Description
Producer Tasting Notes: The 2011 vintage of Château Léoville Poyferré displays an intense garnet color and purple reflections. The wine remains bright and limpid, a sign that it continues to flourish. Starting to show some evolution, expressive notes of black fruit, oak and spice meld together in this beautiful 2011 vintage, intensifying with light aeration. This Saint-Julien is fine and elegant with a juicy tannic structure. Aromas of black fruit and spices dominate, revealing notes of liquorice on the persistent finish. Vintage Notes: Precision in working the soil in dry years is essential. Accompanied by leaf thinning, this limits water evaporation from the soil and the vine. Our new optical sorter allowed for precise selection of naturally concentrated grape berries. The sorter is calibrated for each variety, and is able to eliminate any unripe grapes. Pre-fermentation cold macerations revealed the purity of the fruit and aromas. Vinifications and pump-overs were adapted to target gentle extractions of tannins and color, while the duration and temperature of vatting optimized the quality of tannins. This vintage is the perfect combination of intensity and delicious fruit. Vineyard Notes: Dispersed over 80 hectares of Saint-Julien and split into several groups, our vineyard reflects all the richness and diversity of the appellation. Within this, to the northwest of the appellation, are the 20 hectares of Chateau Moulin Riche, forming a single block for a unique expression of the terroir. Planted Grape Varieties: 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc. Average Vine Age 38 years. Winemaking: Once the grapes arrive at the vat house, they are sorted twice: first by hand on tables before destemming, then a second time by optical sorting machine before crushing to eliminate any vegetal matter. Pre-fermentation cold macerations for about a week. From 2018: non-saccharomyces yeast is added to the must, thus eliminating the traditional use of SO2 at this stage. Pump-overs are carried out daily for each of our tanks until the end of alcoholic fermentation. Ageing: Our wines are aged exclusively in French oak barrels for 18 months. Particular care is taken in the choice of our barrels to obtain subtle oak aromas in harmony with the Léoville Poyferré style. A perfect osmosis between the wood and the wine must occur. In order for this to happen, wines undergo their malolactic fermentation in barrel, resulting in the stability and suppleness of our wines.
