Chateau Leoville Poyferre 2022

A mind-blowing Leoville Poyferre, probably one of the best for a long time. Huge depth and structure, showing a deep matrix of fruit full of fresh blackberries and a dash of ink and lead pencil. Such verticality on the full-bodied palate with beautiful balance and a clear finish that goes on and on for more than a minute. Great potential ahead. This was tasted at the UCGB tasting and was one of the best wines of the day. Drink after 2028. It should improve in the next 10 to 15 years.

• Reviewer Name: Zekun Shuai

The 2022 Léoville-Poyferré is a blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc, and the élevage was 18 to 20 months in 80% new oak. A smoky, brooding nose here, with dense layers of damson, currant and blackberry fruit, perfumed with rose petal, white peach, orange and mint, very defined and pure, and clearly elevated several steps above the rest of the Cuvelier range (which includes Moulin Riche and Le Crock as well as the Poyferré second wine). The palate shows a rather accessible charm compared to the wine from Léoville-Barton, perhaps the effect of the Merlot showing though, being dark, dense and brooding yet texturally accessible, with layers of olive, blackberry, tar and black pepper set over a very tightly knit and finely pointed core of tannin. This is just delightful, with fabulous ripeness and substance, with wonderfully dark fruit, and an integrated structure which demands a decade or two of cellar time. A superb wine with a long, lingering core of tannin;a wine which buyers may well end up leaving to their children. Or grandchildren. Remarkable. Tasted five times. The alcohol on the label is 14%.

• Drinking Window: 2030 - 2065
• Reviewer Name: Chris Kissack
• Review Date: May 2023

Intense, powerful, delicious, creamy raspberry and black cherry fruits, textured and confident in its tannic grip, with a freshness that runs from opening to close of play. Underlines just how well St Julien delivered in 2022. Sara Lecompte-Cuvelier director and co-owner.

• Drinking Window: 2030 - 2046
• Reviewer Name: Jane Anson
• Review Date: May 2023

Deeply colored, the floral display in the nose gets even better as you encounter black cherries, currants, licorice, tobacco leaf, cassis, and an array of spices. The palate provides layers of silky, fresh, pure, deep red berries. The wine is dense, concentrated, sweet, ripe, fresh, and polished. There is a wonderful sense of purity in the fruit. Effortless to taste, and even even easier to drink, the wine exudes sensuality, and complexity from start to finish. The wine blends 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot. 14.4% ABV, 3.87 pH. The harvest took place September 8 - September 28. Yields were 33 hectoliters per hectare. 75% of the harvest went into the Grand Vin. Drink from 2026-2055.

• Drinking Window: 2026 - 2055
• Reviewer Name: Jeff Leve
• Review Date: May 2023

The 2022 Léoville-Poyferré showed a lot of potential from barrel and it does so now in bottle. Interestingly, it bursts out of the blocks aromatically for a minute then settles down, gaining delineation and refinement. It is less full-throttle than other vintages and neatly hides the 14.24% alcohol. The palate is medium-bodied with a velvety-smooth entry. There is such purity here, with fine-boned tannins and nicely judged acidity, all harmonious with a peacock's tail on the finish. Controlled from start to finish, if you are a fan of "LP," you're gonna love the 2022.

• Drinking Window: 2030 - 2070
• Reviewer Name: Neal Martin

The 2022 Léoville-Poyferré is super-exotic. Dense and pliant, with striking mid-palate depth and exquisite balance, this is pure sensuality. Red cherry, apricot, blood orange, wildflowers and spices all meld together as the 2022 opens in the glass. Seamless, refined tannins extend the mid-palate and finish. The purity of the fruit is remarkable. I also find the new wood imprint—long a signature here—much less evident than in the past. Earlier picking in the Merlot today yields a wine with more red fruit tones than in the past, when Léoville-Poyferré was a darker wine. It will be interesting to see if these are long-term trends. Tasted three times. Stellar.

• Drinking Window: 2030 - 2052
• Reviewer Name: Antonio Galloni
• Review Date: October 2023

Another excellent showcasse for this estate run by Sara Lecompte Cuvelier. Supple, lively, fresh and round, a nice controlled core of red and black fruit - blackcurrants, cherries and violets with juicy acidity and lean tannins that are fine and well integrated. This feels powerful and concentrated no doubt but the strength comes underneath the fruit and acidity, like a creeping tiger waiting to pounce. Lovely frame and execution, feels on the more opulent and potent side but the acidity and tannin definition is brilliant and this has a really drinkable and moreish quality. 4% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.87pH. 9% press wine. A yield of 33.4hl/ha. 75% grand vin production. Julien Viaud consultant. Tasted three times and was impressed each time. Ageing 18-20 months in French oak barrels, 80% new, 20% second fill.

• Drinking Window: 2027 - 2048
• Reviewer Name: Georgina Hindle
• Review Date: April 2023