THE 2009 VINTAGE :

Flowering and fruit set took place under the best auspices thanks to beautiful climatic conditions without excess heat. Veraison was then rapid and homogeneous thanks to a very sunny period at the end of July - beginning of August. There was very little rainfall during the ripening phase of the grapes with a very dry but not scorching August which resulted in a fairly early harvest and remarkable consistency.

The flowering and berry set both occurred in the best possible conditions thanks to the very fine weather. There was no excessive heat and the color change was very quick and even thanks to a lovely sunny period in late July and early August. There was very little rain during the ripening process with a very dry yet not over hot month of August. The result was a quite early and remarkably even crop.

A STORY THAT STARTED IN THE 17^TH CENTURY

One of the oldest Medoc estates, Domaine de Léoville belonged to some of the wealthiest and most influential noble French families before it was acquired by the Las Cases family. The estate was split up between 1826 and 1840 as a result of the French Revolution. (Expropriation of emigrants’ property and constitution of egalitarian redistribution). Château Léoville Las Cases was created, thanks to a kind of birthright, from 3/5 of the original estate and the heart of the domain.

The Grand Vin’s current terroir has therefore been at the historic heart of the original terroir since the 17th century. Pierre Jean, Adolphe and Gabriel de Las Cases were successive heirs to the property until 1900, when Théophile Skawinski purchased a share in the estate and became its manager. Léoville Las Cases has now been managed by the same family since the late 19th century and is today represented by Jean-Hubert Delon, sole owner of the Château and proprietor of Château Potensac in the Medoc and Château Nénin in Pomerol.