Classified Saint-Julien château with an 80 hectare vineyard, a Cabernet Sauvignon led grand vin and parcel by parcel vinification.
The producer
Château Léoville-Poyferré is a Saint-Julien estate in the Haut-Médoc with 80 hectares of vineyard and a grand vin led by Cabernet Sauvignon. Didier Cuvelier took charge in 1979 and worked with Emile Peynaud during an ambitious restructuring program. The cellar uses cold maceration before fermentation in double walled stainless steel tanks, followed by French oak ageing. The portfolio also includes Pavillon and Moulin Riche.
Known for
Saint-Julien Cabernet Sauvignon reds
Notable facts
Classified as a Deuxième Cru Classé in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification.
Located in Saint-Julien, Haut-Médoc, on Bordeaux's Left Bank.
Didier Cuvelier took charge in 1979 with Emile Peynaud as consultant.
HVE level 3 environmental certification has been maintained since 2017.
The grand vin ages for 18 months in 75 to 80 percent new French oak.
The story
The 1982 Turning Point
The September of 1982 was warm and dry across the Médoc in a way that rarely arrives for Cabernet Sauvignon, a variety that needs extended autumn heat to convert its naturally firm tannins. Didier Cuvelier let the fruit hang until it was genuinely ripe. When the 1982 Léoville Poyferré came out of barrel, it was denser and more concentrated than anything the estate had bottled since the Cuvelier family bought the property in 1920 — the payoff of a vineyard overhaul that had been underway since the late 1970s. Négociants who had routinely allocated the wine at the lower end of the three Léovilles tasted the new release and moved it up. Critics who had placed Poyferré at the back of the conversation reassigned it.
From the atlas
Château Léoville-Poyferré
A classified Saint-Julien château with parcel by parcel vinification and French oak ageing.
At A Glance
Fact
Detail
Classification
Deuxième Cru Classé in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification
Appellation
Saint-Julien, Haut-Médoc, Left Bank Bordeaux
Vineyard
80 hectares
Signature wine
The grand vin
Defining feature
Parcel by parcel vinification in temperature controlled tanks
The Producer
Didier Cuvelier took charge in 1979 and worked with Emile Peynaud, an influential consultant, during an ambitious restructuring program. Michel Rolland joined the winemaking team as consulting oenologist in 1994. The estate has maintained HVE level 3 environmental certification since 2017.
Place
Saint-Julien is the appellation, Haut-Médoc the wider subregion, and Left Bank Bordeaux the larger regional setting. The estate is in Saint-Julien-Beychevelle, at 38 Rue de Saint-Julien. The place name moves from commune to appellation to regional classification without changing the producer's Saint-Julien address.
Wines
The range includes the grand vin, Pavillon and Moulin Riche. The grand vin blend is 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc.
Before fermentation, cold maceration in double walled stainless steel tanks enhances colour intensity and fruit purity. After malolactic fermentation, the wine ages for 18 months in French oak, with 75 to 80 percent new oak.
Final Word
Château Léoville-Poyferré is a classified Saint-Julien château with a Cabernet Sauvignon led grand vin and parcel by parcel vinification.