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AILE D'ARGENT

2023 Château Mouton Rothschild

EN PRIMEUR
Sémillon,Muscadelle,Sauv BlancWhiteFrance,Bordeaux 13.5%

50 Sauvignon Blanc, 44.5 Semillon, 5 Sauvignon Gris, 0.5 Muscadelle: 45% new oak for 9 months: 13.5% alc: 3.20 pH: Harvested 29 August – 6 September This is a wonderfully magical wine, and while I understand that some of the Sauvignon Blanc missed the cut because it was a little too exuberant, the final assemblage has a halo of white flowers and silver needle tea over a teasing, fleetingly luxurious, but ultimately mineral, talcy and keen-edged core.  When one pops back to the glass, there is more and more to discover – intricate hues of lemon and lime, jasmine and pittosporum and it stops short of stone fruit and tropical notes, thank goodness!  A handful of top-class whites were made in 2023, and Aile d'Argent is up there with the finest. Rating: 18.5 Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2024)

75cl bottles (wood case of 6)

* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.

Great depth and freshness, fleshy nectarine and spiced pear, fennel and oyster shell, grilled oak and genersoity. Balances salinity and flesh, expertly judged. Harvest August 29 to September 6, 45% new oak for ageing. Co-fermented Muscadelle with Sauvignon Gris. Drinking range: 2025 - 2038 Rating: 96-100 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2024)

This is 50% Sauvignon Blanc, 44.5% Semillon, 5% Sauvignon Gris and 0.5% Muscadelle, picked from August 29th to September 6th. This is fermented in barrel, with 30% new oak, with no skin contact, and no malolactic. I adore the nose here, which combines sweet orchard and citrus fruits, with a fine sense of minerality. The palate is as fresh and as lively as the nose suggests, with beautiful fruit, a modest pithy grip and a fresh cut of zippy acidity. A wonderful style with a great sense of balance and energy, and a long finish. This is surely one of the best examples of Aile d’Argent I have tasted; no malolactic and perhaps the older vines helps. The alcohol is 13.5%. Rating: 94-96 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (May 2024)

The 2023 Aile d’Argent is a rich, heady, wine that very much captures the radiant style of the year in its generous textural feel. Tangerine peel, spice, menthol, lime, dried flowers and light tropical accents abound, The 2023 is a serious dry white. There’s a bit more Sémillon in the blend and a greater emphasis on texture and structure than usual, while the oak imprint and exotic character of some previous editions have been toned down. Drinking range: 2025 - 2030 Rating: 92-94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2024)

The 2023 Aile d'Argent contains a little more Sémillon than usual (44.5%) to add texture to the blend. It has a lovely bouquet with grapefruit, hints of lime cordial, chamomile and lanolin. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, fresh and focused, with just a slight bitter lemon note imparting tension. A hint of ginger rises on the aftertaste. Superb. Drinking range: 2026 - 2038 Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2024)

Evoking aromas of white flowers, lemon oil, lime tree leaves and spring flowers, the 2023 Aile d'Argent is medium to full-bodied, charming and enveloping with a fleshy core of fruit and a mouthwatering, long finish. While not as dense or fleshy as previous iterations, this vintage is a notable success within its context. It is a blend of 50% Sauvignon Blanc, 44.5% Sauvignon Gris and 0.5% Muscadelle. Drinking range: 2025 - 2040 Rating: 90-92 Yohan Castaing, www.robertparker.com (Apr 2024)

The density and beauty to this is so attractive, with a lush and flavorful character, yet it’s neatly framed by acidity and minerally undertones. Lively and salty. Part of the vineyard is on limestone, which gives that sea-salt undertone. Savory. Fresh at the end. 50% sauvignon blanc, 44.5% semillon, 5% sauvignon gris and 0.5% muscadelle. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2024)

1855 classification (revised 1973) - Premier Grand Cru Classé The Ségur family, who owned at one time both Lafite and Latour, and had a hand briefly in Haut Brion, also owned Mouton for two years. They sold it to Joseph de Brane in 1720 and the estate was re-christened Brane-Mouton. Unfortunately, it was an estate without a château, the buildings having been sold seperately to Dominique Armailhacq and forming the nucleus of what is today Château d'Armailhac. Under the de Brane family, Mouton steadily gathered a reputation for its wine, with prices nearly equalling the best estates of the day. The de Branes sold Mouton in 1830 and the new owners failed to keep up the previous high standards. In 1853, Brane-Mouton became Mouton-Rothschild when Nathaniel Rothschild purchased the estate, and Mouton-Rothschild started its steady rise to become one of the world's iconic wines. Not iconic enough in 1855 to be granted Premier Grand Cru Classé - a slight described by Baron Phiippe as "the monstrous injustice". It was said that the recent sale of the estate to an Englishman prevented Mouton's recognition among the elite, the truth is probably more complicated. However, the "monstrous injustice" was corrected in 1973 with a unprecedented revision of the 1855 classification raising Château Mouton Rothschild to First Growth status. The Rothschild era at Mouton has seen continuous improvement. Astoundingly, it took until the latter half of the 19th Century for anyone to build an actual château at Mouton-Rothschild when Baron James built the Petit Mouton. An iconic estate deserves an iconic character, and he arrived in 1922 when Baron Philippe de Rothschild toopk over, assuming full ownership in 1947 when he bought out his brothers. A new chais was built and all of the wines were estate bottled, something not common at the time. Baron Philippe bought the neighbouring Château Mouton-Armailhacq in 1933, renaming it Château Mouton Baron Philippe (now Château d'Armailhac). From younger vines of his two estates, Baron Philippe created the popular Bordeaux brand Mouton Cadet. To celebrate the end of WWII, during which time Baron Philippe had had to escape from Vichy imprisonment to join the Free French forces in England, and the German military had taken over Château Mouton Rothschild, the 1945 vintage was bottled with a "V for Victory" label. Thereafter, a new label was designed every year by a contemporary artist, the labels becoming every bit as collectable as the wine. The vineyards sit on a raised mound known as a "motte", from which it is presumed the name Mouton derives. Mouton-Rothschild sits immediately to the south of Lafite. For red wines the 75ha of vineyards are planted to 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc with a little Petit Verdot. Wines are fermented in barrique and aged for 22 months before bottling. A second wine was introduced in 1993 - Le Petit Mouton with old-fashioned looking label that was designed by Jean Carlu who had designed the Mouton-Rothschild label in use before the War. A small amount of white wine - Aile d'Argent - is produced from mostly Sauvignon Blanc.

Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.

Ordering

Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.

Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.

Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.

Confirmation

All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.

Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.

Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.

Delivery

  • Shipment to our bond (at LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
  • Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
  • Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
  • Delivery of 2023 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2026. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.

Practical notes - how it works

We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.

Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.

Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.

One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-

  • +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
  • +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
  • +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
  • +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
  • +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
  • +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.

Storage Options:

Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2026. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.