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Château Léoville-Poyferré

One of the three Léoville estates, Poyferré and its peers Barton and Las-Cases have their origins in the grand Léoville estate that dominated St Julien in the 17th and 18th centuries. I have already given an account of the original Léoville estate's ancient history in my profile of Léoville-Las-Cases, and so here I deal only with the division of the property which led to the creation of the three vineyards we know today. The groundwork for the split was laid in 1769, when proprietor Alexandre de Gascq died without an obvious heir, as a consequence the estate coming to four family members, the Marquis de Las-Cases-Beauvoir, his brother and two sisters. Before the end of the century, however, the Revolution forced the Marquis to flee France, and as a result the estate was sequestered and eligible for sale as a national asset. Staving off this eventuality, the family elected to break up the estate and sell it piecemeal, and so initially only one quarter was sold off, that which belonged to the Marquis in exile. This section was the origin of Léoville-Barton. The remaining three quarters remained in the family, and this was the state of affairs when the Marquis was succeeded in 1815 by his son, Pierre-Jean, the Maréchal de Camps under Napoleon. Pierre-Jean inherited most of what remained of the estate from his elders, with a smaller stake coming to his sister, Jeanne. This was effectively the second division of the estate, which was formalised in 1840. Pierre-Jean's holding, half of the original Léoville estate, was the start of Léoville-Las-Cases; Jeanne, who owned just a quarter of the old estate had a daughter who married Baron Jean-Marie de Poyferré, and thus her vineyards were destined to become Léoville-Poyferré.

Although the estate bears the name of the Poyferré family to this day, it was not in their ownership for any great length of time. Nevertheless their tenure was a significant one; it was under the direction of the Poyferré family that the estate was ranked as a deuxième cru in the 1855 classification, a coup matched by both the Barton and Las-Cases estates. It was also around this time, however, that oidium began to ravage the region and it was this, perhaps compounded by financial difficulties consequent upon some ill-judged investments, that prompted Baron Jean-Marie's son to sell off many of his assets. In 1865 Château Léoville-Poyferré was purchased by Baron d'Erlanger and Armand Lalande, bankers and local courtiers. The Lalande family, and later through marriage also the Lawton family, held tenure here until World War I had passed. Perhaps prompted by these terrible events, compounded by the economic depression of the era and the ravaging of the vineyard by phylloxera and mildew at the end of the 19th century, the Lawton family sold the estate on to the current owners, the Cuvelier family.

The Cuvelier family were already well known in Bordeaux as négociants, the Maison de Négoce de Vins Henri Cuvelier having been established in Haubourdin in 1804. It was not until the early 20th century, however, that Paul and Albert Cuvelier, Henri's descendents, began to acquire vineyards in the region. They began in 1903 with Château Le Crock and later on in 1913 with Camensac, although their ownership of the latter was short-lived. There followed a hiatus during World War I, during which Paul Cuvelier and his nephews spent much time in Argentina, a repose which seems significant in view of the family's purchase, admittedly more than 80 years later, of vineyards in that country.

The Cuvelier Renaissance

The acquisition of Léoville-Poyferré was without doubt the jewel in the Cuvelier crown. Nevertheless they did not choose to direct operations at their new acquisition themselves, instead electing to employ Roger Delon, of the same Delon family that was managing (eventually owning the property outright) neighbouring Léoville-Las-Cases, to run the estate. Originally the arrangement worked well, as quality at Léoville-Poyferré was high, but over the ensuing decades the situation deteriorated. Under Max Cuvelier, the next generation, there was no significant improvement. The wines of Château Léoville-Poyferré were, for a long time, a sequence of sorry disappointments. During the 1960s and 1970s the wines were charmless and ungiving, to the dismay of those who were aware of Léoville-Poyferré's history and fine terroir, all of which suggested it had the potential to produce perhaps one of the greatest red wines of the Médoc, akin to Léoville-Las-Cases and Léoville Barton. But as the saying goes, the night is darkest just before the dawn; in 1979 the baton was passed to Max's son, Didier Cuvelier. Trained as an accountant, first sight of Didier might not have inspired much hope, but his arrival in fact marked the beginning of the Poyferré renaissance which has continued through into the early years of the 21st century.

