EEE January 2024 St. Estephe vs St. Julien (@ My place): Extremely dark color. The bouquet is beautiful with dark berries, beautifully dosed oak and cedar, vanilla and still some lactic impressions. On the palate dark berries, licorice, vanilla, beautiful acidity and round tannin. A beautiful and complex wine with a beautiful balance between acidity and sweetness. I would not be surprised when this wine will be the wine of the vintage in 2030. 94 already. Probably useful to know; I poured the wine in a large decanter 12 hours before drinking.
The 2017 Léoville Poyferré has closed down a bit since I last tasted it, but with some coaxing shows a demure nose of red cherry, fresh leather, a little cocoa, a little rose, and a pleasant cedary note. The palate shows cured meat and pencil and, though it's aromatically not as jubilant as it was at the EP tastings (which is to be expected), the tannin suggests it might not be all that far from drinking.
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Chocolate and mint on the nose at opening. Flattened out a bit as it opened up, but good acid and good complexity of black and blue fruit with bright cherry coming along after two hours. Very short finish. Needs age.
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First one of these from the cellar. Decanted for 2 hours prior to putting back into the bottle to take to HMCs for dinner.
Great floral, perfumed nose to start. Better than the palate was initially and for the first 2-3 hours. The palate was very light, red fruited and a tad tart at the pnp. Air is this wine's friend! At 4+ hours this gains weight, it darkens a bit and really smooths out. Before that it's a bit closed/tannic. You can easily pour these now if you want for their more modern profile, just give them at least 4 hours of air to shine. 89 at the pnp.....90-91 2 hours in, and 94 after 4 hours of air....smooth, spicy, perfumed, solid. Some say this is an off year in Bdx...I'm not buying it.
Very young and still marked by oak. The palate is velvety but on the light side for this producer, 2017 cannot hide after all. A clear step down form the 2015/2016 but good for the year. 91-92
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Blackberry, cassis, notes of chocolate; cherry-like fruit, quite open, long, tannins only notable at the end and then powerful and lingering; young and a little one-dimensional at the moment but very good
Regular dinner group (@ My place): Beautiful and luxurious bouquet with dark berries, beautifully dosed oak and vanilla. On the palate juicy dark berries, luxurious well dosed oak and cedar, graphite, good acidity and round tannin with a firm bite. This is a luxurious baby. Wait at least another decade. It will probably enter its maturity stage in the early 2030’s. I have a few, so there will be a follow up on this tasting note. 93 – 95+
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The wine already displays cassis, herbs, tobacco leaf, espresso and dark chocolate notes. On the palate, the wine is fresh, silky and focuses on its layers of sweet red berries, cocoa, herbs and spice. There is a lot of lift here, along with a crispness in the fruit on the palate and in the finish. Lay this down for at least 6-8 years before pulling a cork.
Robe rubis dense; Nez dense, profond, sur un fruité sombre comme le cassis, une dimension de graphite est omniprésente & une touche florale ajoute une belle touche parfumé au bouquet. L'ensemble est complexe, en plusieurs couches. Il y a une petite pointe de cèdre en arrière plan qui apporte un élément de fraîcheur. Qques notes d'épices un splendide bouquet, relativement "ouvert" pour son très jeune âge. Bouche tout aussi agréable que le nez malgré la jeunesse. Le fruité est dense en attaque, texture quasi crémeuse, les tannins sont fins & nombreux. L'acidité supporte bien la densité & apporte un équilibre exemplaire. Long & complexe, astringence bien présente en fin de bouche. Assez surpris somme toute par le plaisir qu'il procure à ce stade-ci. Excellent!
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Has that balanced feel that’s hard to describe — all its elements seamless in the right way. Red fruit, hints of earth. Tough tannins right now, but clearly will be great as time goes on.
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The 17 Léoville Poyferre offers a potent, enticing wild raspberry nose that should develop beautifully in about a decade. Similarly, there’s lots to love on the palate - plush and plum but with plenty of velvety tannic structure. Medium plus finish. Delectable!
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2017 UGC Des Bordeaux, San Francisco, nose of red and black cherry, black berry, and earth, on palate, medium/big body, paled next to the Barton today, lovely, rich, tasty, needs 5 years to peak and should merit a higher score, closed and tight on nose and palate today, medium finish.
