2010 Chateau Léoville Poyferré St. Julien Bordeaux 750 ml

A Steady Rise to the Top

The legend of the 2010 Chateau Léoville Poyferré just keeps on growing. In one of Bordeaux’s all-time great vintages, the team at Leoville Poyferre crafted a historic wine that, at first, flew just under the radar. Robert Parker’s original score of 95-98 points was hardly shabby, but it didn’t draw the kind of attention that the 2010 would receive after Parker tasted it again in 2013 and upped the ante to 98+ points (ahead of Lafite Rothschild, 98pts/$770). But the 2010 Leoville Poyferre still wasn’t finished with its assent. This past February, Jeb Dunnuck one-upped Robert Parker, awarding the 2010 Léoville Poyferré a 99-point rating, calling it “a sensational, monumental effort.” 

It was on May 1, 2011, that Robert Parker first weighed in on the 2010 Léoville Poyferré. In Issue #194 of The Wine Advocate, Parker wrote: “This seamlessly constructed St.-Julien possesses massive concentration, moderately high tannins, abundant glycerin, an unctuous texture, remarkably fresh acids and wonderful precision. 95-98 points.”

Before he stopped attending the Bordeaux en primeur tastings, Parker’s early ratings would make or break a château’s futures pricing. With “only” 95-98 points, the release price for the 2010 Léoville Poyferré was relatively modest. Even so, many collectors opted to pass it by, instead feasting on wines landing on Parker’s 98- to 100-point summit. That’s why a sizable chunk of the production of the Cuvelier family’s 2010 was left to age in the château’s dimly lit cellars in St.-Julien — which is where it sat when we secured our small allocation.

Two years later, the critic who many in Bordeaux have come to call “The King” returned to Léoville Poyferré. In one of the more stunning turnabouts of the vintage, Parker all but admitted that he’d made a mistake!

In 2013, Parker again reviewed the blockbuster 2010 Léoville Poyferré, describing a “full-bodied, legendary effort (that) is long and opulent, with wonderfully abundant yet sweet tannin, a skyscraper-like mid-palate and a thrilling, nearly one-minute finish. 98+ points.” The Wine Advocate’s upgrade not only placed Léoville Poyferré ahead of neighboring Léoville Las Cases (96+ points/$450), but just in front of the First Growth Pauillac Lafite Rothschild (98/$770)!

But the legend kept growing. Tasted by Jeb Dunnuck this past February, the 2010 Léoville Poyferré flirted with perfection, earning 99 points. Dunnuck hailed “a massive, full-bodied, incredibly concentrated 2010 that has awesome notes of pure crème de cassis, licorice, graphite, and spring flowers.”

The 2010 Léoville Poyferré is now universally recognized as one of the greatest wines of the vintage. With collectors worldwide currently driving demand through the roof, we’re thrilled to offer 96 bottles to Wine Access clients today—suffice it to say, they won’t be here tomorrow.