Tagged petit verdot

A bit closed on the nose though showing some cigar. Not quite ready on the palate, with some tannin to lose, though these are good and have a nice texture. This vintage of Léoville-Poyferré finishes a bit short for an $80 bottle of wine. Drink 2012–18. Blending proportions are unknown. More wine writing by Stuart can be found on his blog, Worcester Sauce.

A total of 240,000 bottles were produced from a harvest that stretched from September 30 to October 18. The nose is earthy and is already showing some cigar aromas—this wine is starting to mature. Quite a smooth texture on the palate but it lacks the richness of 2005. Drink 2012–17. The blend is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot. More wine writing by Stuart can be found on his blog, Worcester Sauce.

At Léoville-Poyferré this great Bordeaux vintage was harvested September 26 to October 8 and produced 230,000 bottles of highly priced wine. Quite closed on the nose at the moment but the palate is sumptuous—smooth, rich, and elegant. Its luscious style means that it can be drunk now or aged to 2025 for more complexity. The blend is 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot. More wine writing by Stuart can be found on his blog, Worcester Sauce.

Harvested September 21 to October 7, yielding 235,000 bottles. This vintage of Léoville-Poyferré displays quite hard oak tannins and is really rather charmless, lacking the elegance and charm that distinguishes it in better years. Nonetheless the structure of the wine suggests the capacity to age to 2015–20+. The blend is 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot. More wine writing by Stuart can be found on his blog, Worcester Sauce.

Harvesting began on September 26, the same date as in 2005, and ended on October 10. 257,000 bottles were produced. On the nose this shows the earthy fruit character that is so typical of St-Julien, though some oak is still there. Described as charming by Léoville-Poyferré’s owner Didier Cuvelier, this is pleasant but underwhelming, though it should age well. The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc. Drink 2015–20+. More wine writing by Stuart can be found on his blog, Worcester Sauce.