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Union des Grand Cru de Bordeaux: Seattle: Black pepper, oak, and gravely earth led to bountiful fruit, balanced tannins, and a long smooth finish. Contender for the WOTN!
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UGC Bordeaux (Drake Hotel - Chicago IL): Walk around tasting. Big, dense and chewy, this easily manages to showcase ripeness with background spice. This also manages to retain more balance than most, but seems a bit oaky today. Also very good 89-91 point potential
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Bordeaux 2017 En Primeur - In Bottle Tasting (Montreal): Finally, a producer who excelled in 2017. I always say anyone can make good wine in 2015 or 2016 in Bordeaux, however, 2017 was going to show the real winners. Leoville Poyferre really shined through this year with an explosion of black fruit, cassis, blackcurrant, chocolate and tyme the body was full-bodied and lush with ripe fruit, velvety silky tannins, good concentration and weight yet with a clean and precise finish.
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Bordeaux 2017: A first look at the newly bottled 2017s Bordeaux. Twelve top 50 Chateaux, three top whites and one top sweet wine tasted (but hardly any superstar). All in all, the wines are good with a soft structure which might make them relatively early approachable. In terms of concentration and depth, however, they do not even remotely match the 2016s (or 2015s and 2018s for that matter). I had a tad higher hopes (for the reds and whites). Top reds: Pichon Lalande (94), Carmes, Poyferre, Canon and Valandraud (all 93) – all with 2 or 3 points upside once mature. As there are so many great recent vintages, there is no need to chase the 2017s reds, especially as they’re priced too high (compared to the other vintages). The sweet wines might be worth exploring further.
TN: One of the winners in this tasting thanks to one of the highest complexities combined with a quite expressive nose. Lots of graphite, gravels, tree bark, earth along dark and blue fruit with some floral hints. Good density and concentration, round and balanced. 93 with some upside to 95/96 once mature.
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Arvi 2017 in the bottle tasting at the Dolder Grand in Zurich. Main conclusions: 1) Less concentration and complexity than 2015 and 2016; 2) generally soft tannins and light structures; 3) often well approachable already. Not a vintage to store for future generations, but one where you probably won't have to wait for a decade or more to pop a bottle and is likely to offer drinking pleasure early on. Of the 20 wines tasted, my top picks would be Smith-Haut-Lafitte, Clinet, Chevalier Blanc, Pichon Lalande (all 96) followed by Leoville Barton, de Fargues and Valandrau (all 95). See the tasting story for some number crunching.
Tasting note: Sweet baking spices, ripe fruit, a bit herbal. Beautiful nose overall but palate with a slight acidic imbalance. Tannins rather mouth-coating and kicking in with a lag. A decent Poyferré.
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Before the licorice, black cherry, truffle, and cocoa-filled bouquet seductively arrives, you’ll notice a startling depth of color. Full bodied, rich and flowing with the darkest of red fruits and gently dusted with a blast of even darker chocolate, this wine is wrapped in cashmere. It is graceful and fresh from the very first dance to the long good-bye. Blending 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, this wine reached 13% alcohol. The harvest took place from September 20 to October 6. This is the final vintage with Didier Cuvelier at the helm and it is a testament to his many accomplishments at Leoville Poyferre.
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1/25/2024 - briangenius wrote: 91 Points
Still young. Ripe fruit
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1/3/2024 - Zweder Likes this wine: 94 Points
EEE January 2024 St. Estephe vs St. Julien (@ My place): Extremely dark color. The bouquet is beautiful with dark berries, beautifully dosed oak and cedar, vanilla and still some lactic impressions. On the palate dark berries, licorice, vanilla, beautiful acidity and round tannin. A beautiful and complex wine with a beautiful balance between acidity and sweetness. I would not be surprised when this wine will be the wine of the vintage in 2030. 94 already. Probably useful to know; I poured the wine in a large decanter 12 hours before drinking.
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12/1/2023 - englishman's claret wrote: 93 Points
The 2017 Léoville Poyferré has closed down a bit since I last tasted it, but with some coaxing shows a demure nose of red cherry, fresh leather, a little cocoa, a little rose, and a pleasant cedary note. The palate shows cured meat and pencil and, though it's aromatically not as jubilant as it was at the EP tastings (which is to be expected), the tannin suggests it might not be all that far from drinking.
