The history of Chateau Leoville Poyferré starts in 1638 when, in Bordeaux, Jean de Moytié started harvesting a vineyard knew as Mont-Moytié, held by Moytié family for almost 100 years. Later the estate passed to the de Gascq-Léoville family and Alexandre de Gascq-Léoville renamed it Léoville estate. Before 1855 the estate suffered two divisions that led to the birth of Léoville Barton and Loéoville Las Cases estates (named after the owners’ surnames), while Baron Jean-Marie Poyferré de Cerès renamed the remaining estate Léoville Poyferré. The absolute quality that for centuries characterized the wines produced meant that Chateau Léoville Poyferré was defined Deuxièmes Crus in the Bordeaux Merchants classification of 1855. The estate has been handed over twice again until it reached the Cuvelier family that in 2020 celebrated its 100 years of ownership.
Today the domain covers 80 hectares in the prestigious Saint-Julien appellation with a carefull attention to the health of its vineyards, for which it received in 2017 the “Haute Valeur Environnementale” certification (high environmental value) level 3 (the highest level). After the manual harvest the grapes are selected twice: first by hand on the tables before destemming, then a second time with optical selection before crushing to eliminate any vegetable residue. The vinification, carried out plot by plot and vine by vine in different tanks of stainless steel thermoregulated, is followed by the refinement, again in separate batches, in barriques for 18 months, before the blending and the final bottling.
This deep and still concentrate ruby 2006 vintage (cabernet sauvignon 65%, merlot 24%, petit verdot 7%, cabernet franc 4%) smells of black raspberry, cassis fruits, dried flowers, sandalwood, curry, Sichuan pepper, graphite and a delicious woody touch. The mouthfeel impresses with the precision with which the soft, sapid and acidic components are balanced, while retro-olfactory begin to appear the first blood and iron hints, and the tannins, still in splendid shape, dry the mouth and prepare it for a new sip.
95/100
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