Chateau Leoville Poyferre 2020

- 94+ Punkte Robert Parkers WINE ADVOCATE, William Kelley: "A rich, powerful wine, the 2020 Léoville Poyferré offers up aromas of sweet berries, blueberry liqueur, exotic spices, incense and creamy new oak. Full-bodied, broad and layered, it's deep and concentrated, its ample core of fruit only partially concealing a hefty payload of sweet, powdery, generously extracted tannin. Poyferré is generally the most flamboyant and demonstrative of the three Léovilles, but in 2020, it's chunkier, broader shouldered and more brooding than usual.“

- 96-98 Punkte WINE ENTHUSIAST, Roger Voss: „Barrel Sample. Rich, luscious and replete with dark plum and dark chocolate flavors, this wine shows great power as well as aging potential. Its richness is balanced by the fresher edge of acidity that stands the wine in good stead as it ages.“

- 95 Punkte WINESPECTATOR, James Molesworth: „Showy and very hard to resist, this gushes with velvety plum and boysenberry reduction flavors, along with melted black licorice and violet hints along the way. This has a very cold cast iron note buried deeply on the finish, too, to keep it grounded. A very distinctive house style. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2030 through 2038.“

- 97 Punkte VINOUS, Antonio Galloni: "The 2020 Leoville-Poyferre is every bit as impressive as it was from barrel. If anything, it has gained in freshness and vibrancy with elevage. Dark cherry, plum, mocha graphite and a kiss of French oak are some of the many notes that infuse the 2020 with tons of character. I especially admire its vertical energy and buttoned up personality. In some recent vintages Leoville-Poyferre has been quite showy, but the 2020 also has a more nuanced side that is hugely appealing.”

- 96 Punkte VINOUS, Neal Martin: "The 2020 Leoville-Poyferre was bottled in June. It has a very intense nose, displaying more black fruit that its showing from barrel, also the opulence tempered since its bottling. Fine mineralité, hints of clove and bay leaf develop with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a smooth opening, still slightly lactic in style as I remarked from barrel, yet with immense depth and plenty of finesse. The structure really comes through on the finish, a pinch of cracked black pepper and tobacco lending complexity. This is a great Leoville Poyferre that will give more than four decades of enjoyment, though I advise waiting several years before broaching.”

- 96 Punkte FALSTAFF, Peter Moser: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, opaker Kern, zarte Randaufhellung. Brombeerkonfit, reife Pflaumen, etwas Nugat, Orangenschalen, einladendes Bukett, feine tabakige Nuancen. Komplex, dunkle Beerenfrucht, präsente, noch etwas fordernde Tannine, dunkle Schokolade im Abgang, zart blättrig, wird von Flaschenreife profitieren. (2028–2065)“

- 96 Punkte DECANTER, Jane Anson: "Rich and concentrated with violet reflections and a wall of tannins. Well structured, it sets its feet deep in the ground and will need time to soften and develop. Good quality with depth. The tannins are far more present than the alcohol, setting it apart from the 2018. A yield of 35hl/ha. Harvest september 14 to 30. Planted blend (not 2020) 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc. Drinking Window 2028 – 2042"

- 96 Punkte DECANTER, Georgina Hindle: “Supple and generous with mouthwatering acidity, though really quite tannic at this point which does cover up some of the nuance. I like the texture, the frame and the weight, it's clean, polished and well worked, not overdone at all, but this has a sense of potent seduction in the flavours, rich blackcurrant, perfumed and scented. Detailed with lots of stony, slate, and wet stone elements giving a wonderful terroir influence. It's not as immediately charming as the 2019, the tension still prominent, but this will be brilliant in 5-10 years.”

- 17,5+ Punkte JANCIS ROBINSON: "Full bottle 1,345 g. 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Plot-by-plot fermentation and ageing for 18 to 20 months (still in train, as the notes explain). Here they admit they don't do the final assemblage until June.
Dark crimson. Relatively voluptuous nose. Flattering initially but then with quite a charge of inky tannins underneath. Needs time. Notably dry on the finish but with good density. Rather more obviously dry and less flashy than some vintages. Very much made for the long term with a juicy, spicy undertow. Extremely youthful. Unusually, it seems drier than Léoville Barton."

- 98+ Punkte JEB DUNNUCK: "The Grand Vin 2020 Château Léoville Poyferré, which is released in a stylish black bottle commemorating a century for the Cuvelier family, is reminiscent of the 2016 with its powerful, concentrated, yet vibrant and inward style. Pure crème de cassis, melted chocolate, loamy earth, graphite, and some spicy nuances all define the aromatics, and it's full-bodied, with a stacked mid-palate, nicely integrated oak, ripe tannins, and one hell of a great finish. This is another utterly brilliant wine from this team, which has been producing First Growth quality wines for many years now. The blend of the 2020 is 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, aged in 80% new barrels, hitting 13.58% natural alcohol and a pH of 3.81. It will benefit from just 5-7 years of bottle age and will evolve for 50 years or more if well stored. Bravo. Tasted multiple times with consistent results.“

- 96 Punkte JAMES SUCKLING: "This is really floral on the nose with violets and roses, and some black berries and dark cherries. It’s medium- to full-bodied with firm and polished tannins, and plenty of hazelnut and milk chocolate. Structured, yet so finely textured. So attractive and enticing now but needs three or four years to show what it has. Try after 2026.“

- 19 Punkte WEINWISSER: "13.7 %-vol., pH 3.79, 35 hl/ha. Dichtes Bouquet mit Wildkirsche, edler Cassiswürze und dunkler Mineralik. Im zweiten Ansatz zartes Veilchenparfüm, Schlehensaft und Flieder. Am gigantischen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, feinkörnigem Extrakt, perfekt balancierter Rasse und sehr dichtem und muskulösem Körper. Im Finale schlägt der Champion dann zu und endet mit einer Ladung schwarzer Johannisbeeren und tiefschürfender Terroirwürze sowie salziger Adstringenz. Besticht mit einer unglaublichen Präzision und Raffinesse. Die eiserne Faust im Samthandschuh – Chapeau Sara! Es wird ein Jubiläumsetikett geben! Für mich besser als 2019 & 2018!"

- 95 Punkte ANDREAS LARSSON: „The nose offers ripeness and purity with vigorous young fruit, cassis and dark berries with discreet oak, sage and tobacco notes. The palate is strucutred yet elegant with fine proportions, rounded tannin, a fresh backbone and unctuous fresh fruit flavours. dense and muscular finish with great persistency.“

- 17,5 Punkte VINUM: „Wuchtiger Ansatz, hoher, aber gemeisterter Extrakt, erstklassiges Tannin, das gut das spürbare Feuer ausbalanciert; tadellos, dem Jahrgang entsprechend, bleibt sich selbst treu. Trinkfenster 2030-2045“

- 19 Punkte Rene Gabriels BORDEAUX TOTAL, Andre Kunz: „Tiefgründiges, kräftiges, dunkles, samtenes Bouquet, Cassis, schwarze Beeren, Zedern, schwarze Pfeffer, Lakritze. Dichtverwobener, vielschichtiger, kraftvoller, massiver Gaumen mit kräftiger, dunkler Frucht, viel feinem Tannin, samtener, fein muskulöser Struktur, vielfältiger, kräftiger Aromatik, sehr langer, dichter, voller Abgang mit vielen Rückaromen. 2028 – 2050“

- 96-98 Punkte JEFF LEVE

- 97-98 Punkte ALEXANDRE MA

- 97 Punkte BETTANE & DESSEAUVE

- 96-98 Punkte YVES BECK

- 97 Punkte MARKUS DEL MONEGO