Chateau Leoville Las Cases
Chateau Léoville-Las-Cases was classified as Second Growth in 1855 and is located in the Saint-Julien appellation. The estate used to belong to a considerably larger estate, however at various points in its history. segments of land were carved off.
The Delon family own the estate at the moment and have done so since the middle of the 20th Century. They have overseen the prestigious achievements that this wine has racked up including sixth place in the 1976 "Judgment of Paris" wine competition with their 1971 vintage.
The estate has vineyards spread out over Saint-Julien covering 97 hectares, in which the vines are 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Léoville-Las Cases' 'Grand Vin' shares the name of the estate, while it has also produced a second wine since 1902, named Clos du Marquis.
The winemaking processes can be altered depending on the desired style of that vintage, with different fermenting vats available to choose from, including stainless steel, wood and concrete. The Chateau also openly admits to using the highly controversial reverse osmosis machine on its wines.