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1990 Leoville Poyferre

1990 Leoville Poyferre

97 RP

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From the critics:

96 DEC

92 WS

90 VM

Featured Review
Absolutely spectacular, the1990 Leoville Poyferre is much more evolved than either of its two Leoville neighbors. Its opaque plum/garnet color is accompanied by a gorgeous bouquet of smoke, charcoal, creme de cassis, and flowers. Fleshy and opulent, it comes across like a St.-Julien with a Pomerol texture and allure. This beauty has reached full maturity where it should remain for another two decades. Robert Parker

Robert Parker | 97 RP

Critic Reviews

Absolutely spectacular, the1990 Leoville Poyferre is much more evolved than either of its two Leoville neighbors. Its opaque plum/garnet color is accompanied by a gorgeous bouquet of smoke, charcoal, creme de cassis, and flowers. Fleshy and opulent, it comes across like a St.-Julien with a Pomerol texture and allure. This beauty has reached full maturity where it should remain for another two decades.

Robert Parker | 97 RP
The nose lifts right out of the glass and reminds the world how Bordeaux can age. You’ll find chocolate, hazelnut, plum, soft liquorice root; a wonderful testament to a brilliant vintage, delivering on its potential even three decades later. I love the softness of the tannins and the freshness at close of play – daring you to suggest when it is going to finally bow out. This is exactly what people look for in older Bordeaux. Smudged around the edges but a core of pure fruit expression, fully integrated with melted oak notes. Drinking Window 2018 - 2030.

Decanter | 96 DEC
A chewy wine, with impressively rich aromas and flavors of ripe plum, tobacco, cedar and earth aromas and flavors and attractive, velvety tannins.

Wine Spectator | 92 WS
Deep red-ruby. Remarkably complex aromas of chestnuts, earth, truffle, shoe polish and a cigar-box nuance. Suave, intensely flavored fruit; a very youthful, sharply defined and thoroughly delicious wine of great finesse. Finishes firm and long. Our favorite PoyferrĂ© since the ’83. The three LĂ©ovilles are stunning—and completely different in style—in 1990. 91(+?), use more clarity and nuance. Should be accessible early.

Vinous Media | 90 VM

Wine Details for 1990 Leoville Poyferre

Type of Wine Bordeaux Red : Picture in your mind a combination of cedar, lead pencil, blackcurrant, plum and mineral aromatics, and texture that caresses your palate like a playful lover. The experience is thrilling from the first whiff to the final seconds of a tannic, generous finish - that is what you'll get from a Bordeaux Red
Varietal Red Bordeaux Blend : The inhabitants of the Bordeaux region of France have been cultivating wine-grapes for thousands of years. Ancient Roman ruins litter the vineyards from Saint Emilion to Graves where the art of blending Bordeaux varietals has been practiced and perfected over a very long history. Bordeaux’s climate, terroir and soils, though varied, provide the optimal growing conditions for the red grape varietals planted in the region.

Rarely listed on the labels as “blend,” the red wines of Bordeaux are perhaps the most artfully designed and celebrated in the world. The calculated art of blending the native Bordeaux varietals is impressively accomplished in the most famous winegrowing region in the world. The phrase Bordeaux Blend which seems to have been coined by British wine merchants in the 19th Century relates as much to wines made from the blend as to the grape variety combination itself.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and occasionally Carmenere are the lead characters in the creation of Red Bordeaux Blends. Each plays a part in their own fashion and implemented in various combinations and percentages in each appellation within Bordeaux. Red Bordeaux Blends are majorly composed of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, roughly making up 90% of all Bordeaux Blends. Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec (occasionally Carmenere) are also important components and vital to the production of the region’s red wines.

For simplicity, the winegrowing region of Bordeaux can be divided into three main appellations producing Red Bordeaux Blends; the Left Bank (Medoc), Right Bank and Pessac-Leognan (Graves). The Left Bank has a terroir comprised of a wide variety of gravel, stones, sand, limestone and clay soils on a natural terrain of gentle slopes. This sets the stage perfectly for the production of Cabernet Sauvignon, which is the dominant grape of the Left Bank. For example, Chateau Lafite (Paulliac) is composed of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Right Bank is dominated by clay and limestone with sand and gravel, but the clay in the Right Bank is distinctly its own and adds to the health, growth and vitality of the vines of the varietals grown here. Right Bank wines are typically 80% Merlot-based, which are often denser, richer and mature earlier than those of the Left Bank (with exceptions – Petrus for example). Merlot is a vital component to Pomerol winegrowing and making. Cabernet Franc also plays a major role in the Right Bank, most notably, in Saint Emilion, where the infamous vineyards of Chateau Ausone and Chateau Cheval Blanc are planted to 55% and 52% Cabernet Franc, respectively. Chateaux that produce wines with a majority of Cabernet Franc are considered “old school” producers, but have perfected the use of Cabernet Franc, which was originally used as a blending grape.

Pessac-Leognan (Graves) enjoys a temperate climate, natural hygrometry influenced by the ocean, and has a terroir composed of gravelly soil over a clay subsoil on sloping, hilly terrain. Natural drainage due to the hilly terrain as well as the gravelly soil structure are perfectly attuned to the Cabernet Sauvignon grape vine, which prospers under these conditions. Pessac reaps the benefits of having the terroir of both the Left and Right Bank as it contains gravel and clay. The clay sub-soil allows the growth and success of Merlot, as well as Cabernet Franc. It is home to the only First Growth not in the Medoc. The 50-hectare vineyard of Haut Brion is planted to 45.4% Merlot, 43.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.7% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.

