2002 Leoville Poyferre
Buying options
Tasting notes
The 2002 Leoville Poyferre is medium garnet with a touch of brick. It has quite an earthy / leathery nose showing a good amount of evolution, with a core of prunes and blackcurrant pastilles plus hints of fallen leaves, dried herbs, tobacco, and camphor. Medium-bodied, the palate is coated with mint-laced black fruit preserves, framed by a light grip of chewy tannins and appealing freshness, finishing with a minty kick.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate
Neal Martin, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2002 Léoville-Poyferré has an open nose with dusky black fruit, melted tar and a touch of pencil box; more fruit here compared to other Saint-Julien wines. The palate is. medium-bodied with slightly rustic tannins, a touch of blackberry pastilles, tobacco, allspice and light graphite notes towards the Japanese nori-tinged finish. Probably reaching its peak now, but with the substance to offer another 12 to 15 years drinking pleasure. Tasted at the château.
Grilled spice notes dominate on the opening beats of this wine, and the tannins remain very much in play, not constricting but playing a big role in the mouthfeel. There is a lovely classicisim to this vintage at Poyferré, with raspberry fruits, touches of hedgrow and bracken giving a wash of acidity, some earthy notes and again the balance that you look for in a classified St Julien. 80% new oak.
Secondary notes of tobacco, earth, wet leaf and olive, which add to the cassis, blackberry and red fruits. The tannins are firm, ending in a finish of blackberries and earth . This is showing better than the last time I tasted it. You can drink this now, or age it for a few years, as it could improve.
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.