2022 Le Petit Lion du Marquis de Las Cases

The 2022 Le Petit Lion has turned out nicely, offering up aromas of cassis and plums mingled with hints of mint, violets and cigar wrapper. Medium to full-bodied, layered and textural, it's dense and concentrated, with a bright core of fruit and a penetrating finish.

The second wine of Château Léoville Las Cases, the 2022 Le Petit Lion is medium to full-bodied, featuring cassis, graphite, crushed stone, scorched earth, and violets. Nicely integrated oak and fine tannins add to its polished balance. Aged in oak barrels, it’s a stunning second wine that should drink well for 15+ years.

The 2022 Le Petit Lion has a classy bouquet, perhaps one of the best that I have tasted to date: beautifully defined black fruit, black olive, hints of cedar, juniper and wilted violets. It just blossoms in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, a degree of salinity and more weight than expected, although it just loses a little delineation toward the finish. Nevertheless, it is a quite delicious Deuxième Vin, albeit one that requires two or three years in bottle.