The percentage of Petit Verdot and Malbec may be lesser in quantity, but not in quality. They are vital to the region’s creation of Red Bordeaux Blends. The combination of Bordeaux varietals is legendary in the region, around the world and has influenced winegrowers worldwide to plant and vinify wines which resemble those of Red Bordeaux Blends.

Country France : Wine is the lifeblood that courses through the country of France, pulsing with vigorous pride and determination. Viticulture is not just a hobby or an occupation in France; it is a passion, a cherished tradition that has been passed down through generations of wine stained hands. Winemaking is a beloved art that has been ingrained in the culture, an aptitude instilled in sons by fathers and the hallmark for which France’s reputation was built, allowing it to be renowned as, arguably, the most important wine producing country in the world.



For centuries, France has been producing wines of superior quality and in much greater quantity than any other country in the world. It boasts some of the most impressive wine regions, coveted vineyards and prestigious wines on earth. The regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone, Sauternes and Champagne have become the benchmark, for which others aspire to become. Legendary producers such as Chateaux Margaux, Domaine De La Romanee Conti, Chapoutier, d’Yquem and Dom Perignon are idolized world-wide.



France has stamped its name on nearly every style of wine, from the nectar-like sweet Sauternes to hedonistic Chateauneuf Du Papes classic Bordeaux and Burgundy, to its sparkling dominance in Champagne. Many of the most infamous grape varietals in the world, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay originated in France and are not only beloved, but utilized in the creation of some of the greatest wines on earth. French wine production commands the attention of the wine market year after year. With over 860,000 hectares under vine, and numbers close to 50 million hectoliters of wine produced annually, France dominates the market and sets the standard for not only product quality, but also quantity.



France’s many contributions to the world of wine have been absolutely indispensable. The country is the originator of the term “Premier Cru,” coined the term Terroir (a French term so complex there is no literal translation) and has laid the blueprint for a structured appellation system, which others have implemented in their own countries. French vineyard techniques and winemaking practices are mimicked world-wide. California vintners have been replicating Rhone style wines for decades, South America has adopted the French varietal of Malbec and countries around the world are imitating Burgundian styled Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.



With vast diversity in terroir, France is home to some of the most hospitable winegrowing locations on earth. The combination of topography, geology, climate, rainfall and even the amount of sunlight combined with the long historical tradition of winegrowing and making, has allowed the vintners of France to not only hone their skills, but learn from nature to create a product that like the world in which it resides… is very much alive.


Subregion Saint Julien

Overview

Producer Chateau Leoville Poyferre : The Saint Julien, Second Growth estate of Leoville Poyferre has a history dating all the way back to 1638. Traditionally, Bordeaux estates were named after their founders or owners but there is a long and winding road shared with Chateau Leoville Las Cases which has led to its path of ownership.

What we recognize today as Leoville Poyferre was once part of a vineyard named Mont-Moytie, after owner and member of the Bordeaux Parliament, Jean de Moytie. It was one of the first chateau in the Medoc to produce wine along with Chateau Margaux and La Tour de Saint Lamber, which we know today as Chateau Latour. The domaine remained in the Moytie family for almost 100 years before becoming part of the de Gascq family through Marriage. Alexander de Gascq promptly renamed the estate Leoville.

At that time, the Leoville estate was at the forefront of vineyard management and were using practices that seemed odd but today are taken for granted. De Gascq was a steady purchaser of vineyards and at the time of his death his estate had grown to be one of the largest in Bordeaux. Upon his death in 1840, the property was divided between eldest son Pierre Jean de Las Cases and his sister Jeane. Jeane’s parcel was passed on to her daughter and wife of Baron Jean-Marie Poyferre de Ceres. This was the birth of Leoville Poyferre.

While the vineyards were separated, the buildings were connected just as they remain to this day. When visiting either chateau, the parking lot is shared between Las Cases and Poyferre; a unique arrangement in Bordeaux. After the Leoville vineyards were separated into the three estates we know today as Las Cases, Poyferre, and Barton, there was much confusion and chaos that took place at harvest as the vineyards mingled.

The modern era began for Leoville Poyferre in 1920 when the Cuvelier family purchased the estate. The Cuvelier family had a long history in the Bordeaux wine trade prior to the acquisition but interestingly and despite that wealth of family knowledge, the family allowed Roger Delon of Leoville Las Cases and neighbor to manage the estate. In 1979, Didier Cuvelier became the first member of the family to take charge of Leoville Poyferre and this change once again put the estate on the map to wine lovers all over the world.

Didier Cuvelier brought modernization to the Left Bank estate, upgrading winemaking facilities, replanting vines and bringing in the consultation of Michel Rolland and Emile Peynaud. There was rapid transformation in quality and it became evident with the release of the 1982 vintage. Leoville Poyferre had its name stamped on the wine market long before but much credit should be given to Didier Cuvelier for his innovative and ambitious endeavors. Under his tutelage, the estate has swelled from 48 hectares to its current 80 hectares under vine.

The 80 hectares are planted to 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. On average the vines are 45 years of age with some Cabernet Sauvignon vines being planted back in the 1940s. 20,000 cases are produced each year. The estate produces two additional wines; Moulin-Riche as well as Pavillon de Leoville Poyferre. The Cuvelier family also owns a successful negociant company which was started in 1804, H. Cuvelier and Fils.

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