Bordeaux, Bottle Notes

2003 Léoville-Poyferré – Bottle Notes

The 2003 Léoville-Poyferré was the winning bottle in the March Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for 4 hours and served with steaks. As an added bonus my wife and I got to share this bottle with my life long best friend from college.

Château Léoville-Poyferré is in St.-Julien. The estate is a Second Growth Bordeaux. Along with Léoville-Las-Cases and Léoville-Barton, Léoville-Poyferré was part of a large estate in the Medoc owned by the Marquis de Léoville. After the French revolution the estate was divided and sold at public auction, where the portion that is now Château Léoville-Poyferré was bought by Monsieur Poyferré. Today the estate is owned and run by Didier Cuvelier and his family.

Crimson in color with slight bricking at the edge of the glass. 13.5% ABV. Fantastic nose of red fruits, leather, cigar box and licorice. Rich and polished with warm, silky tannins. Cherries, black currants, cassis and a touch of earth on the palate. The finish is exceptionally long and seamless. Stunning Bordeaux from a controversial vintage. I think it is clear that the top classified growths from 2003 have proven to be cellar worthy wines. The Léoville-Poyferré is probably best over the next 5-8 years.

My rating: 96 points.

Léoville-Poyferré is on a roll as of late. The 2009 and 2010 scored 100 points and 98 points respectively from the Wine Advocate. If you are interested in purchasing the wine I would suggest the 2014 vintage which is compellingly priced at right around $75.

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