CLOS L'ÉGLISE
2023 Pomerol
Smoky oak, good ift and zip, waves of rosemary and black chocolate, cocoa bean, espresso, intense but with peony and iris aromatics, and fresh waves of acidity that sends the palate upwards to meet blueberry fruits. Love the silky texture, and the grip, very appellation signature. Oldest vines here are more than 80 years, planted before the frost of 1956. Mathieu Bellot is the vineyard consultant, but no outside winemaking consultant. Drinking range: 2029 - 2042 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.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.
The 2023 Clos l'Église presents a gorgeous contrast of intense dark fruit against a mineral backbone that confers energy. There's a ton of nuance here. Graphite, crushed rocks, plum, mocha, spice, leather and dried herbs are all vividly sketched. There's a bit more Cabernet Franc in this year's blend, as one of the Merlot parcels is being replanted. That results in an especially nuanced Clos l'Église that captures the best the year had to offer. Drinking range: 2028 - 2045 Rating: 93-95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2024)
This is a blend of 70% and 30% Cabernet Franc, a little more Cabernet Franc than usual but this reflects the fact some old Merlot has been pulled up. The nose here is dark and smoky, with notes of griottes and blackcurrant, but with a little note of matchstick reduction. The palate shows a lovely sense of harmony, with dark fruits intertwined with tobacco and toast, with plenty of texture, a dark and savoury fruit character led by olive, currant and toast, with an subframe of ripe and finely knit tannins. This is really charming, with honest fruit, good structure and a wrapping of oak. A really nice Clos L’Église this year, with good potential. The alcohol is about 14%. Rating: 92-94 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2024)
A very tight and focused red with racy tannins and a linear, racy texture. It’s medium-bodied with excellent energy and plenty of blackberry and olive flavors. Very long finish. 14% alcohol. 3.7 pH. 70% merlot and 30% cabernet franc. Rating: 95-96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2024)
Clos l'Église
In a region of modest architecture, the high-spired church in Pomerol tends to dominate the sky-line. Gathered around it, a trio of estates trumpet their proximity with their name – Domaine de l’Eglise, Château l’Eglise Clinet and Clos l’Eglise. In fact, l’Eglise Clinet and Clos l’Eglise, separated only by a narrow lane, used to form a single estate until they were divided in inheritance in the latter half of the 19th Century. Clos l’Eglise’s rise to prominence has been rapid, dating from the purchase of the estate in 1997 by Sylviane Garcin-Cathiard who already owned a couple of châteaux in Pessac-Léognan and whose brother is the owner of Château Smith Haut Lafitte. The €12mil. price tag turned heads at the time although, given the continued growth of interest in Pomerol, it now looks like Sylviane got herself a bargain. The 5.8ha of vineyard are planted with 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, and run by Sylvaine's daughter Hélene Garcin, who also runs the family's other properties, Haut Bergey, Branon, Poésia and Barde Haut. The consultant oenoligist since 2015 is Thomas Duclos. The wines are fermented in stainless steel, and aged 16 to 18 months in new barrels. There was a surprising amount of Cabernet Sauvignon at Clos l’Eglise when the family took over, all of which has been done away with. The Clos produces around 1200-1500 bottles per vintage.
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.