Cuvelier had a good head when it came to Bordeaux; although not a winemaker, he took appropriate advice, first from Professor Emile Peynaud, and later from Michel Rolland. There was extensive investment, particularly in the vineyard, with increased planting of Cabernet Sauvignon being one important change. There was extensive modernisation of the facilities too, the chai being rebuilt in 1984 and then again in 1990, underground water storage installed in 1983, a tasting room and plenty of new wood in the cellars; recent vintages have seen as much as 75% new oak. With Didier Cuvelier at the helm, things at Léoville-Poyferré started to turn around. There were a number of favourable vintages during the 1980s, particularly 1982, 1983 and 1985, and there were some lovely wines bearing the Poyferré label. During the 1990s and early years of the 21st century quality has truly been in the ascendant, and it seems clear that Poyferré is again producing the standard of wines of which it has always been capable.

The Vineyard

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 8500 vines/ha. Along with the program of planting the vineyard expanded, from just 48 hectares in 1979 to its current 80 hectares, matching the area committed to the vine during the Belle Epoque, before the 20th century decline took hold.

In the vineyard the vines are encouraged to root deeply by an annual working over of the soil to a depth of 50 cm in alternate rows. 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.

Before the harvest begins Didier Cuvelier, Michel Rolland, Bruno Clenet, oenologist Isabelle Davin and maître de chai Didier Thomann walk and taste in the vineyards in order to plan the picking. The process can be repeated on a weekly basis until the team decide the that the time is right for the harvest to begin. Once underway, the fruit is picked into small crates for transport to the chai where they are sorted mechanically and by hand twice over, before pressing and fermentation.

Vinification and Wines

The wines are fermented in the 35 temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats of varying sizes, then macerated for three to four weeks, before selection is made. The grand vin is Château Léoville-Poyferré (20000 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 Château Moulin Riche (17000 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.

The issue of a second wine at Léoville-Poyferré is a slightly complicated one, up until the 2001 vintage this being a role filled by Pavillon des Connetables. With the absorption of Moulin Riche into the vineyard, however, this label was used as the Poyferré second wine, if I understand correctly, in the 2002 and 2003 vintages. Since then Moulin Riche seems to have regained its separate identity somewhat, and from the 2004 vintage the new second label - which takes wine from vats felt to be of insufficient quality for either Léoville-Poyferré or Moulin Riche - is Pavillon de Poyferré, raised in one- and two-year-old barrels. All the wines see 18 to 20 months in oak, with racking every three months and an eventual fining with egg whites before bottling.

Thankfully putting such label confusion aside, it is the grand vin Léoville-Poyferré that appeals to most here, and it is a wine that has shown a dramatic improvement over the last two decades. They have a distinct style, in earlier vintages richer and more open, perhaps, although still quite classically St Julien, quite classically Bordeaux, but in more recent vintages also very structured, serious, joyous and yet cerebral too. The 1996 perhaps marks a turning point, the first tangible evidence of a true renaissance, although by this time there had already been marked improvement. Today the wines show a defined fleshiness and seductive nature which they did not possess before, a feature surely attributable to the dedication and commitment of Didier Cuvelier and his team, if not the continued consultation from Michel Rolland. Léoville-Poyferré is no longer the black sheep of the Léoville family; this estate now plays on an equal footing with Léoville-Barton; a different style, of course, Barton being the more reserved, harder, more backward style early on, a contrast to Poyferré's slightly more voluptuous nature, but little different in terms of absolute quality. These wines deserve to be on the shopping list of any St Julien savant. (15/1/03, updated 9/2/07, 17/6/09)

Contact details:
Address: Château Léoville-Poyferré, 33250 St-Julien-Beychevelle
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 56 59 08 30
Fax: +33 (0) 5 56 59 60 09
Internet: www.leoville-poyferre.fr
GPS: 45.164059, -0.740885