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10/27/2023 - johnrpitts Likes this wine:
Chocolate and mint on the nose at opening. Flattened out a bit as it opened up, but good acid and good complexity of black and blue fruit with bright cherry coming along after two hours. Very short finish. Needs age.
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10/22/2023 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 94 Points
First one of these from the cellar. Decanted for 2 hours prior to putting back into the bottle to take to HMCs for dinner.
Great floral, perfumed nose to start. Better than the palate was initially and for the first 2-3 hours. The palate was very light, red fruited and a tad tart at the pnp. Air is this wine's friend! At 4+ hours this gains weight, it darkens a bit and really smooths out. Before that it's a bit closed/tannic. You can easily pour these now if you want for their more modern profile, just give them at least 4 hours of air to shine. 89 at the pnp.....90-91 2 hours in, and 94 after 4 hours of air....smooth, spicy, perfumed, solid. Some say this is an off year in Bdx...I'm not buying it.
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4/4/2023 - Collector1855 wrote: 91 Points
Very young and still marked by oak. The palate is velvety but on the light side for this producer, 2017 cannot hide after all. A clear step down form the 2015/2016 but good for the year. 91-92
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2/25/2023 - R K E Likes this wine: 94 Points
Great wine.
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2/16/2023 - wineappreciation wrote: 92 Points
Blackberry, cassis, notes of chocolate; cherry-like fruit, quite open, long, tannins only notable at the end and then powerful and lingering; young and a little one-dimensional at the moment but very good
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1/21/2023 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Regular dinner group (@ My place): Beautiful and luxurious bouquet with dark berries, beautifully dosed oak and vanilla. On the palate juicy dark berries, luxurious well dosed oak and cedar, graphite, good acidity and round tannin with a firm bite. This is a luxurious baby. Wait at least another decade. It will probably enter its maturity stage in the early 2030’s. I have a few, so there will be a follow up on this tasting note. 93 – 95+
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10/30/2022 - #alexindahouse Likes this wine: 91 Points
Needs plenty of time in the cellar- heavy concentration of fruit and tannins, this wine should turn into something quite special, try again in 5 years
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7/23/2022 - Sean Tay Likes this wine: 95 Points
Medium+ nose intensity with notes of black fruits, black current, toast, spices. Medium+ acidity and medium+ tannin. Tannin is polished and not harsh.
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2/10/2021 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
The wine already displays cassis, herbs, tobacco leaf, espresso and dark chocolate notes. On the palate, the wine is fresh, silky and focuses on its layers of sweet red berries, cocoa, herbs and spice. There is a lot of lift here, along with a crispness in the fruit on the palate and in the finish. Lay this down for at least 6-8 years before pulling a cork.
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10/16/2020 - sidaga Likes this wine: 92 Points
Robe rubis dense;
Nez dense, profond, sur un fruité sombre comme le cassis, une dimension de graphite est omniprésente & une touche florale ajoute une belle touche parfumé au bouquet. L'ensemble est complexe, en plusieurs couches. Il y a une petite pointe de cèdre en arrière plan qui apporte un élément de fraîcheur. Qques notes d'épices un splendide bouquet, relativement "ouvert" pour son très jeune âge.
Bouche tout aussi agréable que le nez malgré la jeunesse. Le fruité est dense en attaque, texture quasi crémeuse, les tannins sont fins & nombreux. L'acidité supporte bien la densité & apporte un équilibre exemplaire. Long & complexe, astringence bien présente en fin de bouche. Assez surpris somme toute par le plaisir qu'il procure à ce stade-ci. Excellent!
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2/17/2020 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 94 Points
Amsterdam UGCB Tasting and Winemakers' Dinner (Beurs van Berlage / Eden Hotel): Trade tasting, brief note. Rounder and more generous than the Barton, cassis but also ripe cherries, almost creamy, beautiful extraction, floral finish with a hint of liquorice, excellent length.
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1/27/2020 - OaktownRush Likes this wine:
Has that balanced feel that’s hard to describe — all its elements seamless in the right way. Red fruit, hints of earth. Tough tannins right now, but clearly will be great as time goes on.
