Léoville Poyferré 2017

The 2017 Léoville-Poyferré has a beautifully defined bouquet with mineral-rich red fruit that is utterly refined and focused, a wine that looks as if it will be open for business before the more recalcitrant 2016. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. This is silky smooth in texture with plush black and blue fruit, pinned together by a killer line of acidity and impressive tension on the finish. Not a vintage to be ignored from this estate. Tasted at the Léoville-Poyferré vertical at the château with Sara Lecompte Cuvelier.

Tasted blind. Deep ruby colour. Blue fruit, crème de cassis and baking spices with a hint of fig on the nose, this is inky and rich. Plush and chewy on the palate, there are layers of charred wood, incense, blueberry and bramble fruit together. This is a powerful and ripe but structured wine. The smoky oak is evident for now but it should integrate nicely over the next few years. Full bodied for the vintage, with a long and toasty finish.
Drink 2026 – 2040

A red with currant and blueberry aromas and flavors and some citrus and vanilla. Medium body and creamy, integrated tannins. Shows finesse and depth for the vintage. One of the best from the appellation. Drinkable now, but much better in 2022

The 2017 Leoville Poyferre is medium to deep garnet-purple colored. It offers up notions of baked plums and cassis with cedar chest, pencil lead, bay leaves, and smoked meats in the background. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers generous fruit and firm, chewy tannins with soft acidity and a firm, grippy finish.

This has lower alcohol than usual, but doesn't sacrifice the mouthfeel. There's a succulent damson and cappuccino expression through the finish here, along with tautly constructed, bouncy tannins that are both expressive and powerful. It's one of the more rich and round wines in St-Juliens, as fits the house style. Extremely accomplished, it's powerful and will clearly age well. It's somewhere between 2014 and 2015 in quality, but not touching the majestic 2016. A success in the vintage, underlining again that St-Julien has had an extremely lucky 2017.
Drinking Window 2026 - 2038

Very dark crimson – the darkest 2017 of this tasting. Rich, sweet ink. Definitely more ambitious than most 2017s. But still a little sinewy – not the fully rich all-holes-filled structure of a great vintage. But good for 2017.
Drink 2023-2033

Very dark crimson with black core. Gorgeous cassis intensity and purity on the nose and just a hint of oak sweetness and spice. Firm but really supple tannins, compact and deep but with a lightness of touch to let the fruit flow first. Mouth-watering and super-fresh. Long. 13.2%
Drink 2027-2042

No frost here so a very healthy yield of 50 hl/ha. Made from 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc. A deep colour with sweet, plush and ripe black cherry and damson on the nose, supported by plentiful roasted, toasty notes from oak. This is rich, fat and plump on the palate, with generous, opulent fruits and rich but refined tannins. This is very textural, with the plush tannins and sweet smoke of oak bold but still kept in balance with the fruit. Velveteen through to the long and ripe finish.

The fruit is sweet ripe the nose has richness depth of flavour. Mid generosity the tannins are fine the richness and sweetness underpinned by the fresher black fruits. It fills out at the back and finishes with a rich mix of cassis and black cherry. 2027-42

Very attractive on the nose and palate, this is an indulgent wine with depth and succulence. The oak is fairly dominant and there is some dark extraction here, but there is no astringency. Fondant fruit and chocolate tones make this seem very forward but this is not the case because the tannins are powdery and persistent and they roll on for minutes. This is a superb wine with flair and control in equal measure.