Cave des grands vins
offers a large choice of payment
This Léoville Poyeferre is a colossal success and a potential legend in the making. Its saturated, dense inky/blue/purple color offers up notes of crushed rocks, acacia flowers, blueberries, black raspberries, and creme de cassis. A synthesis of power and elegance, this multi-layered wine has spectacular concentration
![]() | Having previously been strong on Merlot, under the direction of Didier Cuvelier many of the vineyards were replanted, now with a focus on Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, the proportion of the latter variety more than doubled, from 30% to its current figure of 65% (35 hectares), the balance being 25% Merlot (17 hectares), 8% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc (together 11 hectares), planted at a density of 8 500 vines/ha. The vineyard work is largely manual, with early removal of unnecessary shoots, control of yields by debudding and green harvesting, leaf stripping to improve aeration and fruit exposure, hand-pruning and hand-harvesting. Much of the work is led personally by viticultural manager Bruno Clenet, who keeps 30 vines in each plot for his own experimentation, and so that he can learn how the different plots behave. The result of all this work is a yield typically in the order of 45-50 hl/ha. The grand vin is Chateau Léoville-Poyferré (20 000 cases per annum), which goes into barrel where malolactic fermentation occurs. Typically the oak is now 75% new each year. Wines produced from the plots once belonging to the cru bourgeois estate Chateau Moulin Riche (17 000 cases per annum), which was incorporated into the Léoville-Poyferré vineyard in the early 20th Century, are vinified completely in cuve, before transfer into a mix of new and one-year-old barrels. |
Robert Parker : 98 points
"I have had this wine three times out of bottle, rating it 97 once and 98 twice. It is a colossal success and a potential legend in the making. Its saturated, dense inky/blue/purple color offers up notes of crushed rocks, acacia flowers, blueberries, black raspberries, and creme de cassis. A synthesis of power and elegance, this multi-layered wine has spectacular concentration, sweet but high tannin, and low acidity A stunning effort that showcases this legendary terroir, it is a brilliant, brilliant success. The quintessential Leoville Poyferre? Anticipated maturity: 2009-2030." (Apr 2006)
Wine Spectator : 95 points
"Pure cassis on the nose. Impressive. Full-bodied, thick and powerful, withloads of fruit and big, velvety tannins. Goes on for minutes on the palate. Huge wine. Very, very impressive. This is one of the big surprises of the vintage. Best after 2012." (Mar 2006)
Stephen Tanzer : 92 points
"Medium ruby-red. Extravagant aromas of currant, loam, leather and graphite; like the 1990 in its roasted character. Then sweet and dense but with surprising aromatic lift in the mouth, not to mention considerable power. Liqueur-like black fruit, licorice and mineral flavors really stain the palate. Cuvelier maintained that this vintage was not acidified. The cabernet acidity, he said, was healthy and the grape skins gave up their acidity slowly during the vinification. A very impressive showing, and built to last." (Jun 2006)
Bettane et Desseauve : 17/20
"Robe bleutée très dense, grand nez de vendange très mûre de merlot au bord du raisin de Corinthe, ample, tannique, un peu astringent même." (2008)
RVF : 18/20 (2005)