdraw from the classification even if it wished to.

• Deuxième Cru Classé (Second Growth) in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, Saint-Julien AOC
• One of the oldest classified growths in the Médoc, with 17th-century roots and the same family's management since the late 19th century
• Withdrew from the Conseil des Grands Crus Classés in 1988, the only classified estate to do so
• The 1855 Classification itself is part of French law and cannot be withdrawn from

The terroir is mainly Quaternary gravel over gravelly sand and gravelly clay subsoils, with clay that is variably deep and sometimes breaks through to the surface. The proximity of the Gironde River has produced this diversity of soils through successive geological superimpositions, and the river also creates a microclimate that enables very early ripening and protects the vines from frost. The vineyard covers 55 hectares of Saint-Julien AOC, with an average vine age of 52 years and a planting density of 8,600 plants per hectare, planted to Cabernet Sauvignon 70%, Merlot 21%, and Cabernet Franc 9%. Sources give the surface differently: the estate's Wines page puts the Clos at nearly 60 hectares, and thewinecellarinsider.com gives a 98-hectare total vineyard planted to 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc with a few remaining Petit Verdot vines. Vines average more than 40 years of age, with the oldest Cabernet Franc vines close to 90 years. The heart of the vineyard is the Grand Clos, a walled parcel of two small hills close to the Gironde reaching 15 meters at their peak, in the north of Saint-Julien bordering Château Latour in Pauillac and separated from it only by the Juillac stream; the parcel is close to 50 hectares, has deep gravel soils over clay and sand with a southeastern exposure, and is farmed close to 100% organically. Cabernet Sauvignon is planted on the hills, and Merlot at the bottom of the slopes with a more northeastern exposure; the vineyard is divided into seven main blocks with 125 separate parcels. The vineyard underwent major replanting during the 1950s after a severe frost.

• 55 hectares, Saint-Julien AOC, 52-year average vine age, 8,600 plants/ha, blend Cabernet Sauvignon 70% / Merlot 21% / Cabernet Franc 9%
• Vines average more than 40 years of age; the oldest Cabernet Franc vines are close to 90 years
• Grand Clos: walled parcel bordering Château Latour in Pauillac, separated only by the Juillac stream; close to 50 hectares; farmed close to 100% organically
• Vineyard replanted in the 1950s after a severe frost; divided into 7 blocks and 125 separate parcels

Winemaking at the estate remains traditional. Grapes are fermented in a combination of temperature-controlled wood, concrete, and stainless steel vats of varying sizes; the estate has eight oak vats ranging from 176 to 290 hectoliters, the oldest close to 50 years old, reserved for fermenting Château Léoville-Las Cases, while cement vats are used for the estate's other wines. Malolactic fermentation takes place in tank, and blending happens after malolactic fermentation but before barrel aging. The wine is aged in French oak barrels at a percentage of new wood that varies by vintage; the most recent vintages are aged in about 90% new French oak for an average of 18 months before bottling. Starting in 1987, the estate began using a state-of-the-art reverse-osmosis machine to extract excess water from the grape must, a technique considered controversial by some; it is used only in select vintages. The estate was also among the first in Bordeaux to rinse its oak barrels with a sulfur solution to protect the wine from spoiling during transport or aging, a practice that goes back to the de Gascq era, when the estate began aging wine in oak barrels kept clean with a sulfur solution.

• Fermentation in temperature-controlled wood, concrete, or stainless steel vats; 8 oak vats (176-290 hectoliters) reserved for the Grand Vin, cement vats for other wines
• Blending takes place after malolactic fermentation, before barrel aging
• Recent vintages: about 90% new French oak, averaging 18 months of aging
• Reverse osmosis used since 1987, in select vintages only; among the first Bordeaux estates to rinse oak barrels with a sulfur solution

Thewinecellarinsider.com describes Château Léoville-Las Cases as a structured, firm, austere, and powerful classic Bordeaux, in a style that often resembles a First Growth Pauillac while remaining distinctly its own. In top vintages, the wine can take 15 to 20 years or more to develop and shed its tannic structure; at maturity it shows cedar, cassis, dark berries, truffle, and tobacco notes. The estate's cellar master, Bruno Rolland, is the third generation of his family to hold that role there. Saint-Julien's wines as a whole combine aromatic finesse with a strong constitution, with silky, elegant tannins and a palate of blueberry, blackcurrant, blackberry, and prune joined by tobacco, truffle, and leather notes that develop with age; Cabernet Sauvignon, grown on more than 60% of Saint-Julien's vineyard area, forms the backbone of the appellation's wines, with Merlot adding roundness.

