CLOS DU MARQUIS IS NOT CHATEAU LAS CASES SECOND WINE
Clos du Marquis may have been one of the earliest recorded second label from a Grand Cru Classe chateau, as this wine was first released in 1902 (117 years ago), as the other label and cheaper alternative to the grand vin Leoville Las Cases. Clos du Marquis was ahead of even the Pavillon Rouge of Chateau Margaux which was first released in 1908. Chateau Margaux, however, may have started the second wine concept, when, prior to the Pavillon Rouge name, the other wine of Chateau Margaux was simply labeled as “Chateau Margaux 2nd wine” — and this was being sold way before the 20th century.
Clos du Marquis, as Mr. Graffeuille would insist, is never really viewed as the second wine of Chateau Leoville Las Cases. It is considered as its own unique wine brand, as it comes from vineyard parcels distinct from those of Las Cases, and the vineyards have their own different soil, subsoil, and qualities. In fact, most recently, with the 2015 vintage, Clos du Marquis has its own second wine too, the La Petite Marquise. While both Leoville Las Cases and Clos du Marquis
wines are made from majority cabernet sauvignon, Leoville Las Cases normally contains more cabernet franc and the Clos du Marquis more merlot. The official second wine of Leoville Las Cases started with the 2007 vintage, under Le Petit Lion du Marquis de Las Cases label.
CUSTOMARY TASTING NOTES
For this column, I included only my tasting notes on the four Chateau Leoville Las Cases vintages and the two Clos du Marquis vintages, all enjoyed during a visit this February in Bordeaux. All the wines were tasted at Chateau Leoville Las Cases in SaintJulien, with the exeption of the Leoville Las Cases 1945 vintage, which was drunk over dinner at Chateau Kirwan in Margaux.
• Clos du Marquis 2014: “fragrant on the nose, with lots of ripe berries, lavender, herbs and eucalyptus, very fresh yet already approachable, silky body with very soft tannins”
• Clos du Marquis 2000: “more complex nose with vanilla, cedar, blackcurrant, supple body with nice grainy bitter-sweet tannins, acid is lively and well intertwined, and finish is long and grapey”
• Chateau Leoville Las Cases
2014: “big and bold flavors, a lot of very ripe fruits, peppercorn, mushrooms, the sweet oak starting to surface after more swirling, full-bodied, powerful on the mouth but with good acid backbone, long, deep and flavorful; still a baby, but amazing potential awaits more years of aging”
• Chateau Leoville Las Cases 1996:
“still fresh, more subtle on the nose, some earth, meat, raisins, vanilla, supple on the palate, ripe with nice juiciness, incredibly delicious, with nice persistence of berries and oak on a long finish”
• Chateau Leoville Las Cases
1989: “a lot of finesse on the nose, with aromas of blackcurrant, blueberries and violets, the wine on the palate is still quite luscious, very flavorful with nice juicy notes, long with lingering peppery and licorice finish; a 30-year gem that can still keep for years”
• Chateau Leoville Las Cases 1945:
(in half bottle care of Yann Schyler of Chateau Kirwan): “this wine smells and looks like a wine 30 to 40 years younger than its vintage, nose has raspberries, mint and violets, on palate there is still freshness, though tannins have thinned out a bit, and texture towards light-medium, but this is a wine closing in on 75 years old, and it is still happening, with a finish that is raisiny and still delectable”
Chateau Leoville Las Cases has built a loyal fan base because of its style of wine that is powerful yet elegant, full-bodied, and meant for long-term aging. Even if the chateau wanted out of Conseil des Grands Crus Classes, Chateau Leoville Las Cases will forever be Saint-Julien’s proudest, and all the chateaux around this appellation are better off because of this.
The author has been a member of the Federation Internationale des Journalists et Ecrivains du Vin et des Spiritueux or FIJEV since 2010. For comments, inquiries, wine event coverage, and other wine-related concerns, e-mail the author at protegeinc@yahoo.com. He is also on Twitter at twitter.com/sherwinlao.