Chateau Leoville Poyferre 2017

Still showing pronounced aging: plenty of oak on the palate as well, but with polished tannins and beautifully mastered extract, true to its style and to the vintage’s typicity.

Warm and rich in feel, with layers of steeped plum, fig and blackberry paste flavors cruising along, framed by cocoa notes and backed by a swath of graphite structure on the tar-tinged finish. Shows a bit more heft than purity, but this is rock-solid nonetheless. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2023 through 2037.

This wine brings balance to the solid tannins and luscious fruits. Firm tannins plus layers of acidity give freshness and great aging ability. The wine has a great future. Drink from 2024.

Much more bramble aromas, still quite expressive, a little bit vegetal on the nose still, more direct and straight. Lovely hit of bright red and black fruits on the palate, fills the mouth with a soft juicines, this has more of a velvet texture - the tannins and juice integrated and balanced to give a good mouthfeel. Not massively complex but it's elegant and charming, very linear and direct from start to finish. There's a nice presence here, nice purity, a nice harmony here. Nice lift at the end too, bright and cheery. Totally charming with a backing of soft exotic spicing - black pepper, liquorice, clove and dusting of milk chocolate with the blackcurrant and black cherry. Menthol ending. Really lovely and surprising. 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot. Harvest 20 September-3 October.

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. Serious for the vintage. Drinkable now, but much better in 2022.

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.

The wine already displays cassis, herbs, tobacco leaf, espresso and dark chocolate notes. On the palate, the wine is fresh, silky and focuses on its layers of sweet red berries, cocoa, herbs and spice. There is a lot of lift here, along with a crispness in the fruit on the palate and in the finish. Lay this down for at least 6-8 years before pulling a cork.

Deep dark ruby, with purple reflections, and a delicate bright rim. Lovely blackberry fruit, with subtle hints of liquorice and fine oak, and orange zest in the background. On the palate juicy, cherry, elegant, fine tannins, fresh and balanced, with discreet sweet fruit on the finish, and a slightly salty aftertaste. It is charming in a surprisingly delicate style.

Intense inky colour. Pure and modern nose offering fine oak, violet, ripe dark berries, cassis, cigar box and some gravelly notes. Fine palate with high density and freshness underlined by really polished tannins, digest dark fruit flavours and a mild spiciness leading to a long and muscular finish. Youthful but balanced with excellent potential, a fine example combining density and freshness.

Based on a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Chateau Leoville-Poyferre saw malolactic in barrels and spent 18 months in 80% new French oak. Sporting a deep ruby/purple hue, it delivers big, powerful notes of blackberries, blackcurrants, crushed violets, tobacco, and a touch of chocolate. Possessing medium to full-bodied richness, a rounded, opulent texture, and sweet tannins, it’s unquestionably one of the biggest, richest wines in the vintage. Give bottles 4-6 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following 2-3 decades. Tasted twice.

Garnet with a ruby rim. Deep bouquet of plum and sloe juice, followed by a delicate touch of violet and Virginia tobacco. A powerful palate with an elegant texture, a massive, demanding tannic framework and a brawny body. In the tightly knit finish, dried damson skin and freshly crushed black peppercorns. Barrel ageing has brought about an extraordinary transformation, and it currently evokes the powerful 2014!

Kunz Fassprobe 18: (68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, 50 hl/ha, 13.2% vol. alcohol) A velvety, dense, complex, sweet bouquet with blackcurrant, mulberry, delicate plum notes, cedar and tobacco. A tightly knit, elegant, powerful palate with plenty of fine tannin, deep dark aromatics, a finely muscular structure, velvety fruit, and a long, dense, aromatic finish with many lingering echoes. Can still improve.

Deep, closed, dark bouquet with notes of blackcurrant, blackberries, liquorice and fine woods. Powerful, tightly knit palate with plenty of ripe tannin, dense structure, dark fruit and bold, dark aromatics, leading to a long, full finish. Can still improve. 18/20 2024 - 2045

Smoky aromatics, as is often the case in the lighter vintages at this estate, as the oak regime becomes more apparen. Rather than being intrusive, it adds an enticing feeling of glamour, and the silky texture of the fruit is immediately apparant, as are the high levels of juicy blue fruits. Chocolate shavings liqourice and fresh mint leaf. The frost that affected so many estates in 2017 had no impact here, and the yields reached a full 52hl/h. Last vintage under Didier Cuvelier. You can wait, but there is plenty to enjoy about this vintage even at this early stage. 80% new oak.

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.

The 2017 vintage is settling in nicely, retaining its charm and lovely definition. A creamy, round wine.

Fruity, juicy, elegant, deep, indulgent, taut, with a lovely acidic backbone, round and polished tannins, and a very long finish.

Poyferré’s bouquet sets the tone right away! No half-measures here: it’s intense and complex. I pick up mineral and fruity notes. A pleasant freshness with a hint of mint, followed by iris notes. On the palate, the wine is generous and compact, supported by carrying tannins that provide backbone alongside the structure. A full-bodied, fresh Poyferré with excellent ageing potential. A refined, fruity and persistent finish.

The nose is powerful and powdery, offering intensity along with a fine, tightly knit texture. It reveals notes of wild blackberry, small black fruits and, more subtly, redcurrant, alongside hints of small blue fruits, lily, and touches of liquorice, tobacco and a discreet hint of star anise. The palate is balanced and powdery, delivering delicious richness, a touch of intensity, a certain juiciness, precision, energy/dynamism, and an elegant, fine, tightly woven tannic framework. On the palate, the wine expresses notes of fleshy/juicy blackcurrant, fleshy/juicy boysenberry and, more lightly, fleshy redcurrant, combined with hints of lilac, lily, racy minerality and tonka bean. Lovely powdery, elegant, delicate tannins. Fine sapidity and gourmand richness on the finish / persistence.

A dark, deep, beautiful colour. A highly aromatic nose, with fresh, ripe fruit and a slightly creamy feel. Both delicate and very precise on the palate at the outset, then broader through the mid-palate and aromatic, the wine carries through to a finish with a finely rounded texture—savory, long and particularly enjoyable.