Gorgeous perfumed cherry fruit on the nose, such clarity and drive the aromas jumping out the glass. The palate has a real elegance, juicy but calm, smooth and sophisticated, wrapped up in silky tannins that gently support the fruit. Charming with approachability. You really get the vibrant fruit but it's so sculpted, no edges with touches of iodine, wet stone and iron in the wine and a soft saline kick at the end, so layered yet pure. Effortless charm here. Drinking Window 2024 - 2035

The second wine of Léoville Las Cases, the 2019 Le Petit Lion checks in as 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc that was brought up in 30% new French oak. It has a pure, beautifully balanced, elegant and medium to full-bodied style that carries lots of cassis fruit, notes of violets, tobacco, and sweet earth, terrific overall balance, and a lively, fresh, focused finish. It's another wine from this estate that builds beautifully with time in the glass. This stunning second wine will be long-lived. 93-95

Blackberry, blackcurrant and wet-earth character with spice and sweet tobacco. Bark and cloves, too. It’s medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins and a long finish. Excellent second wine from Las Cases. Best with three to four years of bottle age, but try after 2024." 02/22

Barrel Sample. Densely textured, this wine has lashings of black currant fruits to go with the open, spicy tannins. It has an almost jammy fruitiness, emphasizing the ripe Merlot in the blend. It's proper second wine, made to age over the medium term.

The 2019 Le Petit Lion blend this year is 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc and 43% Merlot... It is aging in French oak barriques, 30% new. Managing director Pierre Graffeuille informed me that this wine is mainly a blend of the younger vines of Léoville Las Cases-three- to 20-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon vines-with some of the old Merlot (40-70 years) from the Las Cases enclosure. "It is a great combo to add old Merlot to young Cabernet Sauvignon!" he commented. Sporting a deep purple-black color, scents of Black Forest cake, blueberry preserves and ripe, black plums come bounding out of the glass, shadowed by hints of menthol, potpourri, spice cake and clove oil plus a waft of aniseed. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with energetic, juicy black fruits, framed by amazing freshness and ripe, grainy tannins, finishing with a lively, invigorating lift. This is very different from the grand vin and yet is a wonderful alternative expression of the vineyard. For true fans of Las Cases, I would really recommend buying both this and the grand vin, because together they create an even more interesting story of the vintage at this incredible property!" 6/20

The 2019 Le Petit Lion is plush, deep and layered, but in a mid-weight style that will be approachable with minimal cellaring. Élevage has rendered the 2019 quite a bit more accessible than the barrel sample suggested. Bright red-toned fruit, chalk and lifted floral accents all grace this mid-weight second wine from Las-Cases. The 2019 is built on a core of old-vine Merlot and younger vine Cabernet Sauvignon, with some Franc to round things out." 02/22

Sleek and tightly focused, with an iron spine taking up as much space as the cassis, cherry puree and violet notes that form the core. The racy finish has an alluring austerity. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2023 through 2033.