2018 Leoville Poyferre
By Chateau Leoville Poyferre
2018 Leoville Poyferre from Chateau Leoville Poyferre, St-Julien, Bordeaux
A crowning jewel of the esteemed St-Julien appellation, the 2018 vintage from Chateau Leoville Poyferre exudes elegance, complexity, and a promise of longevity that marks it as a wine of substantial interest for connoisseurs and investors alike. The season was hallmarked by climatic bravado, with a wet winter and spring that transitioned into a gloriously hot summer, creating conditions that coaxed the vines into yielding fruit of extraordinary character.
Vintage Virtuosity
2018 was no ordinary year for Bordeaux; indeed, it appears in my annals as one of the region's more audacious ballets of weather and viticulture. At Chateau Leoville Poyferre, meticulous husbandry ensured that the vintage's capriciousness was transformed into splendour. This has encapsulated the 2018 Leoville Poyferre in a narrative of triumph over adversity. When one sips this vintage, they partake in an odyssey—the vibrant expression of ripe cassis and blackberry balances judiciously with elements of smoke and sweet spices nurtured by expert oaking.
Impeccable Investment Merit
Complementing its hedonistic palate appeal, the financial aspect rings just as robust for this vintage. Its cellar-worthiness is indisputable; a beacon for investors seeking wines that will mature gracefully while turning heads in the interceding years. Diligent selection has enabled this wine to exhibit powerful structure without sacrificing an iota of finesse—a testament to winemaking acumen.
I recommend the 2018 Leoville Poyferre as an incomparable addition to any collection. It stands with both feet firmly planted in the category of collectible wines from Bordeaux padded with enough complexity and cellaring potential to pique the interests of the most astute collectors and investors.
Conclusion
The journey of this wine from grape to glass reads like a decadent narrative full of twists and victories. Each sip reveals layers upon layers, akin to peeling back the pages of history. With its pulse on both exceptional quality and notable investment value, the 2018 Leoville Poyferre from Chateau Leoville Poyferre underscores its prestige in the pantheon of fine wines where only the superior vintages narrate tales of both nature's whimsy and winemaker's craft.
Market price (SGD)
$1,470.00
12x75cl
Highest score
97
POP score
51.76
Scores and tasting notes
This is so powerful and dense with amazing tannin quality that reminds me of dense clouds, because they are agile and light. Multilayered. Extremely long, too. Punchy! One of the best wines I have ever had from here.
James Suckling - jamessuckling.com - April 2019
Deep, silky, and satiny in texture, you can practically stroke this in the glass! The round mouthfeel tells of ripe fruit and generous alcohol but there's not a trace of heat, and the balance is gorgeous. Tannins match you step for step, stopping for breath in all the right places. They keep the luscious black cherry, liquorice and dark chocolate all in place. The 2016 vintage was almost one degree less in alcohol, and certainly this is a little less architectural in its construction, but that extra percent has clearly gone a long way to covering the tannins in silk. 3.7pH. IPT90. Tasted several times.
Jane Anson - Decanter - April 2019
A blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, aged in 80% new oak barriques, the 2018 Léoville Poyferré comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant scents of Morello cherries, plum preserves and blackberry pie, giving way to nuances of cedar chest, unsmoked cigars, vanilla pod and sassafras, plus a waft of crushed rocks. The palate is full-bodied, rich and decadent, delivering hedonic black fruits and lots of spicy accents with a velvety texture and seamless freshness, finishing long and satisfyingly savory. This is a very impressive showing that is delicious out of the gate but has the backbone to give a good 30 years or more of pleasure.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Advocate, 31 March 2021
This is brimming with plum, blackberry and blueberry reduction flavors, backed by grippy, energetic bramble, licorice and apple wood notes. Chockablock with stuff but defined and balanced. A no-brainer for the cellar.—J.M.
James Molesworth - Wine Spectator - April 2019
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Léoville Poyferré begins sporting a veil of cedar, opening out to reveal profound notions of crème de cassis, warm kirsch, Black Forest cake and Indian spices plus hints of chargrilled meats and Sichuan pepper. Full-bodied and built like a brick house, the taut, muscular black fruit has a solid frame of firm, ripe tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long with loads of savory nuances. Aging is anticipated to be for 18 months in barriques, 80% new. The current blend is 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Advocate, 23rd April 2019
The 2018 Léoville-Poyferré is a stunning wine that shows a very distinct shift in style under the leadership of Sara Lecompte Cuvelier towards greater energy and vibrancy. The 2018 soars out of the glass with stunning aromatic presence. In its latest incarnation, Léoville-Poyferré is marked by a distinct emphasis on freshness and less extraction than in the past, with sweeter, riper tannins than is the norm. It will be interesting to see if that is an expression of the vintage, or a move toward a gentler approach to winemaking, but I suspect much of it is the latter. Dark red cherry, menthol, pine and wild flowers abound in a stunning, vibrant Saint-Julien that will leave readers weak at the knees. Tasted three times.
Antonio Galloni - Vinous - April 2019