| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > St Julien |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Tasted blind at the Ten Years On tasting. This is one of the shining stars of the vintage and came joint top in Saint Julien for the group in this tasting. It was my highest rated wine of the appellation. Deep ruby colour, with an alluring nose of ripe blackcurrant fruit that few managed in this vintage, together with notes of menthol, whole leaf tobacco and dark chocolate. The palate has impressive density and ripeness that matches the nose. There is ample fruit to coat a rich, chewy tannic structure, making this bold and powerful but delicious despite its youthful vigour. The persistence of both fruit and tannin is impressive, allowing the layers of baked vanilla, cedar and liquorice to unfurl slowly. This has great potential but is already a pleasure to taste despite the grip on show. Drink it now with a healthy decant and food, or over the next 25+ years.
A ripe, generous and substantial wine for this appellation with some real concentration, a solid core of ripe tannins and enough acidity to carry the long, savory finish. Needs four to five years to show its true potential. A beauty. Try in 2022.
Deep crimson with some evolution at the rim. Really classy lift on the nose with a suggestion of sandalwood. Smooth as a baby's bottom but with real pace and energy as well as fantastically classic fruit and still quite a bit of tannin in evidence. A combination of St-Julien's immaculate balance with the château's usual extra degree of ripeness. Not flashy. Really very impressive indeed. But not quite ready.
Very pure, with a beautiful beam of violet and plum sauce carried by a chiseled graphite spine. Gorgeous anise and roasted apple wood notes are inlaid seamlessly on the finish. Shows ample grip and drive. Rock-solid. Best from 2020 through 2030. 15,000 cases made.
A very good rather than a great Léoville-Poyferré perhaps, but this is still a pretty smart Saint Julien from Didier Cuvelier and his team. Cakey and sweet with serious, ageworthy tannins, this needs time to digest its oak, but should develop into a typically impressive red.
The 2014 Leoville-Poyferre was surprisingly backward and tight on the nose (usually it is the most expressive and generous Léoville in its youth). The precision and focus is intact, but it is broody and sultry at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with firm structure, which suggests that it has turned volte face since its opulent showing in barrel. Overall, this comes across as perhaps a slightly more austere and masculine wine from Didier Cuvelier, though that is not a criticism, just an observation. I would like to see a little more persistence on the finish, but the tidings bode well for this mercurial and fascinating Léoville-Poyferre. I can see it improving with bottle age, hence the plus sign against my score. Drink date 2021 - 2045
The Château Léoville-Poyferré 2014 is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot picked between 1 and 14 October, a little later than some of its Saint Julien neighbors. It has one of the most opulent set of aromatics of the appellation, with crème de cassis, boysenberry jam and macerated small dark cherries - an extravagant bouquet in the context of the growing season. The palate is full-bodied with great density and power. There is a lot of weight in this Saint Julien, spicy in the mouth with a healthy pinch of white pepper towards the finish that feels long in the mouth, although I would like to see more finesse coming through by the time of bottling. As usual, this is one of the most decadent Saint Julien wines, but one that is well-crafted by Didier Cuvelier. Give this several years in bottle. Drink: 2021 - 2040.
Another example of 2014's significantly underrated prowess in the northern Médoc, this is an outstanding Léoville Poyferré. Deep purple in colour, the nose layers ripe black fruit, cedar, incense and nutmeg. Intense and inviting, there is real depth and youthful vigour to this wine. The palate is driven and intense, starting with a focused cassis character. Fleshing out through the mid-palate, the fruit is generous and ripe, contained by a bold structure of ripe, chewy tannins. Hints of iron, pink peppercorn, wood smoke and undergrowth start to come through, but the incisive fruit dominates through to a long finish. Power, balance and finesse all in one. Superb. Decant for an hour at least it if you plan on drinking it now, but this should hit its stride in the next 5 years and then drink well for several decades.
Very fine and pretty with blueberry, mineral and hazelnut character. Full body, succulent fruits and tannins, as well as a long finish. Savory. Very polished as always.
