Pavillon Leoville Poyferre St Julien

Elegant and expressive with a nose of vibrant black fruit, aniseed and hints of smoke and violet, the 2018 vintage has a lovely intensity of fruit held by a taut acidity and fine-grained tannins. The finish is poised and persistent.

Pavillon de Léoville Poyferré is the second wine of Château Léoville Poyferré in Saint-Julien, which was classified as a Second Growth during the 1855 Bordeaux classification. It is made by talented chief oenologist Isabelle Davin and cellar master Didier Thomann, benefitting from their scrupulous attention to detail in the vineyard and cellar.

This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, is sourced from the estate's younger vines, which have an average vine age of 15 – 20 years. After picking and fermentation, Pavillon de Léoville Poyferré is aged in two-year-old French oak barrels, which preserve the wine's bright fruit character, ensuring that it is accessible in its youth, with a core of plush blackberry fruit, ripe tannins and a lifted finish.

The grapes are harvested by hand and sorted twice; once on the table before destemming, and then again by optical sorting machine before crushing. Each variety and plot are vinified separately. This requires 57 different thermo-regulated stainless-steel tanks, 27 of which are double walled to allow for a pre-fermentation cold maceration for one week to enhance the purity of the fruit and colour intensity. The wine is then aged in two-year-old French oak barrels for 18 months.