Chateau Leoville Poyferre 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Julien 1996

The colour is starting to take on the brick-edged ruby that fully mature Bordeaux reaches and retains for decades in the best cases. Freshness is still very much in play, along with tobacco, cigar box and eucalyptus. 1996 was a brilliant vintage in the Médoc and it shows. This is a near perfect 20-year-old Bordeaux; there is the generous signature of Léoville Poyferré wine but at this point St-Julien balance and finesse has taken over, just relax and enjoy the results.

This fabulous 1996 was tasted three times from bottle, and it is unquestionably the finest wine produced by this estate since their blockbuster 1990. Medium to full-bodied, with a saturated black/purple color, the nose offers notes of cedar, jammy black fruits, smoke, truffles, and subtle new oak. In the mouth, there is impressive fruit extraction, a tannic, full-bodied structure, and a classic display of power and finesse. The longer it sat in the glass, the more impressive the wine became. Backward, and massive in terms of its extract and richness, this should prove to be a sensational Leoville-Poyferre for drinking over the next three decades.

Deep ruby-red. Expressive aromas of plum, currant, game, woodsmoke and tobacco. Denser and sweeter than the '97 or '98; structured but pliant. Finishes quite long, with dusty, very fine tannins nicely buffered by fruit.

The 1996 Léoville Poyferré is an inconsistent performer, and this ex-château magnum does nothing to allay my fears that it is a rare instance of now-retired proprietor Didier Cuvelier fumbling what on paper is a great Left Bank vintage. Given that the Cabernet Sauvignon had plenty of time to ripen after the September rains, it comes across a little disjointed and leafy on the nose, as if finding it impossible to settle into a groove. The palate is quite masculine and tannic, with just a little dryness coming though. An uncharacteristically “serious” Léoville-Poyferré that would benefit from more flesh and tension toward the finish. Could. Do. Better? Tasted at Giando’s restaurant in Hong Kong.