2000 Leoville Poyferre
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Tasting notes
The 2000 Léoville-Poyferré was poured blind at Medlar restaurant, though it was pretty easy to single out. This bottle is slightly higher-toned than the previous, black fruit, melted tar and a touch of roasted chestnut, maybe displaying just a touch more Brettanomyces. The palate is medium-bodied with good depth and concentration, white pepper and thyme lending more complexity towards the finish. It does not possess the precision that has defined recent vintages, yet it has an almost bucolic charm and the substance to suggest it will give another two decades of drinking pleasure. Tasted at Medlar in London.
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Robert Parker
Robert Parker
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The 2000 Léoville Poyferré has a lovely bouquet of brambly red berry fruit, orange peel, sandalwood, ash and a touch of peppermint. Maybe there is just a tiny smidgen of brettanomyces. The palate is medium-bodied and approaching full maturity, with grainy tannins, meat juices, sage, thyme and light white peppery notes surfacing with aeration. There is a straightforwardness to this Saint-Julien that I like, and it has the substance and balance to give another 20 years of drinking pleasure.
Olive tapenade, leather, black tea, liquorice, alongside ripe blackberry fruits that remain generous at 21 years old. There are plenty of fine but firm tannins and after a stubborn start the vintage is finally starting to relax and open up. As you settle in, the sweet fruit falls away to allow a complex addition of licking salinity with crushed stones and slate texture, with remnants of the toasted oak that it was aged in giving a smoky seductive finish. Ready to drink with a short decanting. Harvest September 26 to October 10. This was Isabelle Davin's first year as technical director, with Michel Rolland consultant since 1996. Blending at the end of ageing at the time (through to 2005). 80% new oak.
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.