Château Léoville-Poyferré - Tasting Notes

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Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 2010: The assemblage here is 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, the pH 3.7, and the alcohol comes in at 14%. Léoville-Poyferré, by comparison with Léoville-Barton, has a slightly less dense, more vibrant crimson hue. There is though a denser style to the fruit here, more damson and cherry, dusted with sweet icing sugar; I suspect this reflects the 30% Merlot. The palate is amazing though, showing a very relaxed and elegant start, with an almost juicy feel as it sits in a very open and relaxed style, underpinned by firm grainy tannins and very subtle, tingling acidity. This is very fine in its composition. Again, silky is the word here. Very fine indeed. From my Bordeaux 2010 primeurs assessment. 18-19/20 (April 2011)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 2009: A touch darker than the Léoville-Barton in the glass, this has the greater accessibility sometimes seen in Léoville-Poyferré at this stage, with a more seductive and nutty edge from the oak, and the fruit showing a more fleshy, sexy forest fruit and bramble character. It certainly has immediate appeal. The palate is very primary and everything is there in certain measure, with polished forest fruits accompanied by a building wall of tannin which comes through to express itself fully on the midpalate, a rare finding in this vintage where flesh and sweet substance generally rule at this stage it seems. But there is fruit there, and the tannins are ripe, meaty, almost chocolatey, and they do not seem out of kilter with the rest of the wine. In fact, it tasted more how I would expect Bordeaux to taste at this age....but with knobs on. Very impressive, clearly a wine set for decades in the cellar, and the end result may well be stunning. From a tasting of 2009 Bordeaux at two years of age. 19/20 (October 2011)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 2009: An intensely black hue at the core here, with a vibrant blue-crimson rim. The nose has some very rich and meaty fruit, with a great smoky depth. Creamed fruit character, dense but evocative. The palate is rather cool and detached on entry, with a supple layer of fruit. Underneath, a bold, spicy layer of acidity. The tannins are ripe and well managed, coating the mouth, taking the wine forward into a crisply defined and spicy finish. Very long too. Delicious and very well made wine; I prefer its Barton contemporary, but maybe that's just me. So many prefer Poyferré these days. From my 2009 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 17.5-18.5+/20 (March 2010)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 2008: Really polished fruit on the nose here, smooth and creamy finish to it, with a sense of structure and gravity underpinning it. Almost sensuous on entry, revealing only glimpses of the tannic structure underneath, nicely hidden by a layer of well-judged fruit above. The fruit quality is fresh and kept buoyant by some lovely acidity. Elegance in abundance, manifesting as a silky composition on the palate, but with a high quality substance here. And certainly well-judged ripeness. Excellent wine with great potential, and one of the greats of the vintage, on the left bank at least. From a tasting of 2008 Bordeaux at two years of age. 18.5+/20 (October 2010)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 2008: Dense fruit here, more meaty in style than the Barton equivalent. Fresh and supple on the palate, creamy, with black cherry character. Dense and rich, but with good tannin. Well balanced acids, substantial, very concentrated, with a meaty richness. It shows but fruit than the Barton, but it has the same backward structure, and lots of potential. From my 2008 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 17.5-18.5+/20 (April 2009)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 2007: There is smoke and cedar on the nose here, dark fruit with somewhat more meaty tones than that which I found in the Léoville-Barton. It is dark and a little sooty too. The palate seems supple and relaxed (whereas Léoville-Barton was more linear and tight) but there is still a very fine definition here, and it holds together very well, with the structural elements very nicely contained within the substance of the wine. A good weight to the finish. This is a very good effort indeed for the vintage. From a 2007 Bordeaux tasting at four years of age. 16/20 (November 2011)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 2007: Nutty oak here, alongside some gently perfumed fruit, the two working quite nicely together. An attractive palate, showing a little substance, with spices and good fruit acidity. Light and supple tannins, a little more bold than some wines. This has structure and some potential, and a little more length than some too. A good effort. From a tasting of 2007 Bordeaux at two years of age. 16+/20 (October 2009)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 2007: A very flattering, rounded nose showing attractive clean fruit and some new oak. A good density, greater than many of its peers in this vintage. More obvious forepalate concentration, and a nice creaminess in the midpalate. A supple composition, well covered ripe tannins and balanced acidity. Very good potential here. From my 2007 Bordeaux en primeur assessment. 