Winemaker Notes
Deep and bright. The nose is subtle and complex. It reveals notes of red fruit, spices and licorice upon swirling. The attack on the palate is fresh and intense, as well as fruity and fleshy. The finish is supported by fine, racy tannins that are long and integrated, and beautiful volume in the mouth. 2014, a harmonious vintage.
Blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2%Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Very deep red. Bold, ripe and fleshy blackcurrant nose steeped in new oak, without being too overbearing. Rich, dense, and flamboyant, very concentrated and intense. Fleshy and forthright, it has a long finish that's spicy and complex.
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James Suckling
A ripe, generous and substantial wine for this appellation with some real concentration. Plenty of beautiful currant and blackberry character, as well as a solid core of ripe, dusty and velvety tannins and enough acidity to carry the long, savory finish. Slight lean now. Better in 2024.
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Wine Enthusiast
The wine is concentrated with tannins that come from both the firm fruit and the wood aging. It is packed with blackberry flavors that come through the structure strongly. The velvet texture (that is just a hint at the moment) is going to bring out the richness of this wine produced with consultation from Michel Rolland. Drink from 2024.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc and the balance Petit Verdot that wasn’t harvest until the middle of October (this is later than most), the 2014 Léoville Poyferré is a ripe, concentrated, seriously impressive wine in the vintage that offers more exuberance, texture, and character than most. Crème de cassis, graphite, toasty oak, and hints of tobacco all emerge from this purple colored, pure, medium to full-bodied 2014 that has sweet tannin, beautiful purity of fruit, and a great finish. While it doesn’t have the depth of a truly great vintage, it shines for its balance, texture, and sheer charm. Drink this beauty anytime over the coming 15-20 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
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.
Rating: 93+ -
Wine Spectator
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.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
An icon of balance and tradition, St. Julien boasts the highest proportion of classed growths in the Médoc. What it lacks in any first growths, it makes up in the rest: five amazing second growth chateaux, two superb third growths and four well-reputed fourth growths. While the actual class rankings set in 1855 (first, second, and so on the fifth) today do not necessarily indicate a score of quality, the classification system is important to understand in the context of Bordeaux history. Today rivalry among the classed chateaux only serves to elevate the appellation overall.
One of its best historically, the estate of Leoville, was the largest in the Médoc in the 18th century, before it was divided into the three second growths known today as Chateau Léoville-Las-Cases, Léoville-Poyferré and Léoville-Barton. Located in the north section, these are stone’s throw from Chateau Latour in Pauillac and share much in common with that well-esteemed estate.
The relatively homogeneous gravelly and rocky top soil on top of clay-limestone subsoil is broken only by a narrow strip of bank on either side of the “jalle,” or stream, that bisects the zone and flows into the Gironde.
St. Julien wines are for those wanting subtlety, balance and consistency in their Bordeaux. Rewarding and persistent, the best among these Bordeaux Blends are full of blueberry, blackberry, cassis, plum, tobacco and licorice. They are intense and complex and finish with fine, velvety tannins.