Chateau Leoville Poyferre 1990

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Absolutely spectacular, the1990 Leoville Poyferre is much more evolved than either of its two Leoville neighbors. Its opaque plum/garnet color is accompanied by a gorgeous bouquet of smoke, charcoal, creme de cassis, and flowers. Fleshy and opulent, it comes across like a St.-Julien with a Pomerol texture and allure. This beauty has reached full maturity where it should remain for another two decades."

WEINWISSER: "Sattes, dichtes Purpur. Herrliches Kirschen-, Pflaumen-, Eukalyptus- und Zimtbouquet, parfümiert mit einer unheimlichen, power-geladenen Intensität. Im Gaumen dicht, extrem konzentriert, rot- und blaubeeriges Spiel, viel Fleisch und Muskeln, katapultartiges Finale. Ein Poyferré, der sein ganzes Potential auf schönste Weise zeigt. Gute Kaufempfehlung."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Drinking at the peak of maturity, this wine is a gem. Supple, silky and sensuous, the fruits are sweet, ripe and spicy. There is freshness, polish, concentration and focus. Generous on the palate and long in the finish, this is hitting all the right buttons. No decanting is needed. If you own this wine, pop a cork and enjoy the night."

DECANTER: "The nose lifts right out of the glass and reminds the world how Bordeaux can age. You’ll find chocolate, hazelnut, plum, soft liquorice root; a wonderful testament to a brilliant vintage, delivering on its potential even three decades later. I love the softness of the tannins and the freshness at close of play – daring you to suggest when it is going to finally bow out. This is exactly what people look for in older Bordeaux. Smudged around the edges but a core of pure fruit expression, fully integrated with melted oak notes."

FALSTAFF: "Kräftiges Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, dezente Randaufhellung. Delikates Bukett, dunkle Beeren, feine nussige Aromen, reife Zwetschgen, feiner Nougat. Saftig, elegant, zarte Dörrobstanklänge, feine Tannine, extraktsüßer Nachhall, Feigen im Rückgeschmack, ein gut entwickelter Speisenbegleiter, fein, ist eine Investition wert."

JEB DUNNUCK: "A good, although not perfect bottle, the 1990 Château Léoville Poyferré is ruby-hued with just light bricking at the rim. It has a perfumed, complex style in its leafy herb, tobacco, truffly earth, and sappy flower and tea-like aromatics, and it's resolved, medium to full-bodied, and elegant on the palate, with a gorgeous finish. A touch of underlying earthiness to this bottle kept the score down slightly, but this is nevertheless a fully mature, elegant, beautiful Saint-Julien to enjoy over the coming decade."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Exotic complexity and perfumed mid palate. Despite all the gamey/mushroom development there’s still a lovely perfume shining through. Fresh, rich, smooth, balanced and silky tannins still provided just the right amount of structure. "

WINE SPECTATOR: "A chewy wine, with impressively rich aromas and flavors of ripe plum, tobacco, cedar and earth aromas and flavors and attractive, velvety tannins.18,500 cases made."