Château Léoville Poyferré exists since 1840, when the big Léoville property was divided into three smaller entities. The current owner, the Cuvelier family, bought Château Léoville Poyferré in 1920. At that time the Cuvelier family was already established in the wine business as important wine merchants in northern France. Since 1979, Didier Cuvelier has managed the estate.
During the tour, we had a chance to chat with Cellar Master Didier Thomann and Vineyard Manager Bruno Clenet. The tasting was led by Didier Cuvelier in the blending/tasting room of Château Léoville Poyferré.
The Cuvelier Family in the North of France, in Bordeaux and in Argentina
Château Léoville-Poyferré is owned by the Cuvelier family. The story of the Cuvelier family begins in 1804 when Henri Cuvelier set out to share his great passion for fine wine with his friends of the grand bourgeoisie residing in the rich and dynamic towns of the North of France. To this aim, he created Maison de Négoce de Vins Henri Cuvelier in Haubourdin, a wine merchant company whose success continued to develop throughout the 19th century.
100 years later, at the beginning of the 20th century, Paul Cuvelier and his young brother Albert, decided to purchase top quality estates in the Bordeaux area. They bought Château Le Crock in 1903, then Château Camensac in 1912 (which was later sold) and finally the prestigious Château Léoville Poyferré as well as Chateau Moulin Riche in 1920. In 1947, Max Cuvelier opened a second Wine Merchant company in Bordeaux, moving nearer to the family properties.
Two of Max Cuvelier’s children have taken over the family’s activities in Bordeaux: Didier Cuvelier has been running Château Léoville Poyferré, Château Moulin-Riche and Château Le Crock since 1979 and Olivier Cuvelier has been managing the Wine Merchant company H. Cuvelier and Fils in Bordeaux since 1985.
The Haubourdin wine merchant company was sold in 2002. The name has remained unchanged and it continues to distribute the Cuvelier estates wines.
In 1998, the Cuvelier family started to branch out to Argentina. Bertrand Cuvelier, the father of Anne Cuvelier, accompanied Michel Rolland in his great Argentine project, which was to become the “Clos de Los Siete” group. Three years later, Jean-Guy Cuvelier decided to join his cousin Bertrand in the joint aim of building a winery and producing fine wines worthy of the family tradition in Argentina.
Château Léoville-Poyferré
The Cuvelier family bought Château Léoville-Poyferré – one of the 3 Léoville estates that currently exist - in 1920. The 3 Léoville chateaux are the result of vast property broken up a long time ago. But up until the French Revolution, Léoville was the largest Médoc wine-growing property.
In the beginning, the Cuveliers did not operate their chateaux themselves. This changed in 1979 with the accession of Didier Cuvelier, who at 26 became the first member of his family to take charge of Léoville – Poyferré along with Moulin Riche and Le Crock. Didier Cuvelier put Léoville – Poyferré on the map of wine lovers all over the world. Didier Cuvelier trained as a chartered accountant before passing the DUAD (a university diploma in wine tasting) in 1976.
The Grand Vin is Château Léoville-Poyferré (20.000 cases). The second wine is Pavillon de Poyferré.
Château Le Crock
The first purchase made by the Cuvelier family was their property in St. Estephe, Chateau Le Crock in 1903. Today the vineyards of Château Le Crock cover a total of 32.5 hectares and touch two of the most prestigious châteaus of the appellation, Château Cos d’Estournel and Château Montrose.
In the (annulled) 2003 Classification, Château Le Crock was a Cru Bourgeois Superieur. In the new system, in 2010, Château Le Crock qualified for the Cru Bourgeois Label.
Château Moulin Riche
Château Moulin Riche was bought in 1920 by the Cuvelier family. Château Moulin Riche has 49 acres of vines which are planted as follows: 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc.
Château Léoville - Poyferré, Barton and Las-Cases
The Cuvelier family bought Château Léoville-Poyferré – one of the 3 Léoville estates that currently exist - in 1920. The 3 Léoville chateaux are the result of vast property broken up a long time ago. But up until the French Revolution, Léoville was the largest Médoc wine-growing property.
