2014 Château Léoville Poyferré- France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien (4/29/2019)
– decanted immediately after opening, about 45 minutes before initial taste –
– tasted non-blind for 3.5 hours on Day 1; revisited on Day 2 –
– 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc –
NOSE: Day 1: sweet vanilla oak is first note; “dark”; slightly smoky; meaty; blackberries; slight note of school paste. Day 2: minty/stony/oaky; purple-fruited.
BODY: some light sediment present; medium to medium-full bodied; dark garnet-violet color of great depth.
TASTE: Day 1: a touch oakier than I’d prefer, but I could see the oak getting absorbed with age; tannic; a touch low on acidity; hint of alc. taste; sweet oak; coffee grounds; Hold; modern sensibilities, but it has a good dose of rustic tannin, too; tiny hint of pyrazine on finish about 3 hours after opening; Ash would pay $40, so not a re-buy; gut impression score of 90 – 92, but it does lean more modern than I’d prefer. Day 2: surprising hint of oxidation — I expect a young Bdx. to be able to survive 24 hours open without degradation; still some sweet oak; not as good on palate as on the Nose — a bit too modern; gut impression score 91 – 93. Drink or Hold for up to 20 years. Won’t buy again. I could see this is a nice crossover for folks who like big Napa Cabs.
I’ve not been a fan of this Chateau for quite some time, for the impressions (not scoring) that you make above, yet somehow I ended up with several bottles of 2014. Not sure how that happened, seriously.
Good gateway bottles! With some cellar time, I bet this is a very enjoyable wine; I also think there are other similarly-priced options that would be even better. IIRC, I thought this was less “modern” than the 2014 Carmes Haut Brion.
School paste: there’s this opaque white school paste that I distinctly remember from my early elementary years. Not Elmer’s glue. Similar to some glue sticks of today, but not an exact match.
ETA: I see Elmer’s did make a school paste. All I can say is that paste is different than glue.
I also have some 2014 at home, not sure why. I tasted the 2015 at the Chateau and thought the tannin & acidity level were too high, very earthy, savory. Not my style.
No 2014 here, and I tasted the 2015 at the US UGC tour, and thought it reminded me of napa cabernet, at least compared to the rest of the array of wines. I had preordered the 2015 as futures and canceled/redirected those $ to other 2015 bordeaux. Needless to say maybe, also no 2016, etc. Not that it was a “bad” wine, some will love it; just not for me. And I like napa cab!
Having a single bottle of 2008 Poyferré sleeping in the cellar I wonder whether that vintage represents the current or the old style of this château. Hard to say for sure based on the CT notes that more than anything underline the wine’s apparently notable tannins.
I went to an extensive vertical tasting of Leoville Poyferre covering 2000 to 2015 and IMO numerous vintages had issues with lacking lift and acidity, as well as excessive sweetness at times. The problem was the worst in the warmer vintages, very much including the 2009 which all the critics raved about but at least at that vertical I thought was a bit of a mess.
Relatively speaking, the tannic vintages like 2000-2005-2010 were the best, but I didn’t leave that event wanting to buy any more LP, particularly at today’s prices.
TY Brian for the post, as I am looking at buying more different 2014’s now when the prices are lower, for an eventual tasting in 2024. This wine will not be on my list of Saint Julian’s to pick up. Strange how they are new worlding it. In any event, I am a big fan of the classic styling of the 2014 vintage, particularly for wines from Paulliac and to the north.
They hired Rolland in 1994, resulting in an irrebutable presumption of awfulness the instant he stepped on the property. If you liked any LP thereafter, you are wrong.