Château Léoville Poyferré 2021

On the nose, blond tobacco and dark-fruited aromas, showing depth. The palate is powerful and generous, with noticeable structure, fine tannins, harmonious and very long on the finish. A safe bet again this year, with excellent reserves.

The 2021 Léoville Poyferré opens in the glass with notes of minty berries, dark berry compote, pencil shavings and toasty oak, followed by a medium- to full-bodied, deep and dense palate that’s quite muscular and extracted, built around a chassis of sweet, abundant tannins that assert themselves on the youthfully firm finish. This will require a bit of patience.

Dark plum and blackberry fruit is a touch sedate, but has depth and avoids the vintage's grainy feel as it integrates with the solid toast and tobacco notes on the finish, which shows a subtle tug of iron at the very end. Nicely done for the vintage. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2034. 9,279 cases made.

A rich, ripe, toasted nose, clearly concentrated. Good fruit density, underlying power and a sense of structure. This has personality; it does feel a touch pushed on the palate, with acidity opening the expression, but the fruitiness fades quite quickly and is replaced by the tannic structure and menthol, herbal Cabernet facets. It’s smooth with a long finish. Nice bones for ageing, so give this a few years.

Licorice, tobacco leaf, chocolate, espresso, black cherries and smoked, peppery notes create the perfume. On the palate, the wine is soft, polished, fresh, elegant and fruity, with sweetness to the red fruits and a creamy texture on the finish. The wine blends 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Drink from 2026-2055.

Dark ruby, purple reflections, subtle ochre brightening on the rim. On the nose, subtle notes of nougat and dark cherry, nuances of oak, and background hints of ripe plum. Juicy and elegant with fine fruit expression, ripe tannins, good freshness and subtle savoury nuances on the long finish. Already approachable with definite ageing potential.

The Grand Vin 2021 Château Léoville Poyferré from this brilliant estate checks in as 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot. It has a serious, concentrated, inward style as well as impressive red and black currant-like fruit supported by notes of graphite, smoked tobacco, spicy oak, and chocolate. With terrific richness, a layered, concentrated mid-palate, and fine tannins, this is clearly one of the gems in the vintage. It needs to be forgotten for just 4-5 years, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it evolve for over two decades.

Liqueur-like, assertive, somewhat matured and not very fresh, it shows on the nose a very opulent opening with Tuscan sweetness. In Zurich, I even noted Amarone-like accents. Dense, sweet, assertive and not very deep, it comes across as very concentrated but not very loose, very compact and geared toward sheer power. Forceful tannins, little melt. A relapse into slight over-extraction with good length and a somewhat hollow mid-palate.

Kunz barrel sample 2022: (60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot, 23.8 hl/ha, 13% abv) Deep, dense, dark, complex, powerful, creamy bouquet, black cassis, dark fine woods, truffle, licorice, smoke. Concentrated, finely powerful, elegant, multi-layered palate with dense, dark, creamy fruit, plenty of fine tannins, concentrated, dark, diverse aromatics, muscular, creamy, elegant structure, very long, dense, powerful finish with sweet after-flavors.

(60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot, 23.8 hl/ha, 13% vol. alcohol) Deep, dense, dark, complex, powerful, creamy bouquet: black cassis, dark noble woods, truffle, licorice, smoke. Concentrated, finely powerful, elegant, multi-layered palate with dense, dark, creamy fruit, plenty of fine tannins, concentrated, dark, varied aromatics, a muscular, creamy, elegant structure, and a very long, dense, powerful finish with sweet aftertastes. 19/20 2030 - 2060

Vivid plum colour, not quite inky but certainly one of the deeper of the vintage, and this is well extracted, carefully balanced with cloves, sage and white pepper spice, blueberry fruit, with coffee and cocoa bean, with silky tannins. Good ageing potential. Michel Rolland consultant, 45% new oak, 45% 1st wine, 24hl/h yield. Harvest September 28 to October 12. Tasted twice, absolutely one to look out for, one of the wines of the vintage, to lay down but not for as long as in a normal year. A great example of where 2021 can really offer something worth taking up.

A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2021 Leoville Poyferre has a deep garnet-purple color. Notes of blackberries, warm cassis, and kirsch jump from the glass, opening out to an undercurrent of fragrant soil, charcoal, and cinnamon stick. The medium-bodied palate delivers an impressive intensity of vivacious red and black berry flavors, with a fine-grained texture and plenty of freshness, finishing with great length and a compelling perfume.

The wine shows riper fruit than its neighbors. The nose is tight and concentrated, and this signature carries through on the palate. A stylistic choice that yields a wine built for aging—promising, but not very open today.

Beautiful deep color. Moderately intense nose, with ripe, pure, and subtle fruit. Precise on the attack, flavorful mid-palate, the wine caresses the palate. It finishes aromatic and long, on a lightly woody background. Blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. Alcohol: 13% – pH: 3.84. IPT: 78. Yield: 24 hl/ha. Harvest from September 28 to October 12.

A suave, lively, self-assured wine, with a tingling nose reminiscent of Fantastic Mr. Fox. The black fruit is pure, well-defined, and as generous as one could wish, with notes of damson jam and prune, along with gentle spices such as nutmeg. Opulent and velvety on the palate, this is a horizontal wine (impressive for this vintage) that gradually fills the mouth, caressing it. A juicy, enveloping finish blends black fruit with superb minerality and a racy salinity.