2022 Leoville Poyferre (St-Julien)

The 2022 Leoville-Poyferre showed a lot of potential from barrel and it does so now in bottle. Interestingly, it bursts out of the blocks aromatically for a minute then settles down, gaining delineation and refinement. It is less full-throttle than other vintages and neatly hides the 14.24% alcohol. The palate is medium-bodied with a velvety-smooth entry. There is such purity here, with fine-boned tannins and nicely judged acidity, all harmonious with a peacock`s tail on the finish. Controlled from start to finish, if you are a fan of ‘LP,’ you`re gonna love the 2022. 96+ points

The 2022 Leoville-Poyferre is super-exotic. Dense and pliant, with striking mid-palate depth and exquisite balance, this is pure sensuality. Red cherry, apricot, blood orange, wildflowers and spices all meld together as the 2022 opens in the glass. Seamless, refined tannins extend the mid-palate and finish. The purity of the fruit is remarkable. I also find the new wood imprint - long a signature here - much less evident than in the past. Earlier picking in the Merlot today yields a wine with more red fruit tones than in the past, when Leoville-Poyferre was a darker wine. It will be interesting to see if these are long-term trends. Tasted three times. Stellar. 96 points

Dense and succulent fruit and tannins, beautifully powerful, with fresh acidities, beautifully spicy with notes of black cherries, fresh figs, eucalyptus, rosemary, rose petals and cassis. Muscular tannins shot through with salted caramel sweetness, lifted by saffran and slate. Accomplished, impressive. Harvest September 8 to 28. 80% new oak from 16 different coopers. 96 points

The 2022 Leoville Poyferre has turned out very nicely, offering up aromas of creme de cassis, cherries, violets and creamy new oak, followed by a medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy palate that`s ripe but lively, with supple tannins and a long, vanillin-inflected finish. This year, the team began picking their Merlot comparatively early and didn`t perform a saignee (tank bleed), given the natural concentration of the vintage, though it remains the most flamboyant and demonstrative of the three Leoville estates, seeing some 80% new oak with malolactic fermentation in barrique for the new barrels. It will be a blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. 94-96 points