Leoville las Cases 1964

Tasted at the Las-Cases off-line at The Square. The last time I had the ’64 was in Bordeaux on the evening that Michel Delon passed away. Some 11 years later and from magnum, this example is better. It has a light but lifted minty nose, giving a nod to Pauillac over the border. Hints of black olive tapenade and autumn leaves and leather emerge with time. The palate is medium-bodied with melted tannins, smooth in texture and not a complex Saint Julien. Yet its remains lively in the glass and finishes with an attractive, leafy finish that maintains admirable definition. Tasted February 2011.