Château Léoville Poyferré

The history of Château Léoville Poyferré

In 1638, Maître Jean de Moytié, an ennobled Bordeaux bourgeois and adviser to the Bordeaux Parliament, was cultivating his Mont Moytié vineyard, planted on gravelly soil. In 1740, the estate was bought by Blaise Antoine Alexandre de Gascq. He named his cru Léoville. On his death, the estate was split into three parts. One part was passed on to Jeanne de la Cases, wife of Baron Jean-Marie de Poyferré. In 1855, Château Léoville Poyferré was crowned Second Grand Cru Classé. Château Léoville Poyferré had several owners, before being bought by the Cuvelier family in 1920. At the same time, they acquired Château Moulin riche, with its adjoining vineyard. The heirs have since succeeded each other at the head of both estates.

The Château Léoville Poyferré vineyard

The Château Léoville Poyferré vineyard extends over one of the Médoc's most prestigious appellations, Saint Julien, with a total of 920 hectares influenced by the Garonne River. The soil is made up of a wide variety of gravels, offering a magnificent palette for composing the wines. The subsoil is sandy clay. The Château Léoville Poyferré vineyard covers a total of 80 hectares, scattered over several parcel blocks. It includes 20 hectares planted in a single block to the north-west of the appellation, reserved for the production of Château Moulin Riche, also owned by the Cuvelier family. The Château Léoville Poyferré vineyard is planted with 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc. The average age of the vines is 38 years. Since 2016, Château Léoville Poyferré has integrated the Bordeaux Wine Environmental Management System, which has served as a guide to improving its viticultural practices. Efforts on environmentally-friendly vineyard work have enabled the estate to obtain the HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale) level 3 label, since the 2017 vintage. The grapes are harvested by hand in crates. They last an average of three weeks.

The wines of Château Léoville Poyferré

The estate offers 4 wines: Château Léoville Poyferré, Pavillon de Léoville Poyferré, Château Moulin Riche and cuvée M de Moulin Riche.

Château Léoville Poyferré 2010

After an exceptional vintage in 2009, Château Léoville Poyferré has repeated its feat, with an equally prodigious 2010 vintage. The wine is both deep and well-balanced, with a chiselled bouquet highlighting the ideal ripeness of the fruit. It is a blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc. This blend creates perfect harmony, allowing each grape variety to express its aromatic purity. The wine is elegant, with a full, fleshy mouthfeel, developing fruity, silky, fine tannins.