Community Tasting Note
-
englishman's claret wrote: 95 points
April 13, 2024 - This is my third encounter with the 2020 Léoville Poyferré, this time at home with plenty of time to chart its course - and thank goodness for that. This has certainly become much easier to taste than it was just over a year ago, the nose more expressive a big, naturally ripe boysenberry, cassis, and lilac nose, managing to stay just shy of over-ripeness. The tannin, which previously seemed a bit grating, seems to match the large-scale body now and the ripe coolness of the 2020 vintage comes through. A long, blue and black fruit finish bodes well for the future. 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot brought in between Sept 14-30.
This is a wine that really seemed the odd man out among the St. Juliens at the UGC in early 2023 and which benefitted from an unhurried evaluation, checking in over the course of 24 hours. I think there's little doubt that the Rolland influence shone through in 2020 in a way that it didn't so much from 2016-2019, say, and one wonders if it might have achieved a little more elegance with a little gentler extraction. Yet it's OK to be different, too, and with the benefit of watching this unfold over time (closing down hard after an hour of air, shining at hour 12, fading at hour 24) it's easier for me to be optimistic about this developing into an excellent wine, even if it marches a bit to the beat of its own drum among the St. Julien grands crus classes.
Drinking from 2040 on. 94-96 point potential.7 people found this helpful 1,750 views