Ch.Leoville Poyferre 2010 ex-ch 1500ml

Wine Advocate #Week 1, Mar 06, 2020 by Lisa Perotti-Brown
Deep garnet in color, the 2010 Léoville Poyferré opens with notes of sautéed herbs and pencil shavings on the nose, giving way to scents of redcurrant jelly, baked plums and cedar chest plus a waft of cassis. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has pleasant energy and well-played, lightly chewy tannins with compelling freshness on the finish.

During the French Revolution, Marquis de Las Cases Beauvoir was forced to flee France and as a consequence the Leoville estate was broken up. This gave birth to the 3 separate Chateaux Leoville Barton, Leoville Las Cases and Leoville Poyferre.

Léoville Poyferré, a 2ème Cru Classé, has been owned by the Cuvelier family since 1921, yet it was not until the 1970s, when Didier Cuvelier took control at the château, that quality began to improve. In the last 20 years, Didier, with the assistance of Michel Rolland since 1995, has turned Léoville-Poyferré into one of St-Julien's finest estates.

Léoville Poyferré has 80 hectares of vineyards planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (65%), Merlot (25%), Petit Verdot (8%) and Cabernet Franc (2%). Léoville Poyferré traditionally produced the softest and most supple wine of the 3 Léovilles, yet in the last decade the wines have definitely put on weight and body. This is largely due to the grapes being harvested riper and later and because of the increased exposure to new oak in the maturation process.

Meats, Beef and Venison