Chateau Leoville Poyferre 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Julien 2014

Tasted two times.

The 2014 Léoville Poyferré is gorgeous. Dark, sumptuous and ample on the palate, it possesses remarkable depth. Dark cherry, plum, smoke, scorched earth, licorice and menthol all flesh out as this radiant, deeply expressive wine shows off its considerable pedigree. The 2014 is going to need time to fully come together, but it is super-impressive.

Drink 2020 - 2039

A ripe, generous and substantial wine for this appellation with some real concentration. Plenty of beautiful currant and blackberry character, as well as a solid core of ripe, dusty and velvety tannins and enough acidity to carry the long, savoury finish. A beauty. 

Better in 2024

The 2014 Léoville-Poyferré is one of the standout Left Bank wines of the vintage. Demonstrating outstanding clarity and freshness on the nose, this seems to just "leap" out of the glass like an over-excited Yorkshire terrier. The palate is medium-bodied with lithe tannins, silky smooth in texture, a perfect line of acidity and a harmonious finish that slips down the throat. This is going to be irresistible for the next 20 years.

Drink 2021 - 2050

60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Harvest 1-14 October.

Real perfume on the nose here, so floral with peonies, rich blackcurrants and summer berry notes. Lovely clarity and precision on the palate, soft and delicate with such poise. It's not so expansive right now, a little shy perhaps, but the quality is excellent with the terroir signatures of wet stone and graphite coming through. This has just an easy-drinking appeal, delicately layered but with a juiciness and tannic structure that will ensure a long life ahead.

Drink 2024 - 2046

Cassis and raspberry fruits, smoked and grilled oak notes, this is highly moreish, a little more savoury in its Cabernet Sauvignon expression than you often find at Poyferré, with raspberry leaf, graphite, undergrowth and baked earth. The tannins remain a little angular, and I suggest another few years in bottle. 80% new oak, harvest October 1 to 14.

Drink 2025 - 2048

A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and the balance Petit Verdot that wasn’t harvested until the middle of October this is later than most), the 2014 Léoville Poyferré is a ripe, concentrated, seriously impressive wine in the vintage that offers more exuberance, texture, and character than most. Crème de cassis, graphite, toasty oak, and hints of tobacco all emerge from this purple-coloured, pure, medium to full-bodied 2014 that has sweet tannin, beautiful purity of fruit, and a great finish. While it doesn’t have the depth of a truly great vintage, it shines for its balance, texture, and sheer charm.

Drink 2018 - 2038