2017 Le Petit Lion de Lascases

The 2017 Le Petit Lion is a gorgeous second wine from Léoville Las-Cases. Sweet, floral aromatics give the wine its perfumed, gracious personality. Classy, expressive, and refined to the core, the Petit Lion is a wine built on tension, energy and finesse more than anything else. It is a Saint-Julien that emphasizes classic structure and nuance more than power.

Coming from young Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot plus some older vines, the deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Le Petit Lion is composed of 53% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Cabernet Franc. It is a little closed and broody to begin, opening out to offer notes of baked plums, warm black cherries and boysenberries with touches of garrigue, lavender, anise and tobacco. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is built like a brick house, with firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness supporting the muscular fruit, finishing long with some mineral accents coming through. Needs a good 2-3 years in barrel.

Matured for 15 months in around 25% new oak, the 2017 Le Petit Lion has a perfumed, quite floral bouquet with pressed rose petals infusing the cranberry and wild strawberry aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red berry fruit, quite saline in the mouth with a very harmonious and quite persistent finish. This is an excellent Deuxième Vin.