Chateau Leoville Poyferre 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Julien 2003

Gorgeous stuff and certainly one of the gems in the vintage, the 2003 Château Léoville Poyferré reveals a healthy ruby/plum hue with no signs of bricking. Ripe currants, sappy tobacco, cedar pencil, and minty herbs all define the aromatics, and it's full-bodied on the palate, with a layered, round, lush texture. Its tannins are soft and beautifully integrated, and it has terrific balance and a gorgeous finish.

The spectacular 2003 Leoville Poyferre exhibits a dense purple color with a touch of lightening at the edge as well as notes of creosote, barbecue smoke, jammy black currants, licorice and spice box. This intense, voluptuously textured, full-bodied St.-Julien possesses low acidity and ripe tannin. Still fresh and exuberant, it is just entering its plateau of full maturity where it should remain for 10-15+ years.

I love the rich and opulent nose to this with flowers, plums and currants. Full and powerful with great freshness and balance. Still a little tight, yet dense and intense. Wonderful wine through and through. Leave it alone for five or six years still. Pull the cork after 2016.

A Cabernet Sauvignon dominant blend, this is young, still knittted down but extremely charming, and again very classic, more so than you might expect from a vintage with this heat during the growing season. Plenty of cassis, bilberry, blackberry fruits that are ripe but not overly so, still with texture and juice. Suprisingly fresh with tannic hold along with grilled cedar, cinammon and turmeric spice, not at all what you might expect, and I'm going to call this as one of the best examples of the 2003 vintage that you will be able to find - and clearly having a moment, as this is an upscore from the last time I tasted it. One to open and to enjoy over the next five years but no great rush. Harvest 11 September to 26 September. 80% new oak.

The 2003 Leoville Poyferre is medium garnet with a touch of brick. It sashays out of the glass with a beautiful nose of kirsch, raspberry pie, Black Forest cake, and chocolate box plus hints of wilted rose petals, garrigue, fertile loam, and cigar box. Medium to full-bodied, firm, chewy, and savory in the mouth, it has a long, earth-laced finish.

The 2003 Léoville-Poyferré has always been one of this infamous vintage’s success stories. Perhaps in recent years it has lost some of its vigour on the nose with black plum, brown spices, leather and that light Bovril aroma, but there is better delineation than many others. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and quite savoury. It is beginning to show some dryness and little monotony on the finish. I wonder whether its best days are behind it? Still a very decent showing however. Tasted at the Léoville-Poyferré vertical at the château with Sara Lecompte Cuvelier..