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1/25/2020 - englishman's claret wrote: 94 Points
The 17 Léoville Poyferre offers a potent, enticing wild raspberry nose that should develop beautifully in about a decade. Similarly, there’s lots to love on the palate - plush and plum but with plenty of velvety tannic structure. Medium plus finish. Delectable!
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1/24/2020 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 91 Points
2017 UGC Des Bordeaux, San Francisco, nose of red and black cherry, black berry, and earth, on palate, medium/big body, paled next to the Barton today, lovely, rich, tasty, needs 5 years to peak and should merit a higher score, closed and tight on nose and palate today, medium finish.
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1/23/2020 - Winning_Wines Likes this wine: 93 Points
Union des Grand Cru de Bordeaux: Seattle: Black pepper, oak, and gravely earth led to bountiful fruit, balanced tannins, and a long smooth finish. Contender for the WOTN!
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1/22/2020 - Burgundy Al wrote:
UGC Bordeaux (Drake Hotel - Chicago IL): Walk around tasting. Big, dense and chewy, this easily manages to showcase ripeness with background spice. This also manages to retain more balance than most, but seems a bit oaky today. Also very good 89-91 point potential
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1/18/2020 - Alexander Smith Likes this wine: 95 Points
Bordeaux 2017 En Primeur - In Bottle Tasting (Montreal): Finally, a producer who excelled in 2017. I always say anyone can make good wine in 2015 or 2016 in Bordeaux, however, 2017 was going to show the real winners. Leoville Poyferre really shined through this year with an explosion of black fruit, cassis, blackcurrant, chocolate and tyme the body was full-bodied and lush with ripe fruit, velvety silky tannins, good concentration and weight yet with a clean and precise finish.
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11/8/2019 - Cailles wrote: 93 Points
Bordeaux 2017: A first look at the newly bottled 2017s Bordeaux. Twelve top 50 Chateaux, three top whites and one top sweet wine tasted (but hardly any superstar). All in all, the wines are good with a soft structure which might make them relatively early approachable. In terms of concentration and depth, however, they do not even remotely match the 2016s (or 2015s and 2018s for that matter). I had a tad higher hopes (for the reds and whites). Top reds: Pichon Lalande (94), Carmes, Poyferre, Canon and Valandraud (all 93) – all with 2 or 3 points upside once mature. As there are so many great recent vintages, there is no need to chase the 2017s reds, especially as they’re priced too high (compared to the other vintages). The sweet wines might be worth exploring further.
TN: One of the winners in this tasting thanks to one of the highest complexities combined with a quite expressive nose. Lots of graphite, gravels, tree bark, earth along dark and blue fruit with some floral hints. Good density and concentration, round and balanced. 93 with some upside to 95/96 once mature.
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11/4/2019 - sirpat00 wrote: 94 Points
Arvi 2017 in the bottle tasting at the Dolder Grand in Zurich. Main conclusions: 1) Less concentration and complexity than 2015 and 2016; 2) generally soft tannins and light structures; 3) often well approachable already. Not a vintage to store for future generations, but one where you probably won't have to wait for a decade or more to pop a bottle and is likely to offer drinking pleasure early on. Of the 20 wines tasted, my top picks would be Smith-Haut-Lafitte, Clinet, Chevalier Blanc, Pichon Lalande (all 96) followed by Leoville Barton, de Fargues and Valandrau (all 95). See the tasting story for some number crunching.
Tasting note:
Sweet baking spices, ripe fruit, a bit herbal. Beautiful nose overall but palate with a slight acidic imbalance. Tannins rather mouth-coating and kicking in with a lag. A decent Poyferré.
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4/26/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
Before the licorice, black cherry, truffle, and cocoa-filled bouquet seductively arrives, you’ll notice a startling depth of color. Full bodied, rich and flowing with the darkest of red fruits and gently dusted with a blast of even darker chocolate, this wine is wrapped in cashmere. It is graceful and fresh from the very first dance to the long good-bye. Blending 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, this wine reached 13% alcohol. The harvest took place from September 20 to October 6. This is the final vintage with Didier Cuvelier at the helm and it is a testament to his many accomplishments at Leoville Poyferre.
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