Château Léoville Poyferré 2025

An extremely captivating Poyferré this year. Beautiful vivid and vibrant colour in the glass with soft rose and violets on the nose. Juicy and alive, immediately so charming, chewy, fleshy but cool and stony. Mouthfilling with licks of liquorice, tobacco, cola and hints of clove. I love the restraint on show – this is still a powerful wine but so much more relaxed than it could have been. Graceful yet impactful, full of ripe fruit with such a generous and happy attitude. I love it. Potential upscore in bottle. A yield of 20hl/ha, one of the smallest yields. Owner Sara spoke of lower fermentation temperatures, shorter macerations and shorter pumping-over to keep soft tannins. No deleafing, kept cover crops and used cold rooms to let grapes cool before optical sorting, especially for the more fragile Petit Verdot. Julien Viaud consultant. 5% Petit Verdot completes the blend.

Tobacco leaves, smoke, flowers, cherries, chocolate, licorice, currants, and espresso beans create the aromatic profile. The palate is even better with its lusciously-textured wealth of sweet, vibrant, and pure, red, with black fruits. There is freshness, vivacity, and creamy tannins which all go together creating a complete, and balanced wine. The finish meshes chocolate with currants, spice and herbs that start off strong, and keep on going. The wine blends 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot. 13.5% ABV, 3.71 pH. Yields were only 20 hectoliters per hectare. Harvesting took place September 8 - September 23. Along with 2022, this is the earliest harvest in the history of the estate. The wine is aging in 80% new, French oak barrels. Drink from 2030-2065. 96-98 Pts

Luscious, fabulous construction and grip, a true slow unroll, with waves of orange peel minerality, cocoa bean and espresso, silky texture, great quality, squid ink, yield extremely low at around 20hl/ha but manages to retain an opulent drinkability once you give it time in the glass. An easy one to recommend, and this has so many hidden depths. Harvest September 8 to 23. 3.73 pH. 20.38 hl/ha. 80% new oak. 3.71 pH. Harvest September 8 to 23. Old vines at Poyferre naturally low yields, and with the dry summer, this was the first year since 2011 to do no saignee at all during fermentation because already such natural concentration.

Deep and intense, the bouquet of Léoville Poyferré celebrates both the freshness and the warm character of the vintage. It knows its graphite and black-berry notes well, as well as hints of ivy and eucalyptus—not to mention aromas of peonies, blueberries, honeysuckle, caramel and coffee… Its breadth no longer needs proving; it is simply obvious! Didier Thomann brings them together and teaches them to get along; he must probably talk to them a lot! On the palate, the wine stands out for its vigour, charm, precision and power. The tannins are certainly strong, but they are so well framed by the elements at play that one can only describe them as gentle! A finely sculpted athlete rather than a bodybuilder—equally at ease in the javelin throw, the shot put or the marathon!

Inky-black color. An intense, refined, fruity nose—subtle, noble and complex. Delicate on the attack and especially aromatic through the mid-palate, with a graceful texture and a noble flow, the wine develops into a refined, deep, juicy and complex finish. Great savory, fragrant persistence. A delicate, dense, and unspittable whole. Blend: 61% Cabernet sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. Alcohol: 13.5% - pH: 3.71 - IPT: 88. Yield: 20.3 hl/ha.