Region | |
---|---|
Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > St Julien |
Colour | Red |
Type | Still |
Like its neighbour Léoville Barton, Poyferré usually offers good value for money when first offered en primeur. The wines here are more smooth, ripe and fleshy than the seriously structured wines of Barton and Lascases. The result is a delicious St Julien that can usually charm early in its life and can stand the test of time. A frequent winner of blind tastings. Plantings in the 80 hectare vineyard are 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc. Fruit from the younger vines goes into "Le Pavillon de Poyferré" whilst "Moulin Riche"is made from a separate part of the vineyard.
The 2019 Léoville Poyferré is showing very well in bottle, wafting from the glass with aromas of crème de cassis and wild berries mingled with notions of licorice, loamy soil, cigar wrapper and smoke. Full-bodied, velvety and polished, it's broad and enveloping, with an ample core of fruit, ripe tannins and succulent acids, concluding with a long, precise finish. Invariably the most sumptuous of the three Léovilles, featuring some 35% Merlot, the 2019 is a terrific effort that will offer a wide drinking window. Drink Date
2027 - 2057
From: Bordeaux 2019: The Southwold Tasting (Feb 2023)
The 2019 Léoville Poyferré is cut from the same cloth as the Ducru Beaucaillou, though without delivering quite the same panache. There is richness here, but it is contained at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins. Velvety smooth in texture, there is real finesse that becomes more apparent towards the finish that displays exquisite balance and wonderful length. The kind of wine that begs the response: more please. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.
- By Neal Martin on January 2023
Drink 2026 - 2055
67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, and 3% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Deep purple colour. Powerful and black fruited on the nose, layering cassis, damson and brambly tonses with cinnamon, nutmeg and a touch of incense. The palate is initially plush and rounded as opulent, intense black fruit rushes forth. This is then matched by grippy, chewy and ripe tannins. The structure and fruit knit together perfectly, accented by spiced, woody tones from measured oak. This muscular and deep Poyferre is a star of 2019. Great potential.
Blackcurrant, wet-earth with fresh black-mushroom aromas. Some chocolate, too. Full-bodied with layers of beautiful, ripe fruit and creamy tannins. It’s chewy and focused. Impressive balance. Try after 2025.
The 2019 Leoville Poyferre is composed of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it charges out of the glass with bold notions of baked black plums and boysenberry preserves leading to notions of cassis, cedar chest, and menthol. The medium to full-bodied palate is light on its feet, with nuanced black fruits and plush tannins, finishing long with a skip in its step.
This is big-shouldered, with plenty of sculpted, carefully-extracted tannins. Layer upon layer of savoury and mouthwatering cassis and bilberry fruits, showing their creamy texture only once things relax in the glass. Teasingly gourmet notes of liquorice, black chocolate, slate and charcoal play alongside the fruit. This is a seriously impressive Poyferré, where the drama builds slowly and promises a long life ahead. Juicy on the finish. Harvest September 22 to October 11. 80% new oak. The 100th vintage for Léoville Poyferré under the Cuvelier family. Tasted blind (along with the rest of the St Juliens) and it stood out as exceptionally good quality.
Tasted blind. Glowing, dark crimson. Glossy texture. Dramatic. Then very dry, cool and inky. But I think it will come right in the end. Just closed, dry and tannic in style for the moment. 14%
Drink 2030
– 2050
The 2019 is a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, and 3% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The harvest took place from 20th September to 11th October, with the result 14% abv. The wine will be aged for 18-20 months in 80% new French oak. Deep purple in colour with an opulent nose of cassis, fig and sweet vanilla. The palate follows in this vein, with glossy and fleshy fruit giving a rounded, creamy texture. The tannins are ripe, fine and well-integrated at this stage, allowing the juicy cassis to shine through. The oak is toasty but matched but the intense fruit, showing cinnamon, nutmeg and cedar. This builds to a broad, long and hedonistic finish. Impressive.
The flagship 2019 Château Léoville Poyferré is based on 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot. It's one of the bigger, richer wines in the vintage and has a gorgeous, thrilling, full-bodied style as well as notes of crème de cassis, tobacco leaf, violets, and chocolate. While many estates seem to be playing it safe and focusing on so-called elegance and balance, I love that Poyferré continues to make a ripe, sexy, beautifully textured wine that always offers more opulence and sexiness than most in the vintage. Ranking with the crème de la crème of the vintage, this gorgeous Poyferré can be enjoyed any time over the coming 40-50 years. Bravo!
7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot. Barrel sample.
Deep purple hue. Rich but reserved with great purity of fruit. Cassis and spice aromas. Powerful tannic frame but folded in layers of unctuous fruit. Mouth-filling and flexing a little muscle. A big wine with plenty of matière. Long finish. One for the cellar. (JL)
Drink 2030 – 2050
The 2019 Léoville-Poyferré has the quintessential "LP" bouquet of perfumed blackberry, black plum, perhaps less tobacco than last year but still those hints of desiccated orange peel. It opens beautifully in the glass. The palate has a satin-like texture, a fine bead of acidity and fine pixelation. It is perhaps less luxuriant than I found this last year from barrel and has become slightly more linear, displaying a touch more breeding and precision. It fans out wonderfully on the finish, completing a fabulous Saint-Julien with huge potential. 14.18% alcohol 2026 - 2065
The 2019 Léoville-Poyferré has a typically seductive bouquet with layers of ripe black fruit laced with tobacco, sous-bois, touches of marmalade and dried orange peel. Give it another hour and more blue fruit begins to emerge. The palate is medium-bodied with lavish, luxuriant black fruit and a creamy texture that is instantly seductive. It is a more opulent Saint-Julien than the Barton with a satin-like texture on the finish. If you love the style of Léoville-Poyferré then you will adore this. 2026 - 2065
Chewy and rich this year with lots of ripe tannins and solid depth of fruit. Chocolate and walnuts to the blue fruit. It’s full-bodied. Plenty of fruit at the end. Excellent length.
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2019 Leoville Poyferre charges out with powerful notes of baked blackcurrants, prunes, and blueberry compote, plus hints of balsamic, Chinese five spice, and tobacco. Medium to full-bodied with mouth-coating black fruit preserves and chewy tannins, it finishes long and spicy.
Casting a deep garnet-purple color, the 2019 Léoville Poyferré charges out of the gate with alluring notes of chocolate-covered cherries, blueberry pie, dried mulberries and blackcurrant cordial plus suggestions of camphor, espresso, spice cake and oolong tea. The medium to full-bodied palate reveals bags of freshness and a suitably approachable texture, supporting the decadent blackberry preserves and exotic spice layers, finishing on a stewed tea note. An already incredibly impressive wine, I imagine by the end of barrel aging the tannins will be fully brought into line here and the fruit will emerge singing of even more nuances. 2026 - 2055
A rich and highly charged Poyferré, with creamy damson and vanilla pod spice expanding through the mid palate. Hugely impressive, with velvety tannins and plenty of charcoal, grilled sarments and slate impact. Higher tension through the core would take the score up even further. 4% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the estate under the ownership of the Cuvelier family. Drinking Window 2027 - 2042
67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot.
Much richer and more welcoming than the Barton at this stage. Really rather glorious already. Sweet, glamorous ink of the most digestible sort. No obvious alcohol. 14%
Drink 2025 – 2046