All three Léovilles were released this week. Barton continues with its traditional, almost austere style while Poyferré is once again riper and more polished. Both are long-ageing wines, but Poyferré usually shows better in its youth. The third Léoville, Las Cases, is owned by the Delon family and is the most stately and closest to First Growth quality.
Domaine de Chevalier is an annual favourite and the Bernard family are friends of Wine Cellar. Not only is the Blanc one of the finest long-ageing and classical whites in Bordeaux, but the red is exceptional once again in 2014. Compared to its counterparts of Haut Bailly, Smith Haut Lafitte and Pape Clément, it offers great value and is perhaps the most classic in style.
Lastly, one of our value picks – and another top buy this year – is Haut Bergey. It is usually slightly more modern and plush in style and reaches its maturity plateau earlier.
There are a handful of important releases still to come, likely to be released early next week.
Tasting Notes
L̩oville Barton 2014 РR 725
83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, 15% Merlot; 13.50%. 60% new oak. The flagship wine of Anthony and Lilian Barton, Leoville Barton always delivers a fabulous example of honest, terroir-driven St Julien. Deep, complex nose with licorice and balsamic underneath black cherry and blackcurrant. Bright, energetic attack, great freshness and firm structure. A good, solid Leoville Barton. – Neal Martin, Wine Advocate
L̩oville Poyferr̩ 2014 РR 725
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 35% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot; 13.25%. Yield 36hl/ha. With its modern, polished style and exceptional expression of its wonderful terroir, Leoville Poyferre is a perennial performer. Deep, rich, blackcurrant and balsamic to smell, with an almost cola-like character. Quite an overt personality – very rich on the nose. Palate is broad and impressive – great balance of fresh acidity, ripe, round tannins and fruit concentration. Delightful, impressive, harmonious. – Neal Martin, Wine Advocate
L̩oville Las Cases 2014 РR 1 555
The Château Léoville-Las-Cases 2014 is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc and 10% Merlot cropped at 33 hectoliter per hectare matured in 85% new oak. There is 6.8% vin de presse this year. Picked between 30 September and 13 October over 12 days, it has an intense, graphite-scented bouquet, one of the most Pauillac-like that I have encountered, extremely precise and perhaps less flamboyant than recent vintages. This is very controlled. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, succinctly pitched acidity and an almost pixelated finish that lingers long and tenderly. I love the elegance here – this is an outstanding wine from Jean-Hubert Delon and his team and dare I say, equal to some of the First Growths. Drink: 2022 – 2045. – Neal Martin, Wine Advocate
Haut Bergey Rouge 2014 – R 230
The Château Haut-Bergey 2014 is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot (though is pinch of Petit Verdot according Hélène Garçin-Léveque) raised in 30% new oak. It has a lot of ripeness on the nose, quite “full-on” in style and showing just a little sur-maturité. The palate is better, reining the opulence of the aromatics in with quite dense blackberry and raspberry fruit with commendable delineation on the finish. It just needs to contain that over-enthusiasm on the nose. – Neal Martin, Wine Advocate
Domaine de Chevalier Rouge 2014 – R 555
The Domaine de Chevalier 2014 is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot and 30% Merlot. It has a fragrant bouquet with blackberry, black plum, cigar ash and woodland scents, complex though not as intense as its white counterpart. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy, quite firm tannin that underpin a classic Domaine de Chevalier that has just the right amount of austerity at this stage. Reserved perhaps, but it is beautifully knitted together with a lovely bay leaf tinged finish. Quintessential Domaine de Chevalier…which is what we all want. – Neal Martin, Wine Advocate
Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 2014 – R 985
The Domaine de Chevalier Blanc is a blend of 75% Sauvignon Blanc and 25% Sémillon matured in around 40% new oak, with a low pH, Olivier Bernard remarking that it was close to 3.0. It has an almost clinical nose, extremely well defined, Zen-like at first with scents of flint and cold granite, stone rather than fruit. The palate is fresh on the entry with crisp acidity, though it is not shrill. It is very focused, “minimalist” Domaine de Chevalier that Olivier remarked is perhaps the best he has ever made. Perhaps he is right. There is a Burgundy like sense of terroir coming through here, a wine that perhaps does not wish to conform to the Bordeaux stereotype of what a white Pessac-Léognan should be. So it’s a bit of a sui generis, a one-off, and you’ll love it. – Neal Martin, Wine Advocate
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