Mission Codename Sunday Cellar Stocker #2
We did it folks, here is your Sunday special 100-pointer
AT A CRAZY LOW PRICE TOO.
Ever since one of our favorite wine critics (unbiased as Spies are, we can play favorites too, you know) Jeb Dunnuck picked this as his #1 Wine of the Year for 2021, we have been ACHING to get some. Price really wasn’t a concern, finding it was. Until we landed a small stash.
According to Forbes “When it comes to St.-Julien located below the appellation of Pauillac, where Lafite and Latour are, there is a Château that always comes to mind when thinking of a ‘Super Second’ and that is none other than Léoville-Las Cases. Yet a sibling seems to always follow behind Las Cases, either not taken as seriously in the past or not thought of at all, and that is Léoville-Poyferré. They just recently celebrated their 100th anniversary of the Cuvelier family running the estate, which is a key factor in majorly raising the quality to such a point that some would argue that Poyferré is performing at the same level as Las Cases in some vintages, although it will typically be priced 40% less.”
It has other huge scores too, with a lot of “yada, yada, yada” from other reviewers too, but why crowd things up we thought, with Jeb’s poetic note.
This will go in a flash, sorry.
100 Points, #1 Wine of the Year – Jeb Dunnuck
“Every bit as good as the 2009, and I think better than the 2010 and 2016, the 2018 Château Léoville Poyferré is a total thrill that tops out my scale. Based on 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, its dense purple hue is followed by an incredible, full-bodied monster of a wine that, despite massive amounts of fruit, tannins, and extract, still stays weightless and ethereal, with incredible purity. Loaded with notions of crème de cassis, spring flowers, tobacco, violets, charcoal, and cedar pencil, it’s extraordinarily concentrated, flawlessly balanced, and has a finish that won’t quit. This is a legendary wine in the making. Give bottles 7-8 years, a decade would be even better, and it will keep for 40-50 years. Hats off to the Cuvelier family for another extraordinary wine! Drink 2028-2078.”
What the Winery Says
2018 Saint-Julien
- Winemaker
- Isabelle Davin
- Varietals
- 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
- Vintage
- 2018
- Alcohol
- 13.5%
- Appellation
- St-Julien, Médoc, Bordeaux, France
- Vineyard size
- 80 hectares
- Terroir
- Terraces of Mindel gravel, sandy-clay subsoil
- Average vine age
- 38 years
- Harvest date
- September 20, 2018 - October 12, 2018
- Aging
- 18 months
- Barrels
- 100% French oak