Ripe and creamy but also refined and lively, this is a beautiful 2009 Medoc, the fine tannins adding a lot to the long and silky finish. The obvious bitter chocolate note will either delight you or be a touch too much. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019) - Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com, March 2019

[60CS/29M/6PV/5CF] A seductively perfumed nose of sweet, ripe blackberry and cassis; beautifully balanced wine, concentrated, elegant, discreet and fresh, with its usual particularly fine textured, but long term, tannin; lovely ripeness of core fruit, gently spicy flavour, long in the mouth, very finely gravely, marked complexity; aromatic, aristocratic and very long to finish. 2020-40+

100pts - One of the more flamboyant and sumptuous wines of the vintage, this inky/purple-colored St.-Julien reveals thrilling levels of opulence, richness and aromatic pleasures. A soaring bouquet of creme de cassis, charcoal, graphite and spring flowers is followed by a super-concentrated wine with silky tannins, stunning amounts of glycerin, a voluptuous, multilayered mouthfeel and nearly 14% natural alcohol. Displaying fabulous definition for such a big, plump, massive, concentrated effort, I suspect the tannin levels are high even though they are largely concealed by lavish amounts of fruit, glycerin and extract. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2040.

Robert Parker (Wine Advocate #199, Feb 2012)

98pts - Having retreated into its shell, the deep garnet colored 2009 Léoville Poyferré gives up slowly revealing notions of cigar boxes, pencil lead, charcoal, rose hip tea and fragrant earth with a core of preserved plums, crème de cassis, espresso and Indian spices. Full, rich, seductive and voluptuously fruited in the mouth, the palate features firm yet beautifully velvety tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long and spicy. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, March 2019