Château Léoville Poyferré 2005

The nose is well-rounded, with notes of beautifully ripe dark fruits. The palate is generous and full-bodied, with a creamy edge and plenty of roundness. Very seductive and refined.

The Château Léoville-Poyferré 2005 has a rich and opulent bouquet with lavish ripe black cherries and wild strawberry, just a touch of licorice rendering its even more extravagant. The palate is full-bodied with ripe, rounded tannin, touches of licorices and glycerin on the mid-palate with savory notes flourishing towards the finish. This is almost a brash, hubristic Saint Julien, one for those who prefer a more opulent style of Bordeaux while maintaining complexity. Chapeau Didier Cuvelier.

Dark ruby red in color, with aromas of currant, blackberry, toasty oak and light cappuccino. Full-bodied, with ultrafine tannins and a beautiful, caressing aftertaste. Touches every part of the palate. Outstanding, but slightly disappointing after such a great showing from barrel. Best after 2009. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 18,915 cases made.

Hugely concentrated and packed with tannins, this wine shows considerable amounts of dark, extracted fruit. It wins out on impressive power, driving the fruit through the tannins, giving great richness.

Extremely lively palate, really quite bright, bold, powerful; chewy, mouth-filling tannins, yet there’s such power and concentration here. It feels more alive and slightly more linear than the 2008, with real tension still—so vibrant, with energy that shoots across the palate. Such depth and yet so drinkable. The tannins undeniably fill the mouth, coating it completely, but they are so expressive and elegant. There’s great refinement here, but also real power. Only just at the start of its drinking window, but one to continue ageing. First vintage with Didier Thormann as cellar master. 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot.

Very clear and translucent with currants, blueberries and fresh mushrooms. Full-bodied with velvety tannins that are layered and beautiful. Together and polished with plushness and beauty. Drink or hold.

68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot. 18–20 months in French oak, 80% new. Malo in barrel. pH 3.6. Lots of Cabernet Sauvignon this year and no Cabernet Franc. The most evolved in colour of all the wines so far, not surprisingly, with quite a bit of brick and rather smudgy. Hedonistic mature aromas of forest floor and leather, with sweet spice. Senescent fruit but still so full of gorgeous aromas. Dry tannic finesse, great freshness and still has upright purity as well as great length. Mature but full of life and depth of fruit. Grainy but rounded texture. Big but not brash. (JH)

The 2005 Léoville-Poyferré is drop-dead gorgeous on the nose with pure red cherries, raspberry preserve, rose petal and potpourri scents, gaining intensity with every swirl. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a fine bead of acidity, silky smooth with a delineated, classic tobacco and smoked tinged finish that lingers in the mouth. One of the highlights of the decade and with much more to give. Superb. Tasted at the Léoville-Poyferré vertical at the château with Sara Lecompte Cuvelier.

The intoxicating nose kicks off with its showy display of flowers, smoky red fruits, fresh-brewed espresso, smoke, licorice, blackberry, and currants. The tannins have started to soften, though still, they need more time before you can really begin to enjoy the multiple layers of sweet, fresh, soft, energetic, and generous. The wine is concentrated, and fresh, perfectly balanced between its sweet, ripe fruits, tannins, and plushness. Drink from 2027-2055.

The 2005 Château Léoville Poyferré isn't the most powerful and opulent vintage of Poyferré, and while I think it checks in behind the 2000 and 2009 and 2010, it's nevertheless a beautiful, classic Poyferré relying more on finesse and elegance than overt power. That's not to say it's lightweight, and this medium to full-bodied, concentrated Saint-Julien offers terrific depth in its ripe currants, cherry jam, graphite, spring flower, and leafy tobacco-like aromas and flavors. Easily in its prime drink window, it has wonderful fruit, a fine thread of both tannins and acidity, and outstanding length. It will continue to drink brilliantly for two decades.

Extremely dense purple-garnet color. A warm, delicate bouquet of amarena cherries, red dried plums, a hint of fig and cocoa notes, coconut; complex, almost buttery and absolutely fascinating. On the palate, tremendous charm and suppleness, creamy texture, rounded tannins, almost with Burgundian charm; sheer, joyful pleasure for more than 20 years.