The story of the 3 Léoville estates go back to 1638. At the time, the estate was called Mont-Moytié, named after its founder, Jean de Moytié. Domaine Mont-Moytié remained in the family for almost 100 years. It is through the marriage of one of the Moytié women that the estate passed into the hands of Blaise Antoine Alexandre de Gascq, who was the seigneur of Léoville and a president of the Bordeaux parliament.
The groundwork for the split was laid in 1769, when Blaise Antoine Alexandre de Gascq died without an obvious heir. As a consequence the Léoville estate was inherited by four family members. One of them was the Marquis de Las-Cases-Beauvoir. One quarter was sold off by the four heirs. A number of years later, in 1826, this part of Léoville estate was purchased by Hugh Barton and became Château Léoville Barton.
The other three quarters remained in the family. This was the state of affairs when the Marquis was succeeded in 1815 by his son, Pierre-Jean and his daughter, Jeanne. Pierre-Jean inherited what is now Château Léoville Las Cases, whilst the portion that came to Jeanne was passed onto her daughter, who married Baron Jean-Marie de Poyferré; this is the part that is today Château Léoville-Poyferré.
Although the estate bears the name of the Poyferré family to this day, it was not in their ownership for a long time. But it was under the ownership of the Poyferré family when the estate was classified as a deuxième cru in 1855 (as were the Barton and Las-Cases estates).
In 1865 Château Léoville-Poyferré was purchased by Baron d'Erlanger and Armand Lalande, bankers and local courtiers. The Lalande family, and later through marriage also the Lawton family, were in charge of Château Léoville-Poyferré until after World War I had passed. The Cuvelier family bought Château Léoville-Poyferré in 1920.
While the vineyards were separated, the buildings remained connected, just as they are today.
For more information, Jeff Leve from The Wine Cellar Insider has an excellent write-up about Château Léoville-Poyferré on his website.
Tasting
Following the tour, we sat down in the tasting room and tasted a series of wines. I have included in parenthesis the current wine searcher average prices in US$ per bottle.
2011 Château Le Crock Cru Bourgeois Saint-Estèphe (23)
Juicy, fresh style, with damson plum and crushed blueberry notes backed by light spice shadings and a hint of anise. Slightly taut acidity underneath it all. Wine Spectator's 2011 Top-Scoring Red Bordeaux (James Molesworth, Wine Spectator, April 10, 2012)
2009 Château Moulin Riche Saint Julien (44)
This has a very ripe, somehow rather airy notes that seems to float along the ether. Mouth-coating tannins, very ripe and rounded, quite opulent with a touch of spice, dark vibrant black fruits interwoven with black plum and cassis, leading to a well-defined, peppery finish. Very fine. Score: 88-91. Neal Martin, RobertParker.com
2008 Château Léoville Poyferré Saint Julien (81)
One of the finest over-achieving efforts in this vintage as well as a "best buy" for a top-flight St.-Julien, this 2008 is an irresistible success. It reveals an opaque ruby/purple color, lots of unctuosity and a boatload of sweet cassis and black cherry fruit intertwined with notions of licorice, smoke and oak. Full-bodied, remarkably concentrated and stunningly pure and textured, this sensational wine is already drinking well, and will be even better with 2-3 years of cellaring. It should last for 20-25 years. Bravo! Score: 94 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (194), May 2011
2006 Château Léoville Poyferré Saint Julien (82)
91 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. Dense ruby/purple, with sweet blackberry and black currant fruit with hints of smoke, espresso roast, and new saddle leather, this is another impressively endowed but tannic, backward style of wine. The concentration, brightness, and depth are all present, but I can't see it being even approachable in less than 5-7 years. (2/2009)
2005 Château Léoville Poyferré Saint Julien (125)
Léoville Poyferré’s dense ruby/purple 2005 is soft, round and juicy, with lots of blackcurrant fruit, plum and Asian spice. It is medium to full-bodied and, along with Léoville Las Cases and Saint-Pierre, probably one of the best St.-Juliens I tasted in this retrospective. It is surprisingly supple and accessible. Drink it over the next 15 or so years. Drink 2015-2030. Score: 93 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (219), June 2015
Previous Tour - Michel Rolland
This time, we did not bump into Michel Rolland, as we did during the previous tour. Michel Rolland consults with Château Léoville-Poyferré.
Bye-bye
Thanks Didier for a very exciting tasting.
