CHÂTEAU LASCOMBES
2023 2ème Cru Classé Margaux
This is the first time for many years that we have listed Lascombes en primeur, and it's all down to the arrival here of Axel Heinz in March 2023. Heinz, having been the inspiration behind Ornellaia and Masseto since 2006, was a huge catch for the new owners of the estate. Heinz has turned the whole ethos upside down and we can expect this 2nd growth to begin to regain its rightful place - the 2023 is hopefully just the first step, but it's a big one.L&S (Apr 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.
All eyes on this estate for its first full vintage with Axel Heinz. It's clear that the build and construction is more serious than in the past, but most impressive is the juicy pleasure to be found in the layers of inky, nuanced, textured fruits, with sculpted tannins and well-judged grilled cedar oak. Inky, savoury, black fruits, savoury and lifted. Tasted twice, thoroughly enjoyable both times. Drinking range: 2030 - 2045 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2024)
The 2023 Lascombes marks a new direction for the Chateau. Dark and virile, with real intensity, the 2023 marries richness and energy. Black cherry, lavender, spice, menthol and licorice emerge from the glass. This fleshes out beautifully on the finish, showing terrific breadth and nuance. The 2023 is, without question, the most elegant, finessed Lascombes made in many years. That won't surprise readers familiar with wines here that were often monolithic and one-dimensional. The 2023 will be a fascinating wine to follow. This is also a new chapter for Estate Director Axel Heinz, formerly at Ornellaia, who strikes me as a liberated winemaker these days—someone freed from the burden of expectations. Tasted three times. Drinking range: 2030 - 2053 Rating: 92-95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2024)
This is the first vintage for Axel Heinz, previously of Ornellaia, on the estate, so it is only natural to look for signs of change, and I think it shows. The 2023 is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, picked at a yield of 35 hl/ha. A rather dense and perfumed nose, with toasted oak, dark chocolate and black pepper. The palate naturally also presents these layers of dark oak, but there is fruit here too, with pressed blackcurrant, salted olive, liquorice and toast. The tannins work well within the substance of the wine, showing a tightly knit substance. Rich, polished, gripped and tense, with increasingly evident perfumed fruit, leading into a long and gripped finish, this is an impressive, structured, dark and savoury style of Margaux, built to seduce, but there is delicious salinity and savoury substance here too. Surely a change in direction here? And it works for me. Tasted three times. Rating: 93-95 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2024)
A wine that begins a new era for this estate, the 2023 Lascombes (which I examined from separate components before tasting the prospective blend) offers up aromas of dark berries and plums mingled with hints of crushed mint, violets and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and velvety, with good depth and purity, it's a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. This estate, which was formerly one of the Médoc's poster children for over-ripeness and over-extraction, is assuredly coming in from the cold. Rating: 92-94 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2024)
Château Lascombes
Margaux Deuxième cru 1855 Château Lascombes was originally part of a larger estate that included what is now Château Durfort-Vivens. The estate passed through many hands with one of the more notable owners being Jean-Jules Théophile, a successful lawyer, who built today's château and purchased the neighbouring Château Marquis d'Alesme-Becker with a view to amalgamating the two. His death, in 1923, put an end to that plan and Marquis d'Alesme-Becker was sold off. Years of decline were arrested in 1951, when Alexis Lichine bought Château Lascombes, having bought Château Prieuré-Lichine the year before. In order to fund much needed investment, Alexis needed financial backers - financial backers who sold the estate to Bass Charrington in 1971. Bass Charrington continued to invest in Château Lascombes but the results were less than exciting. More dynamic new owners - Capital Colony - in 2001 have seen considerable improvements, however. Alain Reynaud was installed to head up the team, which included Michel Rolland on oenology. The 84ha of vineyard are planted to 50% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon with the rest Petit Verdot. The grand vin sees quite a high proportion of new wood, in some years as much as 100%.
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.