Deep, dense purple-violet with a ruby sheen. A crazy burst of fruit on the nose: black cherries, blackberries, cassis; beneath that, great depth with licorice and truffle hints—on the nose it strongly recalls the ’90! The palate is in peak form: thick, sumptuous, rich, with ripe, powerful tannins that nonetheless radiate plenty of sweetness and already lots of melt; huge pressure on the finish. A power St-Julien that can stand up to the very best wines of the Médoc. 07: A massively impressive, classic Poyferré. Anyone who can’t relate to the finest, most aristocratic Grand Crus in the Médoc should stick with this brawny, atypical St. Julien. Also for a bit of Napa Cabernet fans… (19/20). 08: Extremely dense purple-garnet. Warm, delicate bouquet: Amarena cherries, red dried plums, a hint of figs and cocoa notes, coconut; complex, almost buttery and absolutely fascinating. On the palate, enormous charm and suppleness, creamy; the tannins are rounded and the wine shows an almost Burgundian charm. Will bring pleasure soon, and for more than 20 years. (19/20). And tasted again the same year in Bordeaux: in terms of power and arrogance, the most gigantic St. Julien ever. Even ahead of the ’90—from the same estate. 11: Didier Cuvellier took a magnum to Restaurant Julien. Still plenty of fruit, it has hardly shut down; coffee. A 2005 that isn’t as sprawling and has a good chance of moving toward classicism. In any case, truly great! (19/20). 21: Incredibly dense purple, impenetrable at the core. For such a young wine, the bouquet is already unbelievably intense: lots of red cherries and even more black cherries, dark precious woods, a trace of vanillin, cassis, black currant, all seasoned with a pinch of freshly crushed black peppercorns. Straight-line entry, absolutely crystal-focused. A body that fills the palate; everything is in the right place, and the astringency needed for further aging is perfect. Toward the finish, the wine tightens and fires persistent aromas into the retronasal passage. Only on the aftertaste do you realize this wine really lacks nothing—except ten more years of bottle age. With one foot, this brilliant Saint-Julien somehow stands in Pauillac. And that at the elite level. (19/20).

A dense, velvety, complex and profound bouquet with blackcurrant, fine toasted notes, tobacco, cedar, hints of peanuts, truffle, nougat and delicate dried fruits. The palate is dense, powerful, elegant and layered, with intense dark fruit, plenty of fine tannins, a creamy texture, concentrated, dark, tightly knit aromas, and a very long, dense, full finish. 19/20 drink – 2055

Ruby red, toasted oak nose, enticing. It has held its line, and is delicious, generous, enticing, lip smacking. Has confidence, energy, damson and blackberry fruits, deepened by gourmet grilled vanilla bean and cappuccino creaminess. The quality and depth of fruit is astonishing - you can begin to drink this now (indeed it has inched open a little further since I last tasted 12 months ago), but it is going nowhere. Excellent stuff, one of the wines of the vintage. 80% new oak.

Medium brick in color, the 2005 Leoville Poyferre sails out of the glass with fragrant notes of creme de cassis, Morello cherries, and fruitcake with hints of dried roses, star anise, cigar box, and dried mint plus a hint of cast-iron pan. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers a fantastic backbone of firm, fine-grained tannins and racy acidity supporting the layer upon layer of perfumed black fruits, finishing long and mineral-tinged.

Great elegance in aromas and texture, an impressive body typical of the vintage, a great wine for ageing. One of the vintage’s future classics.

Deep ruby red. Compact, dense bouquet. The terroir shows clearly on the first nose. The fruit unfolds slowly with notes of cherries and raspberries. I also pick up a touch of soot and even some dried savory (thanks, Jérôme Aké). The attack is broad, with powerful tannins in harmony with the structure. A wine that is beginning to reveal itself and has exceptional potential. If you wish to enjoy it now, it is best to decant it for at least 1 hour. Aromatic, lingering finish.

Logo on the cork: LBG The wine is quite closed, whether decanted or not. A bottle that offered little of the subtleties described previously.