Wines

Château Léoville Las Cases

Jean-Guillaume Prats
Saint-Julien

Featured:
Friday, May 19th at the Vintners Dinner & Auction
Saturday, May 20th at the Bordeaux Master Class 

The Domaine de Léoville is one of the oldest vineyards in the Médoc, planted at the very beginning of the 17th century. Since the end of the 19th century, Léoville Las Cases has been managed by the same family, currently represented by Mr. Jean-Hubert Delon, the sole owner.

The terroir of the Grand Vin de Las Cases is therefore the historic heart of the original terroir. The gateway, standing as the emblem of the estate, opens onto an enclosed area of about 55 hectares surrounded by a stone wall that extends from the village of Saint-Julien to Château Latour, on the northern border of the Saint-Julien Appellation, by the banks of the Gironde.

The terroir is very complex and is made up mainly of Quaternary gravel on gravelly-sandy and gravelly-clay subsoils, with more or less deep and compact clays, sometimes even outcrops. The proximity of the Gironde is responsible for this unique diversity of soils, created over the geological periods by successive superimpositions. In addition, the river generates a very specific microclimate which allows an early ripening of the grapes and protects the vineyard from frost. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc are king here, brought to their quintessence, offering a complex and accomplished expression, proud of a unique signature.

These wines must remain faithful expressions of their terroirs and offer unchallenged elegance, balance and great ageing potential. From the vineyard to the cellars all wines are produced according to an uncompromising quest for excellence. The Delon family considers each bottle
produced as an ambassador.

A native of the Médoc region, Jean-Guillaume has been president and CEO of Cos d'Estournel for 14 years. During this time, he created Cos Blanc from scratch, and also brought innovation to the estate, notably with the creation of the new vat room. Then, Jean-Guillaume Prats left Bordeaux and for more than 5 years, he was president of LVMH wines worldwide: 17 estates in total. An extraordinary adventure during which he relaunched Cheval des Andes in Argentina and created Ao Yun in China, then among others Chandon in India and China and Te Wahi in Central Otago. Later, Jean-Guillaume Prats was President of Domaines Baron de Rothschild (Lafite).

Today, Jean-Guillaume Prats has joined forces with Stéphane Courbit, former President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni to buy Château d’Estoublon in Provence. The estate gathers 200 hectares, of which 20 are planted with vines and 120 with olive trees. The estate produces red, rosé and white wines under the Baux-de-Provence appellation. The team has also created a Provençal rosé called Roseblood and they produce a top-of-the-range olive oil (the only oil listed as part of the Comité Colbert).

In parallel, Jean-Guillaume Prats remains in Bordeaux alongside Jean-Hubert Delon, owner of Domaines Delon: Châteaux Léoville Las Cases, Potensac and Nénin. His appointment as Vice-President of Domaines Delon accompanies the creation of the new vat room and cellar overlooking the great enclosure of Las Cases in Saint-Julien.