CHÂTEAU SÉNÉJAC
2023 Cru Bourgeois Supérieur Haut Médoc
Soft but plentiful tannins from the first moment, this is lovely, with a real sense of grip and life, rises gently through the palate, touches of tomato leaf and liqourice root coupled with ruby brambled fruit and an overall sense of balance and cheer, Haut Medoc typicity, austere tannins on the finish, but in a way that suggests ability to age, and an ability to bring you out of the glass and into the place and the terroir. Nancy Bignon Cordier, also owner of Château Talbot in St Julien. A value, one to look out for. Drinking range: 2026 - 2038 Rating: 92-100 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2024)
75cl bottles (case of 12)
* 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.
The 2023 from Sénéjac opens with a nose of delicately medicinal red cherry, with pomegranate and herbaceous fern. There follows a rather light, loose and juicy start to the palate, which does not really pick up through the middle, wrapping red and acid-spiked red fruits around a core of sappy, powdery tannins. This sample lacks the depth, fruit character and cohesion I am looking for, and will probably be best drunk relatively young. Rating: 86-88 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2024)
A blend based on 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2023 Sénéjac exhibits notes of dark berries, red cherries and pipe tobacco, followed by a medium to full-bodied, lively and fleshy palate that's bright, supple and charming. It's a strong effort. Rating: 89-91 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2024)
This shows structure and finesse with a dusty texture to the tannins. Medium- to full-bodied with plenty of dark fruit and a creamy aftertaste. A little light at the end. Rating: 89-90 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2024)
Château Sénéjac
So far south in the Haut-Médoc that it exists in splendid isolation, without vineyard neighbours, in the tiny settlement of Le Pian Médoc, is Château Sénéjac. The usual Bordelais long complicated history is crowned by the purchase of Sénéjac in 1999 by Lorraine Cordier, owner of Château Talbot. Since Lorraine’s death, Sénéjac has been managed by her sister Nancy Bignon Cordier with operations overseen by Alfred Tesseron and his team from Château Pontet Canet. There are 39ha of vineyard, in a single block, planted with 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, with an average age of 35 years. The wines of Château Sénéjac offer splendid value and relatively early appeal.
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.