Soft and gentle leather, earth and spice, this is beautiful and balaced, with grilled cedar, soot, softened blackberry and bilberry notes, just a great reflection of St Julien finesse. A touch of bottle variation in the examples of this wine that I have tried over the past few years, but when they are good they are great. Lilting, juicy, a long slow burn, totally moreish. 80% new oak.

A wine that is emerging as a major sleeper of the vintage, the 2001 Léoville Poyferré bursts from the glass with aromas of cassis, ripe blackberries, loamy soil, cigar wrapper and violets. Medium to full-bodied, rich and concentrated, with a deep core of fruit, lively acids and powdery structuring tannins, it's an intensely flavored, rather dramatic rendition of the year that has hit its plateau of maturity. - William Kelley

The 2001 Léoville Poyferré, which I had not tasted for a decade, is very harmonious on the nose and features slightly darker fruit than the 2000, offering blackberry, cedar, fresh tobacco and smoke aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with rounded, lithe tannins, fresher than the 2000 and more backward. It has a disarming velvety texture and turns spicy toward the finish. Hints of clove and bay leaf linger on the aftertaste. Excellent. -- Neal Martin

When the 2001’s were released, there was not much hype around them. But time has proven this vintage to be solid, classic, and very good. The 2001 Leoville Poyferré has a fine fruit base and a nice, accentuated taste of blackcurrants and crunchy fruit. It has some depth to it and a semi-long aftertaste. It is a fine wine, nicely produced and melted together. It should keep drinking well for at least another 15-20 years. - Ivar Bjurner