In which we give 2003 Leoville Poyferre a go

I really wanted this to be good, so I could tussle with Alfert.

But this is just not an enjoyable bottle of wine. The good news is that there is abundant fruit, no prunishness, no apparent alcohol, none of the supposed earmarks of the vintage.

What there is in abundance is coarse, unfriendly tannins. Drinking this wine was like wrapping your throat with a horsehair blanket. Or a Cintas welcome mat. The tannins are not just present, but they are obnoxious, 16 years in. I assume that this is what Jeff calls “a minor touch of dryness on the backend.” Given the shaggy texture of the tannins at this point in its evolution, I have my doubts that this will ever turn into anything I enjoy drinking.

We also had a bottle of the 2012 Jean Milan Champagne Grand Cru Terres de Noel Blanc de Blancs Brut. Very racy, lots of lemon, lots of fun. I’ll wait several years before I open another.

Sorry to hear that Neal. Every bottle of 03 LP I’ve had over the past 5 years have been great! One of the few 03 BDXs I’ve enjoyed along with Montrose. Have a few LP left which I plan to polish off in the next year or two.

Interesting. Because in its relative youth there was plenty of roasted, pruny, hot fruit. Sounds like that has dropped out, and left the mess that was the substructure.

Sorry. You had a bad bottle of an excellent wine. My parents and I celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary, last September, opening a wonderful bottle of this wine, to pair with Porterhouse steaks at Gibson’s in Chicago. When my mom visits me in Noo Yawk this September, alas alone, we may open another one.

Wait… Victor lives in NY??? Why the Bulls avatar?

I think you may have been unlucky, Neal. I always expect to dislike 03s based on past experiences and this, like others tasted over the last two years, really surprised me, since it had none of the vintage characteristics and if anything, leaned more towards Pauillac clarity with less St. Julien spice. Also, and I know this sounds stupid, sometimes at certain times of the year, tannins seem to taste rougher, well, for me anyway. Hopefully you have another bottle or two!

Neal,

as others already said I guess you had a bad bottle. Maybe slightly corked with less influence in the nose but horrible at the palate. I own bottles of this wine and have had two so far. None had a character as you described. Since you are an experienced wine lover I am pretty sure that your bottle was not representative for the wine. I recommend to try another bottle when you have the chance.

I love a good tussle.

Wait, that could be interpreted other ways . . . .

[cheers.gif]

PS. Not a fan of this wine.

Absolutely not corked, but I won’t swear that it wasn’t otherwise flawed. There was lots of fruit, and it was not shy on the nose. My problem was the raw, woody tannins. I felt like I was drinking a young Monbousquet.

I opened my first Bordeaux from a case once, and “raw and woody” was my overwhelming impression. Almost like freshly cut sawmill wood. I let it sit day after day and it never got better. Then I realized later that the bottle was probably corked or otherwise flawed, and sure enough, the next one was fine.

We’ll never know what was the case with Neal’s bottle, and he’s obviously an experienced and thoughtful taster who I would not wish to contradict, but since his depiction reminded me so much of that experience, I thought I’d mention it.

There was nothing in Neal’s note that suggested to me a corked wine. Couple that with the fact that Neal is one of our most experienced Bordeaux fans on this site, and my read is that the wine itself is just not showing well for a traditional palate. Notice my note on the 2004 Pontet Canet. Same thing. I’ve had this 2003 Leoville Poyferre, and am not a fan. Some recent 2003s that I have enjoyed very much are Montrose, Pichon Baron, Lafite, Sociando and Leoville Barton. Ironically, Neal sent me his 2003 Sociando.

And I am glad it found a happy home. I really like the 03 Leo B!

Not a fan of LP. Poor Neal - becoming a member of the AFWE. I guess there is a certain symmetry to this with Robert and his Ovid going to the dark side. You two can still tussle, having both changed sides. pileon

Come on Howard, didn’t my Pontet note place back in the epicenter of AFWE
And reaffirm my dogma!? :slight_smile:

PS. I just bought some 2016 Canon. :wink:

I get too confused about Bordeaux. Did Canon move to the dark side in 2015 or is it still good?

I’m just following Neal. He bought 2015.

You were in fine form on Saturday with that note, counselor :slight_smile:

Sorry the wine did not deliver more pleasure for you. Haven’t had it, but I’ve never been the biggest fan of L-P anyway. Appreciate the check-in on the wine.

Mahalo Nui Loa

Mike

I had the 2016 Canon at the UGC— I predict Robert will only like that wine if he closes his eyes and pretends it’s a Napa Cab. Then he’ll probably love it… but not as Bordeaux.

Say it ain’t so, Pat.