Postings on the Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France (Posted and Forthcoming)
4 Wine Tours by ombiasy coming up in 2015: Germany-East, Germany-South. Germany-Nord and Bordeaux
Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
Bordeaux Wine Tour 2013 by ombiasy
Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
Bordeaux Wines and their Classifications: The Basics
Bordeaux - En Primeur, Negociants, Courtiers, the Quai de Chartons and the Place de Bordeaux – A Short Introduction
How Does the Negociant System in Bordeaux Work? Tour and Tasting at Millésima - Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
Tour and Wine Dinner at Domaine de Chevalier with Director Adjoint Rémi Edange and Owner/Director Olivier Bernard – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Bordeaux City, France
Schiller's Favorite Seafood Places in Bordeaux City, France
Saint Emilion Wines and their Classification, Bordeaux, France
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in St. Emilion, France
Tour and Tasting at Château Angélus – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
Tour, Tasting and Wine Lunch at a Petit Château and Organic Producer: Château Beauséjour – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
Visit of an Ultra-premium Non-mainstream Bordeaux Producer: Tertre Rôteboeuf, with Owner and Winemaker François Mitjavile, France – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Tour and Tasting at Château Figeac, Premier Grand Cru Classé B, in Saint-Émilion – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
Tour and Wine Lunch at Château Le Bon Pasteur, Pomerol, with Dany Rolland – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours(2015), France
The Wine Empire of the von Neipperg Family in France, Bulgaria and Germany
Tour and Dinner at Château Canon La Gaffelière, Appellation Saint-Emilion, Premier Grand Cru Classé – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
Tour and Tasting at Château de Fargues, Appellation Sauternes, with Prince Eudes d’Orléans – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
Wine Lunch at Restaurant Château de la Tour in Cadillac with Catherine Boyer, Château Du Cros, Loupiac – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
Visit and Tasting: Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte, Pessac-Léognan, Grand Cru Classé – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
Wine Lunch at Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte’s Restaurant La Grand’ Vigne (2 Stars Michelin, Chef: Nicolas Masse) – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
Oysters in Bordeaux: Visiting the Oyster Farmer Raphael Doerfler and his Earl Ostrea Chanca Oyster Farm - Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
What is a Bordeaux Cru Bourgeois? France
Wine Dinner with Stefan and Heike Paeffgen, Château Le Reysse and Château Clos du Moulin, Vignobles Paeffgen, Appellation Médoc – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
Château Léoville-Poyferré, Chateau Le Crock, Didier Cuvelier in Bordeaux and the Cuvelier Los Andes Wines in Argentina
Tour and Tasting at Château Léoville Poyferré, Saint-Julien, 2ième Grand Cru Classé, with Didier Cuvelier
Tour and Wine Lunch at Château Pichon-Longueville-Baron, Pauillac, 2ième Grand Cru Classé
The 5 Premiers Grands Crus Chateaux en 1855 of Bordeaux, France
Tour and Tasting at Château Mouton-Rothschild, Pauillac, 1ière Grand Cru Classé.
How a Barrel is Made: Visit of the Cooperage Berger & Fils in Vertheuil
Lunch at Restaurant Le Peyrat in Saint-Estèphe with the Grape Pickers of Château Sociando Mallet
Tour and Tasting at Château Lafon-Rochet, Saint-Estèphe, 4ième Grand Cru Classé, with Owner Basile Tesseron
Tour and Tasting at Château Rauzan-Ségla, Margaux, 2ième Grand Cru Classé
Tourt and tasting at Château Palmer, Margaux, 3ième Grand Cru Classé
Tour and Wine Dinner at Château Haut-Bailly, Graves, Appellation Pessac-Léognan, Grand Cru Classé, with Diana Paulin
Announcement: 5 Exciting ombiasy WineTours in 2016 - BURGUNDY BORDEAUX GERMANY
wow.....this is great experience! may I ask how much you paid for this tour? Visiting vineyards will always help boost conversions in wine lessons and events. Wish to visit one soon!
ReplyDeletePK Chua: Check the web site of my wife Annette Schiller https://ombiasypr.com/. There is a lot of information on the 2017 tours including the dates and how much the tour costs. See you on the 2017 Bordeaux Tour!
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