The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.
Wine Description
The Story
Léoville Poyferré has 80 hectares of vineyards planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (65%), Merlot (25%), Petit Verdot (8%) and Cabernet Franc (2%).
Léoville Poyferré traditionally produced the softest and most supple wine of the 3 Léovilles, yet in the last decade the wines have definitely put on weight and body. This is largely due to the grapes being harvested riper and later and because of the increased exposure to new oak in the maturation process.
Now up with the best of the St-Juliens but still selling at non-scary prices. Léoville Poyferré is classified as a 2ème Cru Classé.
Wine Information
We feel sure that 2010 will be among our most exceptional vintages.
The grapes are perfectly healthy. It is essential not to hurry the harvest, however, for even though the Cabernets and Petit-Verdots have come along beautifully, we must wait for the optimum quality we are looking for.
Reminder of the Key Stages:
Budbreak 12th April 2010. Mid-flowering 2nd - 5th June 2010.
Mid-colour change 6th - 15th August 2010 i.e. an average 4 days later than in 2009.
The Harvest
After precise plot-by-plot ripeness tests (sampling of 200 grapes per plot to analyse the potential alcoholic degree, acidity, pH, polyphenols, anthocya- nin; berry tasting), it is at last time to begin picking, on 1st October.
The Merlots are ready to be harvested. The grapes are incredibly small and of remarkable quality. Benefiting from the greater sun exposure, these smaller berries are also more concentrated in fruity aromas.
The Cabernets and Petit-Verdots need more time : we stop picking for a few days to allow the tannins in their pips to ripen fully.
The first grapes are picked on 1st October and the last on 18th October 2010, 6 days later than in 2009. The same difference was observed regarding the dates of budbreak.
Château Léoville Poyferré
The 2010 Vintage
A cold and wet winter, a hot and dry spring, then a hot, dry and sunny sum- mer followed by beneficial rainfall in September.
These extreme weather conditions do not affect our healthy, resistant vines, solidly rooted in their well-balanced soil.
The excellent natural drainage and deep rooting of our vineyard ensure regu- larity in the growth cycle.
For this 2010 harvest we are delighted to inaugurate our new truncated vats. Their varying capacities allow a plot-by-plot selection and their thermo- regulated double walls enable a pre-fermentary cold maceration without the use of dry ice.
The inevitable comparison is made : after an exceptional vintage in 2009 with a similar climatic profile, can 2010 be even better ?
Merlots Cabernet Francs Cabernet Sauvignons Petit Verdots
The Growth Cycle in the Vineyard
Cold and wet winter weather :
The winter is very cold, with repeated frost from 14th December to 13th March. The vines can thus have a good rest over the winter.
The water reserves are satisfactory : 535 mm of rainfall from November to March i.e. 50 mm more than in 2009. This will prove most useful over the spring.
The pruning finishes on 17th March.
A hot, dry spring and a late budbreak :
The peak budbreak occurs on 12th April 2010, 6 days later than in 2009, and 10 days later than in 2008.
Unlike in 2009, April is dry, with only 12.6 mm of rain. It is also hotter by 4°, with one day at 32.3° C.
The month of May remains dry, with 44.2 mm of sporadic rain and high tem- peratures : over 36° some days, compared to 31° in 2009.
All this stimulates the vines growth and it is forced to draw from the soils wa- ter supply. The water tables in the sub-soil go back down to their usual low level.
A short and early flowering :
Blossoming is very short and comparable to 2009. The mid-flowering occurs between 2nd and 5th June.
Is the vine going to continue making up for lost time, the way it did in 2009 ?
The beginning of the flowering period is dry and hot but then colder, rainy weather disturbs the rest of the flowering in the Merlot plots.
We observe both flower shatter and berry shot on the Merlot (a sensitive grape variety); The Petit-Verdots and the Cabernets flower beautifully however, prom- ising a very interesting vintage, even if it is a little early to say so at this stage.
It is time to de-leaf on the Northern and Eastern sides (from 14th June to 16th July) to air the bunches and bring out the aromatic characteristics of the fruit.
The average temperature in June (21.2° C) is slightly above that of 2009. The rainfall is a reasonable 95.8 mm.
The vines will need this to stand the summer drought.
The ripening stage :
July is very hot and sunny ; on 21 days of the month the thermometer shows over 30° C, and one day it reaches 39.3°.
The mid-colour change is observed on the 6th August for the Merlots, on 7th Au- gust for the Cabernets and 15th August for the Petit-Verdots; depending on the grape variety, this is between 2 and 4 days later than in 2009.
A green harvest is not necessary : the number of bunches per plant is satisfac- tory but the berries have never been so small.
A perfect recipe for ideal ripening : the vine is carrying just what is needed and does not tire itself with an excessive crop.
July and August bring respectively 24.4 and 16.8 mm of rainfall, hydrating the vines but not quenching their thirst.
August temperatures are also high, with 15 days above 30° and some at 38.8°.
September stays hot, up to 36.5°. Total rainfall in September is 45 mm, of which 26 mm from the 6th to the 9th, and then 14 mm for the equinox. This water is most welcome as the vines are beginning to suffer.
The first ripeness tests on the 6th September show similar results to those of 2009 : high potential alcoholic, high acidity and even more promising phenolic analyses with higher levels than in 2009.
The grapes are extremely small however, especially the Merlots; the weight of 1 000 berries is even lower than in 2003 : 1 254 g as compared to 1 461 g.
The rain that comes at the end of September accelerates the ripening of our Cabernet Sauvignons that had slowed down a little.
Vintage 2010
Drought and cool temperatures contribute to optimal ripeness
The sum of summer temperatures in 2010 was close to that of summer 2009 (962°C compared to 982°C), but significantly colder than those of 2005, which totaled 1052°C. These cool temperatures had a substantial influence on the balance of our wines, preserving a good level of acidity and an attractive aromatic freshness.
Very little precipitation (only 267 mm) from March to August 2010 generating a drought of similar intensity to that of 2005, when only 227 mm of rain fell.
Another characteristic of the 2010 vintage is the low temperatures especially during the first three weeks of August, which allowed good acidity levels to be preserved in the grapes while maintaining an attractive aromatic freshness.
