Saint-Julien 2018

Producer history

The Léoville estate traces back to the 17th century as one large Saint-Julien holding under the Léoville name; it was progressively divided in the 19th century, first during the French Revolution era (giving rise to what became Château Léoville-Barton) and again around 1840 (splitting off Château Léoville-Poyferré), leaving Léoville Las Cases as the largest of the three heirs and holder of the original estate's historic core. The property has been under the Delon family's control for multiple generations; Michel Delon ran the estate for decades and built its modern reputation before his death in 2000, after which his son Jean-Hubert Delon became sole owner and continued running it in the same exacting style. The Delon family also owns Château Potensac in the Médoc and Château Nénin in Pomerol. Exact dates for when the Delon family first acquired the property are inconsistently reported across sources, so that detail is left general here rather than asserted with false precision.

Signature pairings

• Grilled ribeye or Chateaubriand — High tannin and Cabernet-driven structure need the fat and char of a well-marbled grilled beef cut to soften the wine's grip; a classic Bordeaux red-meat pairing.
• Roasted rack of lamb with herbs — Lamb's richness and the herb crust's savoriness match the wine's dark fruit and firm tannin without competing for dominance, a standard Médoc-style pairing.
• Thai-style grilled beef (เนื้อย่าง) — A simply grilled, minimally spiced beef preparation gives the wine's tannin something fatty and charred to work against without the capsaicin heat that would clash with a structured, high-tannin Cabernet blend; this is not a match for chile-forward Thai dishes.