Château Léoville-Poyferré
About Chateau Léoville-Poyferré
Chateau Léoville-Poyferré has emerged as perhaps the second most important St. Julien estate behind Léoville las Cases. The property can trace its history all the way back to 1638, but that history is a tortuous path of ownership and name changes as part of what came to be called the "Léoville" estate. The Cuvelier family purchased this Château in 1920, and it remains in their stewardship to this day in the form of Sara Lecompte-Cuvelier, niece of Didier who oversaw some remarkable improvements to the estate during the 1980s and onwards. The team is comprised of some truly masterful oenologists, including the original superstar consultant Michel Rolland - Léoville-Poyferré was in fact only his second-ever consulting role, and he has now been at the property for over 40 years!
The Vineyard and the Winemaking
Léoville-Poyferré has always been and remains different in spirit to its siblings. Overseeing 60ha estate with some wonderful plots in the 'Grand Clos' bordering Las Cases, the estate is also constituted of plots splitting up over much of St-Julien, meaning that Poyferré has some of the most varied terroirs in the entire region, and certainly the most diverse of the incredible triumvirate.
One of the very first estates in the region to carry out malolactic fermentation in oak barrels, this has always been a forward-thinking and innovative producer. Today, optical sorting tables are used in the advanced winery where vinification occurs on fruit from very low-yielding plots - 35hl/ha compared to the Bordeaux average of 45hl/ha.
A higher proportion of Merlot in the blend (and in the vineyard) than is typical for St-Julien yields results only to be expected stylistically. The wine is rounded, rich and generous; however, as Cabernet Sauvignon still dominates, Léoville Poyferré retains the stunning freshness, acidity and structure to be expected from the greatest expressions of the appellation.
