Léoville Poyferré 2004 praised by Chris Kissack

Recently, British wine journalist Chris Kissack, founder of The Wine Doctor, featured Château Léoville Poyferré 2004 in his Weekend Wine column.

Often described as a rather staid vintage, 2004 found itself overshadowed between the exuberance of 2003 and the universal success of 2005, a context that long kept it in relative discretion. And yet, as Chris Kissack emphasises, it is precisely in these less spectacular years that the most rewarding surprises can sometimes be found by attentive Bordeaux drinkers.

More than twenty years after its birth, this 2004 now reveals its full poise and depth, recognised with a score of 94/100. A distinction that highlights Léoville Poyferré’s ability to express, beyond vintage effects, the consistency of its style and the solidity of its structure.

Chris Kissack’s tasting note:

« It continues in an immediately pure and fresh style on the palate, with youthful fruit set in a supple density which sits forward on the palate, maintaining a plump and textural substance through the middle, filled with dark plum, violet and more mature nuances of tobacco, backed up by a dry but tightly knit core of tannins. It culminates in a bright, acid-fresh finish, easing into a length rich in powdery, sooty and peppery tannin. Overall it is a restrained but seductive interpretation of St Julien, one which for its age retains a noteworthy degree of substance, texture and structure; while it drinks fine now, there is much potential here. Give it another five or ten years in bottle and this will be shimmering, I am sure, so hands off for now. »

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