Ch.Leoville Poyferre 2001 750ml

Wine Advocate #259, Mar 01, 2022 by William Kelley
A wine that is emerging as a major sleeper of the vintage, the 2001 L¨¦oville Poyferr¨¦ bursts from the glass with aromas of cassis, ripe blackberries, loamy soil, cigar wrapper and violets. Medium to full-bodied, rich and concentrated, with a deep core of fruit, lively acids and powdery structuring tannins, it's an intensely flavored, rather dramatic rendition of the year that has hit its plateau of maturity.

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