16-17+/20 (April 2008)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 2006: A little more open than the Léoville-Barton, more expressive, full of iron-bound clay and earth, overlaid with a crisp fruit character, crunchy autumn leaves, depth and freshness intertwined. Yes, it is as enticing as I hope it sounds. The flesh on the palate has a soft and broad character, polished, not quite the fine vigour of the Barton, although there is grip and some fine acids to be found here. Very attractive, substantial and long but I think for me the Barton just edges it, even if a return for a second taste reveals a more firm and upright character than I first noted. From a 2006 Bordeaux tasting at four years of age. 17.5+/20 (November 2010)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 2006: This has a lovely character on the nose, beautifully sweet fruit, in a very different fashion to the corresponding Barton, with a much more open, accessible style. The fruit is dense though, and on the palate it is supple, with ripe tannins showing quite dry through the midpalate, and with nice acidity too. This is good. From a tasting of 2006 Bordeaux at two years of age. 17+/20 (October 2008)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 2006: This has some forceful, seemingly plump, ripe, smoky fruit on the nose. It has depth. A moderate texture, attractive, a touch light on texture although there is the barest hint of cream to it at the edge. Soft, ripe tannins, attractive correct acidity. Nice, rather plump as the nose suggested, nicely put together. It feels a bit soft and modern to me, but may firm up and will please many I think. From my 2006 Bordeaux assessment. 16-17/20 (April 2007)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 2005: Between the preceding two wines, the Barton pair of Langoa and Léoville, in terms of aromatic expression, perhaps with a slightly darker grain of fruit, richer and rather more intense. Great, pure, very stylish, a slightly more creamy presence on the palate than Barton, still with a very fine layer of structure beneath. Great tannic core, really rather grippy, although it certainly has the substance to cope. Fine acids too, bright and lifted fruit presence. Without doubt this is the equal of Barton, and it is great to see Poyferré perform at this level these days. Stylistically different, fleshier and more exotic perhaps, but certainly lovely quality here. From a 2005 Bordeaux tasting at four years of age. 19+/20 (November 2009)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 2005: A great colour, and a wonderful purity on the nose, with essence of dark summer berry fruits being the order of the day, with a touch of white pepper. This has great depth and is clearly very impressive. It has a ripe, balanced, rounded composition, it is very firmly glued together, but has a sweet, harmonious character which is immediately appealing. There are ripe, svelte tannins which show through only at the finish. Very nicely judged extract. Very fine indeed. From my tasting of 2005 Bordeaux at two years of age. 18+/20 (October 2007)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 2004: Darker in character, and more exotic than the Léoville-Barton on the nose, although it still seems quite tightly packed together, with restrained and dark fruit closely intertwined with smoky, exotic aromas. It starts off very gentle and composed on the palate, before opening out to show some ripe peppery tannins, firm acidity and a nice, vinous style. This has good substance, plenty of grip in the mouth, and a firm, meaty finish. This is very nicely held together, and overall is very good indeed. From a 2004 Bordeaux tasting at four years of age. 17.5+/20 (November 2008)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 2003: Dark, exotic fruit nose. Damsons, with a hint of blackcurrant. Ripe, balanced, seamless structure. It has a gentle elegance, with creamy fruit and a peppery edge. Really gentle, fine tannins and correct acidity. This is very good indeed. Certainly the equal of Léoville Barton, if not slightly ahead. From my 2003 Bordeaux assessment. 17+/20 (October 2005)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 1999: An intense red-purple wine, like many in this flight. Initially very closed on the nose, but opens up to reveal dense, ripe, sweet fruit. An impressive presence on the palate, stuffed full of sweet fruit. Good acidity. Slightly hard texture, but less prominent tannin than some of the other wines. Five years in the cellar needed here. 16.5+/20 (January 2003)

