Clos du Marquis 2005

Robert Parker: The Clos du Marquis, the second label of Léoville Las Cases, was created at the end of the 19th century. This name, which has been used on a regular basis since the beginning of the last century, originates from the small "clos" (walled parcel) situated near the Château de Léoville (the residence of the late Marquis de Las-Cases).
Clos du Marquis could be considered the precursor of the Bordeaux second wines, a movement that generally took hold in the mid to late 1980s. It has always been made from the younger vines, or 'cuvées' deemed of insufficient quality for the Grand Vin.
However, with time, the Clos du Marquis has acquired an identity of its own. Today the wine emerges from well-defined terroirs situated outside the Grand Clos de Las Cases and within the Petit Clos. The selected vineyards are surrounded by those of Pichon-Lalande, LéovillePoyferré, Léoville Barton, Lagrange, and Talbot.
Since 1989, Clos du Marquis has been close to the quality of a third or fourth growth.