1982 Leoville Poyferre, Cru Classe St Julien

The 1982 Léoville Poyferré continues to drink brilliantly at age 40 (and I have enjoyed three bottles this year), wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet cassis fruit mingled with notions of loamy soil, cigar wrapper, licorice, black truffle and pencil shavings. Full-bodied, broad and sumptuous, with a velvety attack that segues into a deep, fleshy core, it’s generous and enveloping, with lively acids and fine, powdery tannins that still deliver a vestige of back-end grip. Today, this is a strong contender for the title of Saint-Julien’s wine of the vintage, with Ducru-Beaucaillou and Léoville-Las Cases as its only plausible rivals.