Pure gold, the 2010 Chateau Leoville Poyferre, which was drunk beside a perfect 2009 Latour, offers everything you could want from wine. Sporting a deep purple hue as well as an incredible array of creme de cassis, graphite, damp earth, leafy tobacco, and beautifully integrated oak, it hits the palate with an incredible amount of fruit and opulence while always staying pure, precise, and as seamless as they come. It shows the density and power of the 2010 vintage, but it's remarkable in its balance, purity, and length. As with most 2010s today, it's still youthful and certainly in its early drinking plateau and has another 40-50 years of prime drinking.

Opulent aromas of blackberry, black cherry and orange peel follow through to a full body with round, creamy tannins and a flavorful finish. A big, significant wine that is starting to open and come around. A long life ahead of it. Drink or hold.

The 2010 Leoville-Poyferre takes the 2009 and ups the ante with brilliantly defined, intense black fruit. Perhaps it is just a little more serious" compared to the previous vintage, but is finely chiseled and displaying more mineralite. The palate has mellowed since I last tasted it, developing more rondeur and a more caressing texture. Extremely pure in style, this fans out wonderful, fills the mouth and lingers for a minute. One of the highlights of Didier Cuvelier's career, this has a long future ahead. "LP" just does not get better than this."

Deep garnet in color, the 2010 Leoville Poyferre opens with notes of sauteed herbs and pencil shavings on the nose, giving way to scents of redcurrant jelly, baked plums and cedar chest plus a waft of cassis. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has pleasant energy and well-played, lightly chewy tannins with compelling freshness on the finish.

A wine of architectural strength and classical proportions, this has straight lines that mark the packed, concentrated fruits, which are sustained by its tannins. This is certainly the best wine that Léoville-Poyferré has produced, sumptuous while so finely structured.

Features a coating of warm cocoa, with notes of solid currant paste, steeped fig and blackberry fruit. The pastis- and graphite-filled finish pumps along, revealing a well-embedded structure that should soften in the cellar. Best from 2015 through 2030.