1990 Leoville Poyferre Bordeaux Blend - France - Bordeaux - St Julien - Red - Second Growth

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. (JH)

An absolute must purchase, and probably still a reasonable bargain, is Leoville-Poyferre's 1990. I rated this wine highly in pre-cask tastings, and followed that with an enthusiastic review in Issue #85 (2-28-93) (rating it 92). Since then I have had the wine three times, each time providing persuasive evidence that this is indeed a great Leoville-Poyferre. The two best Poyferres of recent decades have been the 1982 and 1983, but I am beginning to think the 1990 is superior. The wine exhibits a profoundly deep, opaque ruby/purple color, a fabulous nose of jammy, sweet, cassis fruit intertwined with scents of minerals and toasty oak. Still youthful and full-bodied, with low acidity, high tannin, and fabulous extract and purity, this is an awesomely-endowed Leoville-Poyferre that is just beginning to evolve. It requires another decade of cellaring, and it should last 30+ years. Admittedly, I gave it top marks early on, but it is even a greater wine than I had envisioned. To the extent that stocks still exist (I saw prices in the $350-$425 a case range in December, 1996), this is a must purchase.

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.