Chateau Leoville Poyferre 1995

DECANTER: "Another excellent year, the 1995 and 1996 vintage have definitely held up in colour and structure. The 1995 perhaps has the markings of a slightly hotter year in terms of the fruit ripeness, which veers towards fig, although there is still that unremitting sense of a wine that delivers layer upon layer of succulent soft fruits as you travel through the palate, buoyed up by a clear freshness. This wine is an example of what makes this appellation world class. Drinking Window 2018 - 2030"

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, fester Farbkern, dezente Randaufhellung. Zart nach Eukalyptus, tabakige Würze, etwas verhaltenes Bukett, zart nach schwarzen Beeren und Herzkirschen. Saftiger Körper, dunkle Beerenfrucht, feste, gut integrierte Tannine, frischer Säurebogen, sehr gute Länge, rotbeeriger Nachhall, mineralischer Abgang. In jeder Hinsicht eine erfreuliche Überraschung."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Dark crimson. Strong lead-pencils nose. Then racy and polished and very flattering with well-managed tannins. Stands out among the 1995 St-Juliens for its sophistication – with concentration."

THE WINEADVOCATE: "While not as backward as the 1996, the opaque purple-colored 1995 is a tannic, unevolved, dense, concentrated wine that will require 8-10 years of cellaring. The 1995 exhibits pain grille, blackcurrant, mineral, and subtle tobacco in its complex yet youthful aromatics. Powerful, dense, concentrated cassis and blueberry flavors might be marginally softer than in the 1996, but there is still plenty of grip and structure to this big wine. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2030."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Cassis, coffee, earth and blackberry open to a full bodied wine, that is slightly on the austere side. The tannic finish is filled with cassis and cranberry that ends with a tart, red berry note. This will be long lived, but it might not improve a lot from this stage."

WEINWISSER: "In der Farbe sehr tiefes Granat-Purpur. Perfektes, ausladendes, fast parfümiertes Beerenbouquet, ein Hauch Amarenakirschen, ein Hauch Rosen, grossartige Nase. Im Gaumen fest, angerundete Tannine, viel Saft, viel Stoff zeigend, reifeverlangende Adstringenz, ein Powerwein, nahe dem 90er."

WINESPECTATOR: "Black licorice and currants on the nose. Very fragrant. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a long finish. Still needs time to come together."