The 2012 Léoville Poyferré is an elegant, complex wine with a sustained garnet color and evolving aromas of black fruit, musk, and toast. It features a full-bodied mid-palate with firm tannins that are beginning to refine. Notes of black cherry and floral peony complement a chocolatey finish. A blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, and 6% Petit Verdot, this wine is charming and offers great potential for aging. It’s a standout example of the challenging 2012 vintage, now starting to drink beautifully

Jamessuckling.com | JS 94
Published: Feb 23, 2021

Really beautiful now with blackcurrant, licorice and red-berry aromas, following through to a full body with layers of fine tannins and a beautiful finish. It’s really starting to drink nicely . Drink or hold.

The Wine Advocate | RP 92+
Published: Apr 30, 2015
Drink: 2020-2045

Owned by the Cuvelier family since 1920, this property over the last 20 years has made some great wines in the Médoc. The 2012, a blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc, is opaque purple, thick-looking, and from bottle much more impressive than it was from barrel. This very extracted, rich, full-bodied, masculine Léoville Poyferré needs a good 5-8 years of bottle age and should evolve well for at least 20-25 years. Loads of blackberry and cassis, crushed rock and graphite notes are present in this medium to full-bodied, impressively concentrated and pure wine. Forget it for a while, as this is one of the bigger, richer Médocs.

Decanter | D 91
Published: Tasting Léoville Poyferré wines from 1961 to 2016
Drink: 2021 - 2038

Tight, tannic – this is not yet resolving itself. Once again the quality of the fruit is clear in the sheer beauty of its delivery, enrobed by plump tannins, with a striking sense of vibrancy to the cassis notes. Gourmet and mouth-watering as it opens in the glass; this is a good quality 2012 in what was a tough vintage in Bordeaux. Eucalyptus and menthol notes particularly strong here, but well handled and with the gloss that you want and expect from Château Léoville Poyferré.
Grapes: 62% Cabernet Sauvignon 32% Merlot 6% Petit Verdot

Jancisrobinson.com | JR 17.5
Published: Mar 18, 2022
Drink: 2021-2038

Tasted blind. Very deep crimson. Intense nose and very smooth texture. Quite a standout! Lots going on there and a really exciting finish. 

Leoville-poyferre.fr

Second Grand Cru Classé in 1855, Château Léoville Poyferré is an emblematic estate in the Saint-Julien appellation. The vineyard extends over 80 hectares of magnificent deep gravel terroirs along the Gironde estuary. The wines are sensual, vibrant and precise, and their ageing potential is matched only by their charm.

2012 A true vintage for pleasure
With wide ranges in temperature and rainfall, 2012 was a challenging year for the vineyard.
After favorable conditions returned mid-July, this vintage, though off to an early start, proved to be late in reaching its optimum maturity beginning on 8th October. Tasting after tasting, 2012 never ceases to amaze and charm us.

Our tasting notes – 2022
The Léoville Poyferré 2012 offers a sustained garnet color with vermeil highlights.  Starting to show some signs of evolution, the color remains shiny and limpid.
Elegant and complex, it offers seductive notes of black fruit in eau de vie, leading into tertiary notes of musk and toast.
This wine is lively, the mid-palate is full-bodied revealing firm tannins that are starting to refine.  Aromas of black cherry in eau de vie and lovely floral notes of peony are complemented by an almost chocolatey finish.  The 2012 vintage is absolutely charming.

Blend
62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot

Soils
Terraces of Mindel gravel, sandy-clay subsoil

Harvest Dates
8th to 19th October