Beautiful blueberries and blackberries with some blackcurrants and flowers on the nose. Some black olives and crushed stones, too. Full-bodied with creamy tannins and lovely depth. The tannins are so integrated and plush, but fine-grained. Persistent finish. A red that gives wonderful pleasure now, but will continue to do so for decades ahead. Rating: 97 L&S (Mar 2021)
12
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Cool, fresh and great purity. Lovely silky, firm feel. Floral delicacy, high tone, no lack of pure currant and cassis fruit, positively lacy in its detail and precision. Savour and spice too. Tangy, vibrant and long. Faintly amazing that this brightness can come with nearly 14% alcohol. Rating: 93-94 L&S (Apr 2010)
Intense and concentrated, these were the years when Poyferré was turning up the exuberance, and this is intense but clearly great quality. You'll find crème de cassis, star anise, incense, cigar box, cassis and blackberry. Unusually for 2009, this is not yet ready and needs another four or five years to fully soften and open, but has got so much life ahead of it. Harvest September 29 to 12 October. 80% new oak. Drinking range: 2024 - 2048 Rating: 97 Jane Anson, Decanter (Oct 2024)
The 2009 Léoville-Poyferré is a total pleasure bomb. Done in the more opulent style that was the norm then, the 2009 envelops the palate with plush dark fruit and soft contours. It is classic 2009. Our third flight is off with a bang. Drinking range: 2022 - 2049 Rating: 97 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
The 2009 Léoville-Poyferré is intense but beautifully controlled on the nose with an enticing but not exotic mélange of red and black fruit laced with pencil box and smoke. Superb intensity. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins, brisk and spicy, brimming with energy and fanning out gloriously towards the finish. There is nothing overblown or extravagant, yet it harnesses the precocity of the vintage to glorious effect. Drinking supremely well now and for a number of years. Tasted at the Léoville-Poyferré vertical at the château with Sara Lecompte Cuvelier. Drinking range: 2021 - 2050 Rating: 96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Sept 2022)
You feel the warmth of the vintage in the form of powerfully ripe black fruits, touches of fig and leather and the ruby, garnet colour. I remember at the 10 Years On tasting back in 2019 that this stood out for its exuberance but for me you will find better balanced 2009 St Juliens but there is real joy to be had. Strong pencil lead and graphite flavours, and it steps up a gear as things open in the glass. On the attack you feel the generousity of the vintage, but halfway through the terroir and the appellation signature kick in, and it ends up with a gorgeous lift and juicy cassis and crushed mint finish. Could do with a little longer to really accentuate this character - go five more years if you can. Harvest Septeember 29 to 12 October. 80% new oak. Drinking range: 2021 - 2045 Rating: 96 Jane Anson, Decanter (Sept 2021)
The 2009 Léoville-Poyferré is very well defined on the nose with blackberry, leather, Cuban cigar and hints of savory fruit on the nose - quite complex and cerebral. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, a superb beat of acidity, gentle grip but with ample density and judicious spiciness towards the finish. Maybe in the context of the vintage and style of Poyferré, a little more conservative in style that you might expect, but patently extremely well crafted and thoroughly delicious. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting. Drinking range: 2021 - 2045 Rating: 95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2019)
Dark color. Soft, appealing nose offers scents that recall coffee bean, bitter chocolate, intense black plum skins and black earth. Lovely in the mouth as well; wine #10 seems to be more forthcoming than most other wines. There's a sweet, juicy eucalyptus flavor that adds to this wine's appeal. It's nicely balanced and finishes with length and consistency. Overall, a very enjoyable wine that seemed closer to maturity than most competitors. Rating: 96 Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (May 2014)
(a blend of 62.5% cabernet sauvignon, 29% merlot, 6% petit verdot and 2.5% cabernet franc): Bright medium ruby. Classic Saint-Julien aromas of cassis, licorice, tar, minerals and dark chocolate. Lush, sweet and powerful, with a superb glyceral texture to the dark berry and dark chocolate flavors. Huge wine but not at all heavy. The extremely long, echoing finish features utterly noble tannins that saturate the front teeth. Offers a show-stopping combination of sweetness and structure. Built for three decades of life in bottle. Rating: 95 Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (Jul 2012)
Often considered the least impressive of the three Léoville properties, this has outshone its neighbours in 2009, just as it did in 2005. Tightly wound, gutsy wine with dense tannins and a touch of meaty reduction. The fruit underneath is polished and sweet, with lovely balance and perfume. If it develops in the bottle as well as the 2005 has, this is a wine to buy. 15+ years. Rating: 97 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (May 2010)
