Chateau Leoville Poyferre 2020

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."

WEINWISSER: "Dicht verwobenes Bouquet, dunkles Edelholz, Schokotrüffel, Graphit und edle Cassiswürze. Am sublimen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, kakaoartigem Tanningerüst, balancierter Rasse und durchtrainiertem definierten Körper. Im konzentrierten Finale Wildkirsche, Brasiltabak und erhabene Adstringenz. WOW!"

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Even better in the beautiful, black and gold bottle celebrating 100 years of ownership, than it was from the barrel, the wine instantly grabs your attention with its dark color and its equally dark-fruited profile centered on its core of blackberries, black cherries, black plums, spices, espresso, and dark chocolate. The wine is deep, rich, concentrated, and lush, as well as fresh, silky, vibrant, long, and focused. The finish leaves you with layers of sweet, ripe, black and blue fruit, chocolate, espresso, and a touch of spice that comes in at the end of the silky finish. The wine blends 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Drink from 2026-2055."

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."

DECANTER: "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."

FALSTAFF: "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)"

WINE SPECTATOR: "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."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "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."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "More fresh energy here than on the powerful 2019. More open and expressive of the dark-red fruit. A touch floral too, then dry and savoury on the palate. Powerful but refined."