2021 Chateau Leoville-Poyferre - 2eme Cru Classe St. Julien

Decanter.com – 95 pts – GH: *Beautifully fragranced on the nose - floral-edged ripe bramble fruits. Nicely detailed and presents, despite a clear youthful tannic structure this has layers of flavour with ripe and sweet fruit nuances balanced by a mineral grip, salty touches and cool fresh mint leaf notes. It's more of a contemplative wine, needing a few minutes and several tastes for the flavours to expand in the mouth, gaining in density yet keeping a lightness of touch and refinement. Such finesse going on here. The austerity is balanced with the ripe fruits so you're getting so many elements at play at once. This is complex and sensuous, you have the precise defined and well-worked fruit, so clear with poise, then the tannic strength though fine texture and a long, lifted finish. This has real class, and such estate signature with dark sweet liquorice touches at the end too. Really very captivating and a success. 5% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Julien Viaud consultant. Tasted twice. 3.84pH. Ageing 18 to 20 months in oak barrels, 80% new, 20% one year.* - 04/2022

Falstaff Magazin – 94 pts - PM: *Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, dezente Ockerrandaufhellung. Zart nach Nugat und dunklen Herzkirschen, zarte Edelholznuancen, reife Zwetschken sind unterlegt. Saftig, elegant, feine Extraktsüße, reife Tannine, gute Frisch, zeigt Länge und Potenzial, feine Gewürznuancen im Abgang, bereits gut antrinkbar.* - 03/2024

The Wine Advocate – (92-94+) pts – WK: *The 2021 Léoville.Poyferré shows considerable promise, wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet berries and plums mingled with spices, licorice and petals, framed by a deft touch of creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, supple and fleshy, it’s a polished, charming wine with a pretty core of fruit, lively acids and ripe, powdery tannins, oncluding with a penetrating finish.* - 04/2022

WeinWisser – 18,5+/20pts – GL, TW: *60 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 26 % Merlot, 9 % Cabernet Franc, 5 % Petit Verdot, 13 Vol.-%, pH 3,84, IPT 76. Dicht verwobenes Bouquet, edle Cassiswürze, dunkles Edelholz, Schokopastillen und zartes Veilchenparfüm. Am kompakten Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, fein körnigem Extrakt, balancierter Rasse und sehr engmaschigem Tanningerüst, daher wirkt der Körper nicht (zu) massig. Im konzentrierten Finale eine volle Ladung schwarzer Johannisbeeren, Holundersaft, dunkles Graphit und erhabene Adstringenz. Das Kraftpaket aus St.-Julien besticht heuer mit Eleganz statt Kraft, kann noch zulegen.* – 04/2022

JancisRobinson.com – 17+/20pts – JL: *Deep, bright colour. Attractive nose with a dark-fruit and floral notes and a creamy edge. Rich and round on attack with ample substance and a juiciness to the fruit. Tannins plentiful but fine and integrated. Grip and persistence on the finish. Clear potential.* - 04/2022

quarin.com – 94 pts - JMQ: *Belle couleur sombre. Nez moyennement intense, au fruité mur, pur et subtil. Minutieux en entrée de bouche, savoureux au milieu, le vin caresse le palais. Il s’achève parfumé et long, sur un fond légèrement boisé* - 04/2022

JamesSuckling.com – (95-96) pts - JS: *This is very typical for St.-Julien with violets, berries, blackcurrants and crushed stone. Medium to full body with very fine tannins that run the length of the wine. Powdery tannins and a rich finish. Velvety texture.* - 05/2022

Vinous.com – (93-95) pts – AG: *The 2021 Léoville-Poyferré is classy and polished right out of the gate. All the classic Poyferré signatures come through, but in miniature. The 2021 impresses with its pliant fruit, silky tannins and fine balance. To be sure, the 2021 is a smaller-scaled wine than the norm here over the last few years, but that is the charm of this vintage. Inky dark fruit, pencil shavings, licorice and menthol build into the super-expressive finish. Tasted three times.* - 05/2022

Vinous.com – (92-94) pts – NM: *The 2021 Léoville-Poyferré was picked from 28 September until 12 Octobre at just 24l/ha and matured in 80% new oak, the remainder second-fill. It has a high-toned, concentrated bouquet with iodine-infused black fruit, becoming floral in the glass with scents of crushed violet. The palate is medium-bodied with Poyferré’s trademark velvety smooth tannins. Fine depth, though clearly not as ostentatious as the previous three vintages, it is a more streamlined Poyferré, though that renderst he wine well-balanced. There is just a dash of black pepper on the finish, though it just misses a little persistency on the aftertaste. But overall, a fine St.-Julien that should give many years of drinking pleasure.* - 05/2022

Thewinecellarinsider.com – (93-95) pts – JL: *Dark garnet in color, the wine exudes floweers, cherries, currants, black raspberries, espresso beans, tobacco leaf, and mocha in the perfume. Soft, silky, fresh, and vibrant, with a hint of spice, the wine is forward, polished, and fruity, with loads of crushed berries and a tint of cocoa in the backend of the creamy-textured finish. Drink from 2026-2055. - 05/2022