Pavillon des Connetables (St Julien) 1999: This wine is giving little away on the nose at the present. There is a suggestion of some class, and this shows through on a somewhat light palate. Sharp acidity and dry, spicy tannins support a layer of blackcurrant and fruitcake spice. Has some style. From a Majestic press tasting. 15+/20 (November 2001)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 1998: Another intense, red-purple wine. The nose doesn't give too much - some sweet mineral-edged fruit. Quite classy. Bags of structure on the palate. It's a massive, hard wine, with hidden fruit and plenty of tannin. Moderate acidity. Five years in the cellar needed here. 16.5+/20 (January 2003)

Château Moulin-Riche (St Julien) 1998: Dense red-purple wine. Plentiful fruit on the nose, with a raspberry, blackberry and sweet blackcurrant profile. Round, firm structure, with good fruit and fresh, clean acidity. Still some spicy tannins but drinkable now. It has balance. Overall this is a richer, purer wine than the others in this flight. 15.5+/20 (January 2003)

Château Moulin-Riche (St Julien) 1997: A fairly dense red wine, demonstrating more maturity than the other two in this flight. Quite classic and elegant on the nose - violets and flower petals, black fruits and a touch of smoke. Some fatness on the palate, with dense, sweet and smoky fruit. Good acidity. The gentlest streak of tannins on the finish but overall ready, approachable and very attractive. 15.5/20 (January 2003)

