2021 Château Léoville Poyferré En Primeur
2021 Léoville Poyferré is a different beast compared to recent vintages, with its usual seductive, glycerin-textured silky mouthfeel joined by fresher aromas and a more focused, linear palate. Galloni is impressed by this balance, saying it "brings more richness and depth than most in the vintage and is unquestionably going to offer tons of pleasure over the coming 20-25 years. (94-97 points)".
Bordeaux En Primeur, landing in spring 2024
To order, e-mail us at sales@richardkihl.ltd.uk
Producer Profile
Château Léoville Poyferré, St.-Julien
Château Léoville Poyferré is a Deuxième Grand Cru Classé in St.-Julien. Originally part of the great Léoville estate, Decanter's Jane Anson sums up the history thus:
"The Léoville estate itself dates back to around 1740 and Alexandre de Gascq-Léoville. He was a nobleman from Gascony who married the great-granddaughter of Jean de Moytié, the man who first planted vines on the site in 1638. It was de Gascq who changed the name of the estate from Mont-Moytié to Léoville.
Back in the 1700s, Domaine de Léoville was among the very first properties in Bordeaux to trellis its vines (with pine stakes) and also among the first to begin rinsing the barrels with a sulphur solution to protect the wine from bacterial spoilage before transportation. When soon-to-be US president Thomas Jefferson visited the region in 1788, he praised the wine and referred to it as ‘Lionville’.
The heirs of de Gascq-Léoville kept the large estate intact until the French Revolution, after which Hugh Barton acquired part of it and established Château Léoville-Barton in 1826. The rest of the Léoville vineyard was subsequently divided between Pierre-Jean de Las Cases, who founded Château Léoville-Las Cases in 1840, and his sister Jeanne Las Cases. Her daughter married Baron Jean-Marie Poyferré de Cerès and Château Léoville- Poyferré was created."
This explains why Poyferré, like Barton, does not have its own château. Today, Poyferré's vineyards extend to 80 hectares, split into numerous small parcels across the appellation, but centring on the deep gravel soils of the Léoville plateau, ideal for Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyards are planted to 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc, with an average vine age of 38 years.
The estate has been owned by the Cuvelier family since the 1920s. Didier Cuvelier retired in 2017 and his niece, Sara Lecomte Cuvelier has taken over as Director, with Isabelle Davin as oenologist.
(*The three Léovilles, Jane Anson, Decanter, Nov 2017)
| RED | 2021 | 1 case | Château Léoville Poyferré | 75cl | £215 per case of 3 | Château Léoville Poyferré 2021 / 1 case / 75cl £215 per case of 3 |
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| RED | 2021 | 3 cases | Château Léoville Poyferré | 75cl | £430 per case of 6 | Château Léoville Poyferré 2021 / 3 cases / 75cl £430 per case of 6 |
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Tasting Notes"60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. Cask sample. Deep, bright colour. Attractive nose with dark-fruit and floral notes and a creamy edge. Rich and round on attack with ample substance and a juiciness to the fruit. Tannins plentiful but fine and integrated. Grip and persistence on the finish. Clear potential. 13% Drink 2030 – 2046. 17+ points" jancisrobinson.com (JL)------"The 2021 Léoville-Poyferré was picked from 28 September until 12 October at just 24hL/ha and matured in 80% new oak, the remainder second-fill. It has a high-toned, concentrated bouquet with iodine-infused black fruit, becoming floral in the glass with scents of crushed violet. The palate is medium-bodied with Poyferré's trademark velvety smooth tannins. Fine depth, though clearly not as ostentatious as the previous three vintages, it is a more streamlined Poyferré, though that renders the wine well-balanced. There is just a dash of black pepper on the finish, though it just misses a little persistency on the aftertaste. But overall, a fine Saint-Julien that should give many years of drinking pleasure. 13.0% alcohol. 92-94 points" Neal Martin, Vinous.com------"The 2021 Léoville Poyferré shows considerable promise, wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet berries and plums mingled with spices, licorice and petals, framed by a deft touch of creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, supple and fleshy, it's a polished, charming wine with a pretty core of fruit, lively acids and ripe, powdery tannins, concluding with a penetrating finish. It's a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. 93-94+ points" William Kelley, RobertParker.com------"The 2021 Léoville-Poyferré is classy and polished right out of the gate. All the classic Poyferré signatures come through, but in miniature. The 2021 impresses with its pliant fruit, silky tannins and fine balance. To be sure, the 2021 is a smaller-scaled wine than the norm here over the last few years, but that is the charm of this vintage. Inky dark fruit, pencil shavings, licorice and menthol build into the super-expressive finish. Tasted three times. 93-95 points" Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com------"The top wine, the 2021 Château Léoville Poyferré is a beauty and certainly makes the most of the vintage. Based on 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot that hit 14% alcohol (with an IPT of 78 and a pH of 3.85), its dense purple hue is followed by a rich, concentrated, medium to full-bodied Saint-Julien that has terrific purity of fruit, notes of cassis, violets, and spicy wood, ripe tannins, and remarkable overall balance. It brings more richness and depth than most in the vintage and is unquestionably going to offer tons of pleasure over the coming 20-25 years. 94-97 points" Jebdunnuck.com |
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