This has lower alcohol than usual, but doesn't sacrifice the mouthfeel. There's a succulent damson and cappuccino expression through the finish here, along with tautly constructed, bouncy tannins that are both expressive and powerful. It's one of the more rich and round wines in St-Juliens, as fits the house style. Extremely accomplished, it's powerful and will clearly age well. It's somewhere between 2014 and 2015 in quality, but not touching the majestic 2016. A success in the vintage, underlining again that St-Julien has had an extremely lucky 2017. Drink: 2026 - 2038; Rating: 95 Points; Jane Anson

Yields in 2017 were 44.34 hectoliters per hectare. The 2017 Léoville Poyferré is very deep purple-black in color with super intense notes of freshly crushed blackcurrants, wild blueberries and Sichuan pepper with hints of lavender, baking spices and wood smoke. The palate is medium-bodied, firm and grainy with restrained, understated fruit and a long, mineral-laced finish. Rating: 93-95 Points; Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate

The 2017 Léoville Poyferré was cropped at around 50hl/ha between 20 September and 6 October at 44hl/ha. It has a gorgeous bouquet that is very pure with scents of black cherry, cassis, cedar and a touch of graphite, all very focused and neatly entwined with the 85% new oak. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannin, crisp and focused, very harmonious with a touch of cedar and black pepper towards the finish. I appreciate the combination of weight and finesse here, a really quite enthralling valedictory Léoville Poyferré who is due to retire this coming July. Bonvin. Rating: 91-93 Points; Neal Martin

Very tight and energetic finish to this young, new red with currant and blackberry character. Hints of crushed stones. Dense and four-square with a chewy tannin structure and a long finish. Very muscular. Serious encore to the 2016. Same level? Rating: 95-96 Points; James Suckling