Château Léoville Poyferré 2018

The extraordinary equation

Extreme weather conditions wildly rocked the 2018 vintage between alternating periods of humidity and dryness.

At the heart of the emblematic graves of Saint-Julien, the vine was able to show us, once again, the magical effect of terroir.

From this extraordinary equation is born a vintage that sings harmoniously with elegance, complexity and balance.

Our tasting notes – 2022

The 2018 vintage of Léoville Poyferré has a deep garnet color with purple highlights. Beautifully shiny and limpid, this wine displays a youthful color.

Juicy, generous aromas of red and black fruits burst from the glass, accompanied by notes of oak and plenty of freshness.

On the palate, the wine takes on a lot of breadth while retaining its juicy character. Suave, aromatic notes of black fruits and oak persist. The tannins are still quite present and will develop a lovely patina with a little aging. The powerful, dense finish lingers on and on.

2018 is an exceptional vintage and affirms its immense aging potential.

Press reviews

JebDunnuck.com – Jeb Dunnuck : 100

“Every bit as good as the 2009, and I think better than the 2010 and 2016, the 2018 Château Léoville Poyferré is a total thrill that tops out my scale. Based on 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, its dense purple hue is followed by an incredible, full-bodied monster of a wine that, despite massive amounts of fruit, tannins, and extract, still stays weightless and ethereal, with incredible purity. Loaded with notions of crème de cassis, spring flowers, tobacco, violets, charcoal, and cedar pencil, it’s extraordinarily concentrated, flawlessly balanced, and has a finish that won’t quit. This is a legendary wine in the making. Give bottles 7-8 years, a decade would be even better, and it will keep for 40-50 years. Hats off to the Cuvelier family for another extraordinary wine!”

The Wine Doctor – Chris Kissack : 97

“Another opportunity to take a look at this wine, which I tasted earlier this year during the course of my first in-bottle tastings of this vintage. The aromatic profile is appropriately intense and richly perfumed, the damson and blackberry fruits laced with slate and dark chocolate, and lifted with little notes of white peach, white freesia, cranberry and white pepper. This is high class and exceedingly stylish. The palate shows a rich and broad texture, but with an equally confident rich and phenolic frame, within which sits the charged fruit of the midpalate. Plenty of tannic grip here, although it remains thoroughly buried within the wine, showing most clearly at the finish. Fabulously long and gripped, very fine despite its intense style with lingering tannic energy, this is a brooding wine of remarkable potential.”

JamesSuckling.com – James Suckling : 98

“This is so powerful and dense with amazing tannin quality that reminds me of dense clouds, because they are agile and light. Multilayered. Extremely long, too. Punchy! One of the best wines I have ever had from here.”

Wine Spectator : 97

“Waves of warmed cassis, mocha and warm tar aromas lead the way, while the core of macerated plum, blackberry and blueberry fruit waits its turn, showing admirable breadth and depth when it arrives, with roasted apple wood, bramble and cast iron buried deeply through the finish. This is a powerfully rendered wine with a cashmere scarf as accent.” 

Vintage information in other languages

Japanese