Robert Parker: Wine Advocate # 188. Apr 2010. Reviewer : Robert Parker. One of the stars of the vintage, it will be interesting to see if Poyferre ultimately eclipses Las Cases as the finest of the three Leovilles. The 2009 is even better than the 2000, 2003, and 2005. Its inky/purple color precedes a wine filled with extraordinary opulence, voluptuous texture, and sweet tannin. It offers both intellectual and hedonistic pleasure with layer upon layer of ripe fruit. Yields were 43 hectoliters per hectare, the blend is more than two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot, and the natural alcohol is the highest ever measured at this estate, 13.95%. The high alcohol is not the least bit noticeable because of the extraordinary concentration and freshness possessed by most 2009s - a vintage characteristic that will serve these wines for decades to come. This is a wine to purchase by the case-load. It should drink well for 4-5 years. (Tasted three times.) Drink: 2010 - 2015.
Jancis Robinson: Published : 07-Apr-2010. Very dark crimson. Very grown-up and intense. Luscious fruit and top quality savoury oak. Very sweet start – really quite unusually sweet for a St-Julien. Very complete, lip-smacking and satisfying. Glamorous, polished. Long. Quite complex. When to drink : 2018 to 2032.
Wine Spectator: Updated: April 15, 2010. Wonderful aromas of currant and blackberry, with black olives. Full-bodied, with a mouth-coating palate of supersoft tannins that go on and on. Solid and polished. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. —J.S.
Stephen Tanzer: May/Jun 10. By Ian D'Agata. (a blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon, 29% merlot, 6% petit verdot and 5% cabernet franc; 13.95% alcohol; pH 3.76; 88 IPT) Inky purple. Brooding, masculine nose offers black plum, chocolate liqueur, orange peel and espresso. Soft and supple on entry, then a bit youthfully aggressive in the middle, but with a distinctly chewy texture supporting the ultraripe black plum and chocolate flavors. Finishes with building, slightly dry tannins and hints of Oriental plum liqueur and peppery soy sauce. Always a sexy wine, this Leoville Poyferre has excellent balance and is more discreet than some other vintages of the last 20 years. It may still be a little short on finesse, but it's hard to argue with its almost decadent, voluptuous appeal. Very well done, and likely to be one of the ch a teau's most successful wines ever.
Decanter: Steven Spurrier, Decanter.com, 18.5 pts - "Black red, rich and very impressive concentration of Cabernet cassis, robust and vigourous, seductively succulent fruit with superb natural tannin back up, a very exciting wine. Drink 2016-35."
Chris Kissack, thewinedoctor.com, (March 2010), 17.5-18.5+/20pts - "An intensely black hue at the core here, with a vibrant blue-crimson rim. The nose has some very rich and meaty fruit, with a great smoky depth. Creamed fruit character, dense but evocative. The palate is rather cool and detached on entry, with a supple layer of fruit. Underneath, a bold, spicy layer of acidity. The tannins are ripe and well managed, coating the mouth, taking the wine forward into a crisply defined and spicy finish. Very long too. Delicious and very well made wine; I prefer its Barton contemporary, but maybe that's just me. So many prefer Poyferré these days."
Neal Martin, erobertparker.com, 92-94pts - "A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc, this has a beautifully defined bouquet, adeptly containing the 13.9% alcohol. The Cabernets were picked between 2nd and the 12th October, dense black fruits, touches of date and fresh fig, certainly more exotic than the Leoville Barton tasted just before. With aeration, there is a hint of Japanese nori. The palate is rounded and voluptuous, very well balanced with smooth, sensuous tannins, the acidity less marked than Barton, caressing towards the lush, but delineated finish. A powerful, quite sexy Poyferre by Didier Cuvelier. Tasted March 2010."
Tim Atkin, www.timatkin.com, 97 pts - "Often considered the least impressive of the three Léoville properties, this has outshone its neighbours in 2009, just as it did in 2005. Tightly wound, gutsy wine with dense tannins and a touch of meaty reduction. The fruit underneath is polished and sweet, with lovely balance and perfume. If it develops in the bottle as well as the 2005 has, this is a wine to buy. 15+ years."
Vinification: The wines are fermented in the 35 temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats of varying sizes, then macerated for three to four weeks, before selection is made. The grand vin is Chateau Léoville-Poyferré (20000 cases per annum), which goes into barrel where malolactic fermentation occurs. Typically the oak is now 75% new each year.
