2011 CHÂTEAU LÉOVILLE POYFERRÉ 2ème Cru Classé Saint Julien, Lea & Sandeman

CHÂTEAU LÉOVILLE POYFERRÉ

2011 2ème Cru Classé Saint Julien

Colour Red
Origin France, Bordeaux
District Left Bank
Sub-district Haut Médoc
Village Saint Julien
Classification 2ème Cru Classé
ABV 13.5%

58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc. 13.7% Alc. To say I was confused by Poyferré is an understatement. At the Château it showed the usual dark purple-edged colour, very dense concentration of very fine tannin, a wine to chew your way through. Very hard to make out. Lots going on, but the tannic density seemed to outweigh the expression of the fruit, and the result was dry, furry and directionless. However, at the UGC tasting it stood out, not as an absolute marvel, but nevertheless head and shoulders above all but a few. It was much more aromatic, with density of flavour, not just dry matter. Lively and impressively concentrated, with fresh acidity to drive it and a mouthwatering, peacock's-tail finish. So will the real Poyferré please stand up? Rating: 92++? L&S (Apr 2012)


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The 2011 Léoville Poyferré has a ripe bouquet with blackberry, boysenberry, graphite and pressed flower scents. Quite open and more fruit-driven than its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with gentle grip, quite fine tannins and satisfying weight. Touches of black pepper and cedar line the finish, though here, it just misses a bit of tension and Poyferré's trademark amplitude. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting. Drinking range: 2022 - 2038 Rating: 91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2022)

There is an austerity to the tannins and the wine needs a few more years in bottle to really settle down, although you can begin now with a good long carafe. Inky ruby in colour, dark berry fruits infused with cappucino and smoked cedar notes, as it opens you really feel the benefit of Poyferré's confidence with extraction, as this avoids some of the issues of 2011s that can feel underwhelmingly subdued and manages to deliver a creamy texture. Same score as when tasted at the 10 years on point in early 2021. Harvest September 19 to October 1. 80% new oak. Drinking range: 2023 - 2042 Rating: 95 Jane Anson, Decanter (Sept 2021)

This property, which has been on a qualitative tear over the last generation, has produced one of the most successful wines of 2011. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, it is broad, rich, medium to full-bodied and dense. It boasts an inky/purple color as well as lots of concentration, silky tannins, and a bigger, richer mouthfeel than any of its St.-Julien peers. The result is one of the stars of the vintage. Rating: 94 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (Apr 2017)

Château Léoville Poyferré

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.

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