2025 Petit Lion Marquis Las Cases (St-Julien)

Concentrated, a ton of sleek graphite, crayon, liqourice root, we are fully in the heart of Las Cases here, with its grip and slow climb through the palate, on the right side of austere, cocoa bean and cassis, a full mouth experience, push and pull, tension and grip. A fabulous 2nd wine, right up there with the best of the vintage. Michael Georges technical director. 30% new oak for ageing. Includes the vines for La Petite Marquise since the 2021 vintage. 94 points

The 2025 Le Petit Lion is a bold, juicy wine. Dark-toned fruit, rose petal, lavender and mocha all take shape in the glass, framed by soft contours that wrap it all together in style. This Merlot-driven Saint-Julien is all charm, but it also has plenty of depth and underlying structure. 91-93 points

The 2025 Le Petit Lion benefits from Las Cases`s new winery, which for a few years now has permitted sub-plot selection for the grand and second wines instead of an all-or-nothing selection, and more old-vine Merlot is ending up in this bottling. Offering up notes of sweet cherries and minty berries, it`s medium- to full-bodied, fleshy and supple, with good persistence on the finish. 89-91 points

The 2025 Le Petit Lion was picked at 23 hl/ha and matured in 27% new oak, with a slightly higher percentage of Merlot this year, which is now split into three tanks in the new winery. This needed a few swirls just to "calm down" in the glass, cohering with black plum, violet and light minty aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with quite a precocious entry, although alcohol is 13.6%. Smooth towards the finish, with a dab of licorice that lingers on the aftertaste. Fine. 90-92 points