Chateau Leoville Poyferre2012
RED WINE
- Producer Chateau Leoville Poyferre
- Country France
- Region Bordeaux
- Appellation Saint-Julien
- UPC 0 15643 42705 3
Reviews
James Suckling 92
On the nose and palate this red suggests red and black plums with cedar notes and hints of cloves. Full body, firm tannins, fresh acidity and an intense finish. Minerally, too. Polished tannins.
by JS, James Suckling , 2015
Wine Advocate 92+
Owned by the Cuvelier family since 1920, this property over the last 20 years has made some great wines in the Médoc. The 2012, a blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc, is opaque purple, thick-looking, and from bottle much more impressive than it was from barrel. This very extracted, rich, full-bodied, masculine Léoville Poyferré needs a good 5-8 years of bottle age and should evolve well for at least 20-25 years. Loads of blackberry and cassis, crushed rock and graphite notes are present in this medium to full-bodied, impressively concentrated and pure wine. Forget it for a while, as this is one of the bigger, richer Médocs.
by RPJ, Wine Advocate , 2015
Wine Enthusiast 95
This very ripe, full-bodied wine is powered by sweet blackberries and solid tannins. It is a full, concentrated and complex wine that has a great future.
by RV, Wine Enthusiast , 2013
Wine Spectator 91
A solid, muscular version, with a slightly chewy feel along the edges, while the core of steeped plum, anise and blackberry paste waits in reserve. Reveals ample graphite details on the finish, with a warm fruitcake note chiming in. Just needs some cellaring to lose the burly edge.
by JM, Wine Spectator , 2015
Technical Details
Tasting notes
Colour: dense, dark and bright.Nose: fine and complex. Notes of ripe fruit, cedar and empyreumatic aromas are revealed after swirling in the glass.
Palate: The attack is frank and sustained.
There is a wonderful smoothness and density in the mouth.
The finish is fine and has a lingering aroma.
2012, A true vintage for pleasure.
Estate
With origins dating back to 1638, Leoville was the largest vineyard in the Medoc region at the time of the French Revolution. Leoville Poyferre springs from various divisions and successions in 1840.Its outstanding quality wines gained early recognition when it was ranked 2nd Growth in the 1855 classification. Château Leoville Poyferre was acquired in 1920 by the Cuvelier family.
The various divisions throughout the history of the estate have split the vineyard of Leoville Poyferre into five large areas.
They include all the main types of gravelly soil present in Saint Julien.
This diversity contributes to the amplitude and complexity of the Leoville Poyferre wines.
Vintage
With wide ranges in temperature and rainfall, 2012 was a challenging year for the vineyard. After favorable conditions returned mid-July, this vintage, though off to an early start, proved to be late in reaching its optimum maturity beginning on 8th October.Tasting after tasting, 2012 never ceases to amaze and charm us.
Winter was cold and dry, particularly in February, causing a significant deficit in rainfall: water reserves were low due to only 314 mm of rain from October to March. Vine growth was rapid, encouraged by mild, dry weather in March. Budbreak was early, comparable to 2003 or 2011.
Cold, wet weather during the month of April slowed down vine growth, causing the vineyard to fall behind in its overall development. Flowering was late and prolonged, similar to conditions in 2006, provoking shatter throughout the vineyard.
Veraison occurred late and was also extended, reminiscent of years prior to 2001.
The vineyard was stressed due to significant heat spikes in July and August, as well as a lack of rain. Having fallen three weeks behind in terms of vine growth, momentum was finally regained thanks to 60 mm of rainfall at the end of September.
The harvest began very late. With the exception of 2008, we have to go back more than 30 years to find such a late harvest.
Even though rainfall was light, it was ongoing throughout the entire harvest.