The 2019 Château Léoville Poyferré is a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blend that includes 27% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot. It's a classic wine from this address, with a dense purple color as well as a blockbuster nose of blackberries, cassis, chocolate, toasted spices, graphite, and tobacco. This flamboyant, full-bodied, opulent wine has a massive, sexy texture, sweet tannins, and a finish that won't quit. It's better than the 2000, 2003, 2005, 2015, and 2016 and reminds me of the 2009 with its oversized yet balanced, beautiful profile. The alcohol checks in at just over 14%, but it isn't noticeable in the least. Buy this rock star by the case!

The 2019 Léoville-Poyferré has the quintessential "LP" bouquet of perfumed blackberry, black plum, perhaps less tobacco than last year but still those hints of desiccated orange peel. It opens beautifully in the glass. The palate has a satin-like texture, a fine bead of acidity and fine pixelation. It is perhaps less luxuriant than I found this last year from barrel and has become slightly more linear, displaying a touch more breeding and precision. It fans out wonderfully on the finish, completing a fabulous Saint-Julien with huge potential. 14.18% alcohol

“A rich and highly charged Poyferré, with creamy damson and vanilla pod spice expanding through the mid palate. Hugely impressive, with velvety tannins and plenty of charcoal, grilled sarments and slate impact. Higher tension through the core would take the score up even further. 4% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the estate under the ownership of the Cuvelier family.” Jane Anson

3% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc add extra subtlety to this classy St-Julien. On the nose there are pronounced exotic characters with Asian spice and cedar wood, combining with plump dark plum fruit and juicy blackberry. More sweetness evident on the palate than many other Haut-Médoc wines, with a mouthfeel that has great balance and purity. Will drink well at a (relatively) young age.

The 2019 Léoville Poyferré is showing very well in bottle, wafting from the glass with aromas of crème de cassis and wild berries mingled with notions of licorice, loamy soil, cigar wrapper and smoke. Full-bodied, velvety and polished, it's broad and enveloping, with an ample core of fruit, ripe tannins and succulent acids, concluding with a long, precise finish. Invariably the most sumptuous of the three Léovilles, featuring some 35% Merlot, the 2019 is a terrific effort that will offer a wide drinking window.

The 2019 Léoville-Poyferré is magnificent. Inky, dark and beautifully layered in the glass, the 2019 possesses off-the-charts richness allied to tremendous breadth that grows over time. Crème de cassis, chocolate, licorice, sweet spice and menthol wrap around the palate as this dense, potent Saint-Julien shows off its alluring personality. Readers should be prepared to cellar the 2019 for some years, as it is a wine of raw power. June 2020

Blackcurrant, wet-earth with fresh black-mushroom aromas. Some chocolate, too. Full-bodied with layers of beautiful, ripe fruit and creamy tannins. It’s chewy and focused. Impressive balance. Try after 2025.

Casting a deep garnet-purple color, the 2019 Léoville Poyferré charges out of the gate with alluring notes of chocolate-covered cherries, blueberry pie, dried mulberries and blackcurrant cordial plus suggestions of camphor, espresso, spice cake and oolong tea. The medium to full-bodied palate reveals bags of freshness and a suitably approachable texture, supporting the decadent blackberry preserves and exotic spice layers, finishing on a stewed tea note. An already incredibly impressive wine, I imagine by the end of barrel aging the tannins will be fully brought into line here and the fruit will emerge singing of even more nuances. LPB

67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot. Barrel sample. Deep purple hue. Rich but reserved with great purity of fruit. Cassis and spice aromas. Powerful tannic frame but folded in layers of unctuous fruit. Mouth-filling and flexing a little muscle. A big wine with plenty of matière . Long finish. One for the cellar. (JL)

67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot. Inky crimson. Seductively dark and rich aroma, ripe but not sweet-smelling until it starts to open in the glass. This has great depth of pure dark fruit but also quite a muscular structure, and all in balance. A big wine but balanced and so fresh. (JH)