1985 Leoville Poyferre
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Tasting notes
The 1985 Léoville-Poyferré has a ripe bouquet with black cherries, black truffle, gamey scents and burning embers. The medium-bodied palate has a lovely texture, smooth and rounded. Secondary notes of allspice, truffle and dried blood emerge towards the harmonious if not amazingly complex finish. It is probably coming to the end of its drinking plateau, though larger formats could be interesting. Tasted at the vertical tasting with Didier Cuvelier in 2009.
Critic scores
Average Score
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
An underrated wine, the 1985 Léoville Poyferré wafts from the glass with lovely aromas of sweet berry fruit, cedarwood, loamy soil, cocoa nib and subtle hints of licorice. Medium-bodied, velvety and seamless, it's lively and flavorful, with melting tannins, bright acids and a long, penetrating finish. Less fleshy than the generous 1982 and without the richness or musculature of 1989 or 1990, this is nevertheless a terrific effort in a more elegant stylistic register.
Really nutty and toasty on the nose. Smells quite young for its age. Cedary and very fresh on the palate. A Peter Pan wine on the nose though shows its age more on the palate. Smooth but a little drying on the finish. (JH)
Firm, lean and structured with rich, ripe concentrated cassis, currant and plum fruit that's polished and full-bodied, finishing with vanilla and plum. The tannins are in proportion, finishing firm and dry. Wine Spectator 1988.
About the producer
Ch. Léoville-Poyferré is a Second Growth Saint-Julien property that was once part of the same estate as Ch. Léoville Barton and Ch. Léoville Las Cases. It has the most complex and varied soils of the three and produces the most voluptuous, seductive style of wine.