Tasting Léoville Poyferré wines from 1961 to 2016

Read an in-depth report on the evolution of this St-Julien estate's style with tasting notes and fresh ratings for more than 25 vintages; published exclusively for Premium members.

There are certain estates across Bordeaux that come with an unshakeable personality, whatever the vintage.

Léoville Poyferré is undoubtedly one of them, and it is more than happy to play up its non-conformist image.

It chose Michel Rolland as consultant in the mid-1980s (his second consultancy gig in the Médoc after the CVBG properties I believe), has always harvested on the later end of the scale and with lower yields than you normally find in the Médoc; usually 35hl/h compared to the usual 45hl/h.

It also blends at the end of ageing, rather than the beginning, and generally includes an unusually high proportion of Merlot compared to its neighbours, while also

ensuring that malolactic fermentation takes place in new oak barrels.With all of this, you can expect a more voluptuous take on the St-Julien appellation at Poyferré. This is a wine that is not afraid to proclaim its pleasure in finding itself in the appellation, but nor is it constrained by its classification.

Tasting through a six-decade vertical is a fascinating way to unpick whether Poyferré’s personality has been imposed by owner Didier Cuvelier, who took over the family estate in 1979, or whether it is inbuilt in the soils.

We had some great pairings to look at – 2015/16, 2009/10, 2000/01, 1995/96 and 1982/83, before finishing up with a 1961.

We were extremely lucky to taste so far back, because the estate lost a large number of older vintages following a break-in at the cellars in the 1960s.

The number of exceptional vintages made it even more impressive when the standouts also included less lauded years.

For me, 2011 was at the top of that particular list and is thoroughly worth getting hold of and trying out for yourself.

This is also a particularly interesting moment to assess Poyferré, because Cuvelier handed over to his cousin and new managing director Sara Lecompte-Cuvelier as of 2017 for the day-to-day running of the property. That said, I’m happy to report that I have never been there without still seeing Didier also.

What is immediately clear on studying the vineyard map is that a large part of this personality is in the DNA.

Poyferré today has its 80ha of vines spread out across the St-Julien commune, although none in the appellation’s other commune of Beychevelle.

This gives it the most complex and varied terroir of the three Second Growths that once formed Lionville estate. Didier says they have examples of all the appellation’s soils types in the vineyard.

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As the plots stray off the gravelly Léoville plateau, there is a touch more clay on some of the south-facing slopes, making them perfect for ripening Merlot.

Don’t forget that this is St-Julien, though, and Cabernet Sauvignon still rules.

I don’t have the exact proportions of the blend for each of the vintages, but the vineyards today are 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 8% Petit Verdot.

You can expect the blends to be relatively consistent from this, although there will have been more Merlot in the older vintages. Remember that this is a château that saw many of its legendary years in the 1920s, and was playing catchup until Didier arrived and began serious investment.

We can expect the proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon vines to rise further over the next decade.

Even today, just 55% of production makes the grand vin in an average year, and the selection for this almost always favours Cabernet Sauvignon.

Petit Verdot has been a staple addition at Poyferré for decades – neither Barton nor Las Cases has any – underlining those exotic spices and richly-layered depths.

And what is abundantly clear is that like all great wines, Poyferré has its signature.

Cedar, cigar box, resin, raspberry, fleshy black fruits, dark spices and a freshness that survives all of the embracing of more modern techniques in the vineyard and cellar.

There is no mistaking those Médoc tannins at any point, and the finesse and balance that makes St-Julien such a world-beating appellation is here in spades.

There were moments in the 2000s that the winemaking strayed too far for me, and I found at that point that I almost always preferred the cooler rather than the hotter years.

So in this tasting, for me, the 2001 blew the 2003 out of the water, and even the 2011 edges the 2009 right now, possibly because they have a tendency to ‘go large or go home at this property.

But as I say in the tasting notes for the 2000 vintage, one of the joys of Léoville Poyferré is its willingness to go all out to make wines that are generous and that make you smile.

You get the sense that they enjoy their good fortune and that makes it impossible to resist enjoying it too.

Léoville Poyferré: Full tasting notes and ratings

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