• Top vintages need 15 to 20-plus years to develop and shed their tannic structure
• At maturity: cedar, cassis, dark berries, truffle, and tobacco notes
• Cellar master Bruno Rolland is the third generation of his family in that role at the estate
• Saint-Julien appellation style: aromatic finesse and a strong constitution, with silky tannins, blueberry/blackcurrant/blackberry/prune fruit with tobacco/truffle/leather development

The Grand Vin is produced mainly from the former Léoville estate's terroirs, located in the Clos Léoville Las Cases as one leaves the village of Saint-Julien for Pauillac. Clos du Marquis, a historically separate vineyard and brand, takes its name from the Petit Clos adjacent to the Château de Léoville, the residence of the Marquis de Las Cases; it released its first vintage in 1902 and today comes from vines on top Saint-Julien terroirs, largely surrounded by the classified growths Léoville-Poyferré and Léoville-Barton. A second wine was created from the 2007 vintage, when several replanted plots were coming into production; Le Petit Lion du Marquis de Las Cases shares the winemaking philosophy of its two elder siblings but is designed to be more accessible and for earlier drinking, with a significant proportion of Merlot in the blend. Thewinecellarinsider.com gives both dates in different passages, saying the Delons "began producing a true second wine" starting with the 2007 vintage and elsewhere that "starting with the 2009 vintage, there is an official second wine." Le Petit Lion's fruit comes from the estate's young vines, and its label was redesigned starting with the 2015 vintage to feature a lion at the estate's gates. Clos du Marquis gained its own second wine starting with the 2015 vintage, spelled "La Petite Marquise" in one passage of thewinecellarinsider.com and "La Petite Marquis" (no final e) in another. Production of each wine varies with the character and yield of the vintage, averaging 9,000 to 15,000 cases for the Grand Vin, and 4,000 to 8,000 cases each for Clos du Marquis and Le Petit Lion. With the 2025 vintage, the estate introduced its debut white Bordeaux, Las Cases Blanc, from 2.5 hectares planted in 2025 on clay and limestone soils near Château Potensac, blending 50% Semillon, 25% Marsanne, and 25% Roussanne, vinified and aged in a combination of amphora and two-year-old Burgundy barrels, and sold as a Vin de France because of its Rhône grape varieties.

• Clos du Marquis: separate historic vineyard and brand, first vintage 1902, named for the Petit Clos beside the Château de Léoville
• Le Petit Lion du Marquis de Las Cases: official second wine, created from the 2007 vintage
• Clos du Marquis has had its own second wine since the 2015 vintage
• Production: about 9,000-15,000 cases Grand Vin, 4,000-8,000 cases each for Clos du Marquis and Le Petit Lion; 2025 debut of Las Cases Blanc, a white Vin de France

Serve Château Léoville-Las Cases at 15.5 degrees Celsius (60 degrees Fahrenheit), a cool, near-cellar temperature that gives the wine more freshness and lift. Classic meat dishes are its best matches: veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, and game, prepared roasted, braised, or grilled, along with roast chicken; Asian dishes, hearty fish courses such as tuna, mushrooms, pasta, and cheeses also pair well. Young vintages benefit from an average of three to six hours of decanting to soften the wine and open its aromatics, while older vintages need only enough decanting to remove sediment; the wine is usually better with at least 15 years of bottle age.

• Serve at 15.5°C / 60°F for freshness and lift
• Classic meat dishes: veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, and game, roasted, braised, or grilled, plus roast chicken
• Also recommended: Asian dishes, hearty fish such as tuna, mushrooms, pasta, and cheeses
• Young vintages: decant 3 to 6 hours; older vintages need only enough to remove sediment; best from about 15 years of bottle age

Primary sources: the estate's own site, domaines-delon.com (the Château Léoville-Las Cases history, terroir, and wines pages; the Clos du Marquis history page; and the Delon family's cross-estate philosophy page), fetched 2026-09-09. Secondary sources: Bordeaux.com, for Saint-Julien appellation context; Decanter, for the estate's Super Second reputation and a masterclass announcement naming export director Antoine Gimbert; thewinecellarinsider.com, for early history, vineyard, winemaking, style, and production detail beyond what the official site states; and The Drinks Business, for director Pierre Graffeuille's name, role, and 2011 start date, since the estate's own site names no personnel. Last verified 2026-10-12. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs; see conflicts.json for the vineyard-surface, Le Petit Lion first-vintage, Delon-family-lineage, and sole-versus-shared-ownership discrepancies.