Clos du Marquis 2016

Clos du Marquis is a secret garden adjacent to the esteemed Second Growth estate, Château Léoville Las Cases.  Though the vines are tended to by the same talented viticultural team and the know-how of the illustrious DeLeon family influences the trajectory of this wine, it would be wrong to assume Clos du Marquis is a second wine.  Clos du Marquis is its own unique label, and a textbook expression of some of the choicest Saint-Julién terroir adjacent to the prestigious estate.  This beautiful wine is a stunning example of some of the choicest terroirs of Saint-Julién, surrounded by excellent properties like Léoville Las Cases, Léoville Poyferré and Léoville Barton.   For value-oriented consumers who appreciate the supple beauty of a good Saint-Julién that will not break the bank, look no further than Clos du Marquis.   

Clos du Marquis is a mere 500 meters from the walled off vineyards of Château Léoville Las Cases.   For those who know their history, they will remember that Château Léoville Las Cases was a portion of the vast Léoville estate.  The estate was sectioned off into the following properties: Château Léoville Las Cases, Château Léoville Barton, and Château Léoville Poyferré.  The vineyard of Clos du Marquis was planted by the talented team at Léoville Las Cases in 1902 and is still tended to by the team of this Second Growth estate today.  It is the only non-enclosed vineyard to be named, “Clos.”  It is illegal nowadays to do that.  The location of the Petit Clos, adjacent to the vineyards of Léoville Las Cases where the Marquis de las Cases used to reside, inspired the creation of this wine.  The terroir held much promise, and it seemed to be a crime to not explore the potential of this land.  

At Clos du Marquis, the elevation is a serviceable 20 meters above sea level.  There is a great slope to the property, which is excellent for drainage during particularly rainy months.   The gravel here is older and finer than the Enclos gravel at Léoville Las Cases, and there is plenty of organic matter which gives nutrients to the vines.  This is because there used to be a forest at the property. The vines of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc are approximately 35 years old on average, though some are closer to 45 years of age. Cabernet Sauvignon does particularly well here, as this fine gravel is excellent for drainage during rainy months.  The grapes ripen a little later here than the grapes growing at Léoville Las Cases and the resulting wine possesses all the classic elements of a truly great Saint-Julién. One can expect to experience finesse, structure, harmony and plenty of ageing potential with this wine.   

Clos du Marquis is a little more approachable than its more powerful, tannic cousin, Château Léoville Las Cases.  One can enjoy it a bit on the younger side with a few hours of decanting, yet with all that in mind, the wine can age for a decent period of time.  

"The 2016 Clos du Marquis was picked from 30 September to 19 October and consists of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, matured in 55% new oak. Yields came in at 40 hectoliters per hectare and the alcohol at 13.55%. The bouquet is very intense at the moment with small black cherries, incense, iris and a touch of shucked oyster shells. The palate is beautiful, perhaps one of the most powerful that I came across in Saint Julien, certainly no shy retiring flower, yet it effortlessly manages to retain the precision and tension one expects from this cru. There is a firm back bone here, but the tannins are so precise that you barely notice, while the aftertaste has superb salinity. This is a majestic Clos du Marquis, but it will require several years in the cellar." - Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate, (4/27/2016, Issue 224), Rating: 93-95, Drink: 2025-2055

"Blended of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Clos du Marquis has a very deep garnet-purple color and is a little broody to begin, giving way to notes of crushed blackcurrants and black cherries with touches of warm plums, pencil shavings, earth and new leather with a waft of yeast extract. Medium-bodied with a rock-solid frame of grainy tannins, it has bold fruit matched by freshness, finishing long and mineral laced." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate, (11/30/2018), Rating: 94, Drink: 2021-2038