2017 Chateau Leoville-Poyferre - 2eme Cru Classe St. Julien

Decanter.com – 96 pts – GH: *Much more bramble aromas, still quite expressive, a little bit vegetal on the nose still, more direct and straight. Lovely hit of bright red and black fruits on the palate, fills the mouth with a soft juicines, this has more of a velvet texture - the tannins and juice integrated and balanced to give a good mouthfeel. Not massively complex but it's elegant and charming, very linear and direct from start to finish. There's a nice presence here, nice purity, a nice harmony here. Nice lift at the end too, bright and cheery. Totally charming with a backing of soft exotic spicing - black pepper, liquorice, clove and dusting of milk chocolate with the blackcurrant and black cherry. Menthol ending. Really lovely and surprising. 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot. Harvest 20 September-3 October.* - 03/2022

Falstaff Magazin – 92 pts - PM: *Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung, feine Brombeerfrucht, zart nach Lakritze und Edelholz, feine Orangenzesten unterlegt. Saftige Kirschen, elegant, feine Tannine, frisch und balanciert, dezente Fruchtsüße im Abgang, charmanter, zart salziger Nachhall, überraschend delikater Stil.* - 05/2018

Vinum Magazin – 18/20pts: *Noch ausbaugeprägt, viel Eiche auch im Mund, aber Tannin mit Schliff und gemeisterter Extrakt, seinem Stil treu und der Typizität des Jahres.* - 09/2020

WeinWisser – 18/20pts - WL: *Granat mit rubinrotem Rand. Tiefgründiges Bouquet mit Pflaumen und Schlehensaft, dahinter zarter Veilchentouch und Virginia-Tabak. Am kräftigen Gaumen mit eleganter Textur, mächtigem, forderndem Tanningerüst und bulligem Körper. Im gebündelten Finale getrocknete Damassinenhaut und frisch zerstossenen schwarzen Pfefferkörnern. Hat durch das Barriquelager eine ungeheure Wandlung erfahren und erinnert aktuell an den kraftvollen 2014er!* – 04/2020

JancisRobinson.com – 17++/20pts – TP: *Tasted blind. Deep ruby colour. Blue fruit, crème de cassis and baking spices with a hint of fig on the nose, this is inky and rich. Plush and chewy on the palate, there are layers of charred wood, incense, blueberry and bramble fruit together. This is a powerful and ripe but structured wine. The smoky oak is evident for now but it should integrate nicely over the next few years. Full bodied for the vintage, with a long and toasty finish.* - 09/2021

JamesSuckling.com - 95pts - JS: *A red with currant and blueberry aromas and flavors and some citrus and vanilla. Medium body and creamy, integrated tannins. Shows finesse and depth for the vintage. One of the best from the appellation. Serious for the vintage. Drinkable now, but much better in 2022.* - 02/2021

Vinous.com – 97 pts – AG: *A ravishing Saint-Julien, the Léoville-Poyferré is also very clearly one of the wines of the vintage on the Left Bank. Raspberry jam, blood orange, mint, spice and mocha all race out of the glass as this sumptuous, flamboyant wine shows off its exotic personality. With its vertical lift and explosive energy, the 2017 has so much to offer. It has been nothing less than stunning on the three occasions I have tasted it so far. In 2017, the Grand Vin is 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Because of the late season rains, only 3 out of the 5 parcels that typically inform the Grand Vin were used. This a tremendous effort from the Cuvelier family. Don't miss it.* - 03/2020

Vinous.com – 93 pts – NM: *The 2017 Léoville Poyferré has a very well defined bouquet with irresistible cranberry and crushed strawberry aromas, a lighter and more refined take on Poyferré with more mineralité than many recent vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly grainy tannin, a fine line of acidity, more black fruit than red intermixed with tar, smoke and cracked black pepper. There is just a touch of grittiness towards the finish but otherwise this is a wonderful Léoville Poyferré with plenty of character.* - 02/2020