(a blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon, 29% merlot, 6% petit verdot and 5% cabernet franc; 13.95% alcohol; pH 3.76; 88 IPT) Inky purple. Brooding, masculine nose offers black plum, chocolate liqueur, orange peel and espresso. Soft and supple on entry, then a bit youthfully aggressive in the middle, but with a distinctly chewy texture supporting the ultraripe black plum and chocolate flavors. Finishes with building, slightly dry tannins and hints of Oriental plum liqueur and peppery soy sauce. Always a sexy wine, this Leoville Poyferre has excellent balance and is more discreet than some other vintages of the last 20 years. It may still be a little short on finesse, but it's hard to argue with its almost decadent, voluptuous appeal. Very well done, and likely to be one of the ch a teau's most successful wines ever. Rating: 92-95 Ian d'Agata, www.vinousmedia.com (May 2010)
One of the stars of the vintage, it will be interesting to see if Poyferre ultimately eclipses Las Cases as the finest of the three Leovilles. The 2009 is even better than the 2000, 2003, and 2005. Its inky/purple color precedes a wine filled with extraordinary opulence, voluptuous texture, and sweet tannin. It offers both intellectual and hedonistic pleasure with layer upon layer of ripe fruit. Yields were 43 hectoliters per hectare, the blend is more than two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot, and the natural alcohol is the highest ever measured at this estate, 13.95%. The high alcohol is not the least bit noticeable because of the extraordinary concentration and freshness possessed by most 2009s - a vintage characteristic that will serve these wines for decades to come. This is a wine to purchase by the case-load. It should drink well for 4-5 years. Rating: 97-100 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (Apr 2010)
A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc, this has a beautifully defined bouquet, adeptly containing the 13.9% alcohol. The Cabernets were picked between 2nd and the 12th October, dense black fruits, touches of date and fresh fig, certainly more exotic than the Leoville Barton tasted just before. With aeration, there is a hint of Japanese nori. The palate is rounded and voluptuous, very well balanced with smooth, sensuous tannins, the acidity less marked than Barton, caressing towards the lush, but delineated finish. A powerful, quite sexy Poyferre by Didier Cuvelier. Rating: 92-94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2010)
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. Rating: 17.5-18.5+ Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2010)
Very dark crimson. Very grown-up and intense. Luscious fruit and top quality savoury oak. Very sweet start – really quite unusually sweet for a St-Julien. Very complete, lip-smacking and satisfying. Glamorous, polished. Long. Quite complex. 2018-2032 Rating: 17.5 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2010)
Black red, rich and very impressive concentration of Cabernet cassis, robust and vigourous, seductively succulent fruit with superb natural tannin back up, a very exciting wine. Drink 2016-35. Rating: *****18.5 www.decanter.com (Apr 2010)
Wonderful aromas of currant and blackberry, with black olives. Full-bodied, with a mouth-coating palate of supersoft tannins that go on and on. Solid and polished. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. Rating: 93-96 James Suckling, The Wine Spectator (Mar 2010)
St Julien Deuxième cru 1855 When Baron Jean-Marie de Poyferré de Cères married the grand-daughter of the Marquis de Las-Cases-Beauvoir, he inherited a portion of the grand old Leoville estate. The Poyferré family owned the estate for long enough to see the granting of Second Growth status in common with the other Leovilles but, in time, oidium and financial difficulties led them to sell Leoville Poyferré. Eventually, it came in to the ownership of the Cuvelier family who own Poyferré to this day. For most of the 20th Century, compared to its namesake neighbours, Leoville Poyferré's fortunes waned as the quality of the wines fell back. Since 1980, however, considerable improvements have been made to the chais and the vineyards. The previously high proportion of Merlot has reduced, whilst the amount of Cabernet Sauvignon has risen to about 65% (Merlot is now a more Médoc-like 25%). Today, Leoville Poyferré can be seen on an equal footing with, at least, Leoville Barton. Grapes are fermented in stainless-steel, and then spend 18 to 20 months in oak (75% new). In the early years on the 20th Century, the cru bourgeois property of Château Moulin Riche was absorbed into Leoville Poyferré. The name was briefly resurrected as the name of Poyferré's second wine, although it is now produced as a wine in its own right from the vineyards of the old château. A second wine of both properties is Pavillon de Poyferré.
This wine isn't currently part of a mixed case, but you can always browse our full selection of mixed cases here.
