Château Léoville Poyferré
St Julien Deuxième cru 1855
When Baron Jean-Marie de Poyferré de Cères married the grand-daughter of the Marquis de Las-Cases-Beauvoir, he inherited a portion of the grand old Leoville estate. The Poyferré family owned the estate for long enough to see the granting of Second Growth status in common with the other Leovilles but, in time, oidium and financial difficulties led them to sell Leoville Poyferré. Eventually, it came in to the ownership of the Cuvelier family who own Poyferré to this day.
For most of the 20th Century, compared to its namesake neighbours, Leoville Poyferré's fortunes waned as the quality of the wines fell back. Since 1980, however, considerable improvements have been made to the chais and the vineyards. The previously high proportion of Merlot has reduced, whilst the amount of Cabernet Sauvignon has risen to about 65% (Merlot is now a more Médoc-like 25%). Today, Leoville Poyferré can be seen on an equal footing with, at least, Leoville Barton.
Grapes are fermented in stainless-steel, and then spend 18 to 20 months in oak (75% new).
In the early years on the 20th Century, the cru bourgeois property of Château Moulin Riche was absorbed into Leoville Poyferré. The name was briefly resurrected as the name of Poyferré's second wine, although it is now produced as a wine in its own right from the vineyards of the old château. A second wine of both properties is Pavillon de Poyferré.

Left Bank Bordeaux France
Lovely ripe Cabernet nose. Palate fleshy, soft, good weight of cassis and cherry with graphite and oaky complexity. Dark fruit flavour is drawn across the palate by the fine tannins. Very sexy and feminine, all in elegance and brightness of tone, with lovely intensity on the finish.
Left Bank Bordeaux France
Rich, finest silk texture, fresh expression - a deep velvetiness of cassis. Very pure and precise. Racy and exciting. A more severe style than the 2004, but more serious too, with longer ageing potential. Very classic while modern in a brightly-tuned way. Pure!





