1959 Château Léoville Poyferré, Saint-Julien

🍇 Approx. 65% Cabernet Sauvignon – 25% Merlot – 10% Petit Verdot/Cabernet Franc (historical estimate)
📅 Vintage: 1959
📍 Bordeaux – Saint-Julien (Second Growth, 1855 Classification)
⭐ Michael Broadbent: ★★★★ | Jancis Robinson JR: 17/20 (archival)
📦 75 cl
⏳ Maturity: Fully mature – drink now (ideal within 1–3 years)

📅 The Vintage – 1959: Bordeaux's Sunlit Triumph

1959 was a glorious, sun-drenched year in Bordeaux. After a warm spring and consistently hot summer, harvest came under ideal conditions, producing wines of exceptional ripeness, soft tannins, and sensual texture. The result was a forward, expressive vintage, often compared to 1961 for quality but with a more hedonistic, open-knit profile.

In Saint-Julien, the wines gained richness without sacrificing structure, offering a harmonious balance of power and refinement—attributes that make 1959 such a prized year for long-lived Left Bank wines.

👃 Tasting Notes

👁 Appearance:

Garnet core with a soft brick-orange rim; medium clarity and a fine sediment halo—mature and dignified in color.

👃 Nose:

Elegant and deeply tertiary: dried redcurrant, cedarwood, pipe tobacco, and worn leather, with hints of truffle, iodine, iron shavings, and dried violets. A touch of mint and warm earth adds lift and authenticity. The bouquet is complex, whispering of its age with refined composure.

👄 Palate:

Silky, medium-bodied, with resolved tannins and lingering acidity. The palate mirrors the nose—dusty cherry, mushroom broth, graphite, and a touch of black tea. There is still a mineral spine and savoriness that keeps the wine alive, if delicate. The finish is long and earthy, tapering into a fine echo of dried herbs and cigar ash.

🍽️ Pairing:

An exquisite match for pheasant, veal blanquette, mushroom-stuffed quail, or a well-aged Tomme de Savoie. Also pairs beautifully with quiet contemplation.

🏰 The Estate – Château Léoville Poyferré

Originally part of the vast Léoville estate, Léoville Poyferré gained its independence in the mid-19th century and has since evolved into one of the most consistently loved Second Growths in Bordeaux. Though its modern acclaim is often attributed to the Cuvelier family’s leadership post-1979, earlier vintages like 1959 show the classic terroir of Saint-Julien: balanced, gravelly soils yielding wines of elegance and subtle force.

Nestled between Léoville Las Cases and Léoville Barton, Poyferré is known for producing wines that are often softer and more generous, particularly in warmer vintages.

🏆 Awards & Critics

• Michael Broadbent: ★★★★
  “Mellow and harmonious. Rich and generous in youth, now a wine of haunting delicacy.”

• Jancis Robinson (JR): 17/20 (archival)
  “Classic aged Médoc. Delicate and dry, with admirable persistence.”

• Decanter (archival vertical):
  “Fine, fully evolved. A lovely example of postwar Saint-Julien with class and length.”

🖋️ Final Impressions – Signature & Emotion

The 1959 Léoville Poyferré is an elegant elder of Bordeaux, offering a rare opportunity to taste a vintage that shaped collectors’ cellars for generations. While its fruit has faded into an autumnal hush, the wine still carries its Saint-Julien grace and Médoc spine.

Decant gently for 20–30 minutes, serve at 16–17°C, and enjoy within the next few years to capture its final crescendo.