Chateau Leoville Poyferre 2016, St Julien

2eme Cru Classe St Julien

"This is always a big, dramatic wine which does well in big vintages. Right through the palate you feel the beautiful architecture, and the beauty of 2016 means that the final impression is of a sophisticated but supremely balanced wine with a modern construction. Damsons and bilberries abound, with clear tension where the skin of the wine is pulled tightly over the drum. It is less of a 'classical' St-Julien than some this year, but it is entirely of itself, and excellent. The blend is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, with a full 55% of the overall production making it into the grand vin, which has 3.66pH. Michel Rolland has been consultant for many years, working closely alongside owner Didier Cuvelier. Drinking Window 2027 - 2050." Jane Anson, Decanter.com, April 2017

13.5% abv

Established in 1638, the original Leoville estate was later divided into three separate estates, now known as Léoville Barton, Léoville Las Cases and Léoville Poyferré. Poyferre took its name from Baron Jean-Marie de Poyferré, who inherited the estate along with his wife, the daughter of Jeanne de Las Cases. Like Barton and Las Cases, it was ranked a Second Growth in the 1855 classification. 

The estate has been owned and run by the Cuvelier family since 1920 and is lead today by Sara Lecompte Cuvelier, who took over from her uncle Didier Cuvelier in 2017. She works with long-time winemaker Isabelle Davin as well as Michel Rolland who has been the consultant here since the mid-1990s. Plantings in the 80 hectare vineyard are 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc and the wines  tend to be smoother and more fleshy that the seriously structured wines of its neighbours. The family also own St Julien property Chateau Moulin Riche, once considered an unofficial second wine of Poyferre but now very much an estate in its own right.