Château Moulin-Riche (St Julien) 1997: Good density of colour. Closed down on the nose, with just a suggestion of some stylish claretty fruit. Plummy, spiced black fruits on entry, with a good texture. Nice tannic structure. From a Majestic press tasting. 15.5/20 (November 2001)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 1996: A dark red-purple wine. There are aromas of dense, sweet blackcurrant fruit, cherries and minerals on the nose. The palate offers plenty of sweetness and a full, rounded texture. There's a nice weight, lots of fruit and ripe tannins in the finish. Good acidity. This is nowhere near as hard and backward as when last tasted in April 2001, and is clearly coming out of its shell. Nevertheless I would recommend another two or three years before trying another. 18.5+/20 (January 2003)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 1996: A great, deep purple colour leads to a nose of cassis fruit, with a classic stony-mineral St Julien edge appearing, not present on last tasting. A fruit-packed palate, with lovely texture and impressive structure. Less austere than last time, but still a real keeper. Expect to cellar for 10 years or more. From a tasting at Edencroft. 18+/20 (February 2002)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 1996: A dense and dark wine. Powerful, dark blackcurrant fruit. Slightly hard and austere. Similarly austere on the palate, with deep, rich fruit and a good tannic backbone. A big yet balanced wine. Found hiding in a vertical tasting of Château Léoville-Barton. 18.5+/20 (April 2001)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 1995: A red-purple wine. Classy, youthful, typical St Julien on the nose. Sweet blackcurrant fruit. Closes down in the glass after a little while. Fat and rounded texture on the palate. Plenty of fruit. Lots of tannin on the finish, but acidity on the low side. This one needs two or three years more in the cellar. 17.5+/20 (January 2003)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 1994: This has a remarkable dense hue, with an obviously evolved, mahogany hue despite the near-opaque appearance. The nose has a fine aromatic quality, rich in balsamic tones, very evolved but also bright and forceful. It is also very clean - should the term balsamic suggest something vinegary let me be clear this is not so - there is nothing acetic here. Instead we have sweet perfumed black fruits, overlaid with dark liquorice with an angelica sweetness, moving into a richness that even suggests treacle toffee sprinkled with burnt raspberries. Aromatically, it is enticing and convincing. It is on the palate that the character of the vintage shows, the balsamic and liquorice fruit, mixed here with graphite, stone, black olive and tar, carried along within a surprisingly lean texture. For my palate it works well, and I like the precise edge of the texture in combination with that very savoury fruit profile, but many drinkers of modern Bordeaux may wonder where the flesh and sweetness is. This all flows through the palate very well, accepting this edgy texture, and towards the end it does indeed show a richer body, and there is a little length as well, although always with that crunchy, crushed, fruit-skin feel to it. The tannins show a little in the finish too, adding just a little sharpness, but otherwise this seems perfectly integrated now. Delicious. Drinking well, although it will keep for some time yet. From a tasting of 1994 Bordeaux. 17.5/20 (August 2011)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 1994: Lovely colour, still with depth, good intensity at the rim, and a hue that suggests youthfulness. And a classic nose, too. Stylish, very typical, mineral fruit, with some exotic soy sauce and liquorice notes. Full, structured, very dry, with grippy tannins still showing through the midpalate, good depth and texture, and more than a little extract here. Smoky, stony fruit. Short finish with some furry tannins. Just at the stage I like claret - still with fruit, but balanced, with largely integrated tannins, and showing interest and typicity. And still probably on the way up. At best over the next 5-8 years. 17.5+/20 (February 2005)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 1986: The colour in the decanter is really quite vibrant, showing a deeper hue with no great maturity to its tones. Yes, there is a slight hint of oxblood to it at the rim, but overall it has plenty of deep and dark pigment suggesting freshness and depth. Aromatically there are plenty of positive notes, a real blast of liquorice and high-toned black fruits at first, as it settles in the decanter and the glass revealing more interest, although not in an entirely desirable manner. There is a mature, savoury, suggestion of sweetly braised beef on the nose, with a gamey touch which I like. There are also fleeting touches of green though, nuances of green olive, eucalyptus and sharp fruit; happily it is not domineering, and there is plenty of red-black fruit substance here as well. A good freshness on the palate, full and rich, with a really grippy structure through the middle. The vintage has a reputation for being tannic and hard, but the tannins here give a really appealing frame for the rest of the palate, and there is certainly good weight and fresh, bright acidity too. This comes through in the finish, which has a semi-sour bite and fine acids. The greener notes found on the nose do not really come through on the palate. The fruit has a bright raspberry and blackcurrant tone even after all these years. It has a really appealing supple weight through the middle, with a soft and cleanly fading finish. Overall an appealing wine with a vigorous finish. What it lacks is finesse and the multi-faceted complexity ageing wines can bring. There are some notes of black tea leaves, but little else, There is time ahead for this wine, admittedly, but I'm not convinced it will suddenly blossom. To describe it as foursquare would be a bit mean, but it is certainly a bold and substantial rather than multifaceted wine. Good with venison, though! For label images and more see my Wine of the Week write-up. 17/20 (December 2011)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 1985: A good colour, although also demonstrating some maturity. The nose is much more vibrant and typical than those of the preceding two wines. It is dense, with plenty of blackcurrant fruits, minerals and rose petals. Textbook St Julien. Great balance and fluidity on the palate, the hallmark for me of the 1985 vintage. Correct, integrated tannins and acidity. Overall supple, attractive and very approachable. Wonderful stuff. 18.5/20 (January 2003)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 1983: Moderately deep hue. Reserved, stylish nose, a touch floral, with red fruit notes. Textured palate, a little creamy, although it doesn't quite have the desired body through the midpalate. Integrated tannins and good flavour though. A little length. Good, although this château has turned out much better wines in more recent vintages. Ready now. From a Bordeaux 1983 tasting. 16/20 (February 2005)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 1983: A mature colour, but still with bright red nuances. Sweet, ripe but gamey fruit on the nose. This is followed by a lovely presence on the palate. A meaty, mouthfilling weight, with plenty of sweet fruit. A low level of ripe tannins provide some backbone, and there's correct acidity. This is a more brawny, slightly harder wine, and lacks the elegance of some other vintages. Nevertheless, there is quality here. 17/20 (January 2003)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 1982: Of the three wines here this has the greatest depth of colour, yet also demonstrates the most evidence of maturity. Obvious style on the nose, the dense, pure fruit joined by complex mineral and meaty aromas. The palate has richness, but also balance and elegance. There's plenty of everything - it still has lots of fruit, and there are still some tannins on the endpalate and finish. Good acidity too. Pleasing length. 18.5/20 (January 2003)

Château Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien) 1961: A moderately deep colour here, a little murky perhaps, but an attractive appearance all the same. A sweet, meaty, roasted nose, with a glorious perfumed character. It has a mineral freshness, edged with a little toffee and cloves. Finely textured on the palate, sweet and rounded, quite complete, a touch fleshy and grippy, this is really admirable. A little freshness too. Very good indeed. From a 1961 Bordeaux tasting. 17/20 (June 2007)