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Léoville Poyferré 2014

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > St Julien
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon/Merlot

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Léoville Poyferré

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Tasting Notes

The 2014 Léoville-Poyferré is one of the standout Left Bank wines of the vintage. Demonstrating outstanding clarity and freshness on the nose, this seems to just "leap" out of the glass like an over-excited Yorkshire terrier. The palate is medium-bodied with lithe tannins, silky smooth in texture, a perfect line of acidity and a harmonious finish that slips down the throat. This is going to be irresistible for the next 20 years. Tasted at the Léoville-Poyferré vertical at the château with Sara Lecompte Cuvelier. Drink 2021-2050.

95
Neal Martin, vinous.com, June 2021

Tasted blind at the Ten Years On tasting. This is one of the shining stars of the vintage and came joint top in Saint Julien for the group in this tasting. It was my highest rated wine of the appellation. Deep ruby colour, with an alluring nose of ripe blackcurrant fruit that few managed in this vintage, together with notes of menthol, whole leaf tobacco and dark chocolate. The palate has impressive density and ripeness that matches the nose. There is ample fruit to coat a rich, chewy tannic structure, making this bold and powerful but delicious despite its youthful vigour. The persistence of both fruit and tannin is impressive, allowing the layers of baked vanilla, cedar and liquorice to unfurl slowly. This has great potential but is already a pleasure to taste despite the grip on show. Drink it now with a healthy decant and food, or over the next 25+ years.

96
Thomas Parker MW, Farr Vintners, February 2024

A ripe, generous and substantial wine for this appellation with some real concentration, a solid core of ripe tannins and enough acidity to carry the long, savory finish. Needs four to five years to show its true potential. A beauty. Try in 2022.

94
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, February 2017

Deep crimson with some evolution at the rim. Really classy lift on the nose with a suggestion of sandalwood. Smooth as a baby's bottom but with real pace and energy as well as fantastically classic fruit and still quite a bit of tannin in evidence. A combination of St-Julien's immaculate balance with the château's usual extra degree of ripeness. Not flashy. Really very impressive indeed. But not quite ready.

17.5+
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, March 2021

Like its neighbour Léoville Barton, Poyferré is always good value for money when first offered en primeur. Consultant oenologue Michel Rolland produces wines with a smoother, more fleshy character than the seriously structured wines of its neighbours. The result is a delicious St Julien that can usually charm early in its life and can stand the test of time. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, picked 1st-14th October at 36hl/ha. Deep purple colour. Big, intense, and juicy nose packed with black cherry, plum, blueberry and blackcurrant with an overlay of creamy vanilla and sweet spice from new French oak. The palate is concentrated, stylish, and opulent in real Leoville Poyferre style. Thick textured with plenty of glycerol and generosity from the ripe black fruit core. Slick, modern, plush and rich with a refreshing lift from acidity. Excellent balance in a hedonistic style, this is a delicious, standout wine in 2014.

95+
Farr Vintners, March 2015

Very pure, with a beautiful beam of violet and plum sauce carried by a chiseled graphite spine. Gorgeous anise and roasted apple wood notes are inlaid seamlessly on the finish. Shows ample grip and drive. Rock-solid. Best from 2020 through 2030. 15,000 cases made.

93
James Molesworth, WineSpectator.com, February 2017

The nose has a smoky charm fragrant with woodland violets and the palate starts fresh light with bilberry and bramble. Concentrated and rich in the middle with depth of flavour the tannins support but feel ripe. Sweet fruit fills out the back palate the finish has depth of flavour. 2028-45

91/94
Derek Smedley MW, April 2015

A very good rather than a great Léoville-Poyferré perhaps, but this is still a pretty smart Saint Julien from Didier Cuvelier and his team. Cakey and sweet with serious, ageworthy tannins, this needs time to digest its oak, but should develop into a typically impressive red.

93
Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com, April 2015
92
Decanter.com, April 2015
Read more tasting notes...

The 2014 Léoville Poyferré has a very complex bouquet with blackberry, bilberry, crushed stone, cedar and hints of violet. It is extremely focused, intense rather than overtly powerful. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, crisp and generous, conveying much more tension and precision than the Léoville Las-Cases. It gradually fans out in the second half with real mineralité, quite profound in the context of the vintage. Outstanding. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. 2024 - 2055

95
Neal Martin, vinous.com, March 2018

The 2014 Leoville-Poyferre was surprisingly backward and tight on the nose (usually it is the most expressive and generous Léoville in its youth). The precision and focus is intact, but it is broody and sultry at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with firm structure, which suggests that it has turned volte face since its opulent showing in barrel. Overall, this comes across as perhaps a slightly more austere and masculine wine from Didier Cuvelier, though that is not a criticism, just an observation. I would like to see a little more persistence on the finish, but the tidings bode well for this mercurial and fascinating Léoville-Poyferre. I can see it improving with bottle age, hence the plus sign against my score. Drink date 2021 - 2045

93
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (Interim en), April 2017

The Château Léoville-Poyferré 2014 is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot picked between 1 and 14 October, a little later than some of its Saint Julien neighbors. It has one of the most opulent set of aromatics of the appellation, with crème de cassis, boysenberry jam and macerated small dark cherries - an extravagant bouquet in the context of the growing season. The palate is full-bodied with great density and power. There is a lot of weight in this Saint Julien, spicy in the mouth with a healthy pinch of white pepper towards the finish that feels long in the mouth, although I would like to see more finesse coming through by the time of bottling. As usual, this is one of the most decadent Saint Julien wines, but one that is well-crafted by Didier Cuvelier. Give this several years in bottle. Drink: 2021 - 2040.

91/93
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (218), April 2015

Another example of 2014's significantly underrated prowess in the northern Médoc, this is an outstanding Léoville Poyferré. Deep purple in colour, the nose layers ripe black fruit, cedar, incense and nutmeg. Intense and inviting, there is real depth and youthful vigour to this wine. The palate is driven and intense, starting with a focused cassis character. Fleshing out through the mid-palate, the fruit is generous and ripe, contained by a bold structure of ripe, chewy tannins. Hints of iron, pink peppercorn, wood smoke and undergrowth start to come through, but the incisive fruit dominates through to a long finish. Power, balance and finesse all in one. Superb. Decant for an hour at least it if you plan on drinking it now, but this should hit its stride in the next 5 years and then drink well for several decades.

95+
Thomas Parker MW, Farr Vintners, December 2022

Very fine and pretty with blueberry, mineral and hazelnut character. Full body, succulent fruits and tannins, as well as a long finish. Savory. Very polished as always.

93/94
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 2015
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.