2023 Château Léoville Poyferré En Primeur
"Brilliant Poyferré...Concentrated but with a delicious balance, this feels effortless and is truly a wine for Bordeaux lovers to seek out. 98 points." Jane Anson
"...a contender for the best Saint-Julien in show. 95-97 points." Neal Martin, Vinous.com, on Léoville Poyferré
Released this morning en primeur, Château Léoville Poyferré is offered at £337 per six bottles in bond, a 33% reduction on the 2022. With 98 points from Jane Anson, this has to be one of the best-value wines of the vintage and is certainly one not to miss.
The three Léoville wines were all impressive this year, each in their way. If Léoville Las Cases is about refinement and Barton about classicism and structure, then Poyférre offers the most seductive, gorgeous texture and dark fruit of the trio. What is extraordinary is that this is achieved with an abv of just 13.1% and a perfect sense of poise and balance.
You will also find, below, a reminder of some other recent releases.
Offered en primeur. Landing spring 2026.
Magnums available with £20 ex-VAT bottling surchargeper six, please enquire for other formats.
All previous offers of 2023 Bordeaux can be found here.
To order, e-mail us at sales@richardkihl.ltd.uk
Producer Profile
Château Léoville Poyferré, St.-Julien
Château Léoville Poyferré is a Deuxième Grand Cru Classé in St.-Julien. Originally part of the great Léoville estate, Decanter's Jane Anson sums up the history thus:
"The Léoville estate itself dates back to around 1740 and Alexandre de Gascq-Léoville. He was a nobleman from Gascony who married the great-granddaughter of Jean de Moytié, the man who first planted vines on the site in 1638. It was de Gascq who changed the name of the estate from Mont-Moytié to Léoville.
Back in the 1700s, Domaine de Léoville was among the very first properties in Bordeaux to trellis its vines (with pine stakes) and also among the first to begin rinsing the barrels with a sulphur solution to protect the wine from bacterial spoilage before transportation. When soon-to-be US president Thomas Jefferson visited the region in 1788, he praised the wine and referred to it as ‘Lionville’.
The heirs of de Gascq-Léoville kept the large estate intact until the French Revolution, after which Hugh Barton acquired part of it and established Château Léoville-Barton in 1826. The rest of the Léoville vineyard was subsequently divided between Pierre-Jean de Las Cases, who founded Château Léoville-Las Cases in 1840, and his sister Jeanne Las Cases. Her daughter married Baron Jean-Marie Poyferré de Cerès and Château Léoville- Poyferré was created."
This explains why Poyferré, like Barton, does not have its own château. Today, Poyferré's vineyards extend to 80 hectares, split into numerous small parcels across the appellation, but centring on the deep gravel soils of the Léoville plateau, ideal for Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyards are planted to 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc, with an average vine age of 38 years.
The estate has been owned by the Cuvelier family since the 1920s. Didier Cuvelier retired in 2017 and his niece, Sara Lecomte Cuvelier has taken over as Director, with Isabelle Davin as oenologist.
(*The three Léovilles, Jane Anson, Decanter, Nov 2017)
| RED | 2023 | Château Léoville Poyferré | 75cl | £337 per case of 6 | Château Léoville Poyferré 2023 / / 75cl £337 per case of 6 |
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Tasting Notes"Aromas of cassis, plums, pencil shavings and toasty new oak introduce the 2023 Léoville Poyferré, a medium to full-bodied, rich and chunky wine with a deep core of succulent fruit framed by sweet, generously extracted tannins. It's a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot that saw some saignée and osmosis for additional concentration. As usual, it's the creamiest, most "modern"-styled of the three Léovilles. Harvest began on September 14 and concluded on October 5, with fermentations a little cooler than usual, perhaps an intimation of a stylistic evolution in progress. 93-95 points" William Kelley, RobertParker.com------"This is already very pretty and polished with plenty of currant and plum character. Medium- to full-bodied with creamy, round tannins and a juicy finish. Caressing. Very refined. 95-96 points" jamessuckling.com------"The 2023 Léoville-Poyferré was picked from September 14 until October 5 at 52.78hL/ha and aged in slightly less new oak than usual, simply because of the large volume. In fact, some of the lots commenced their malolactic fermentation in vat rather than barrel. This has an intense bouquet with black cherries and iodine, becoming more floral with aeration. The palate opens with a medium body and pliant tannins, fleshy and ripe, dovetailing into a dense and multi-tiered mid-palate. Typical Poyferré in style, blood orange and light graphite notes are embroidered into the ripe black fruit, and there is noticeable glycerol on the finish. It is perhaps the most opulent of the three Léovilles, and yet it arrives with a modest 13.1% alcohol. This is a contender for the best Saint-Julien in show. 95-97 points" Neal Martin, Vinous.com------"Brilliant Poyferré, deep ruby colour, setting the scene for ink, campfire, espresso, mint, cassis and damson. Concentrated but with a delicious balance, this feels effortless and is truly a wine for Bordeaux lovers to seek out. Harvest September 14 to October 5. 80% new oak, 52hl/h yields, biggest since 2004, with more 1st wine than usual because the old Cabernet Sauvignon plots gave quality and quantity (after three low quantity years). Alix Combes new vineyard manager, replacing long time manager Bruno Clenet. 98 points" janeanson.com |
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