CHÂTEAU MALESCOT SAINT EXUPÉRY

2012 3ème Cru Classé Margaux

EN PRIMEUR

Seems less excessive than some recent vintages and likeable for that without ever quite becoming compelling. Good black fruit in the middle. Rating: 88 L&S (May 2013)

* 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.

I tasted the Malescot St. Exupery on two occasions. It is a blend 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 8% Petit Verdot that was picked between 9 and 20 October. There is a lot of ambition evident on the “gourmand” like nose: blackberry, cooked meat and tertiary aromas emerging after a few swirls of the glass. The palate is fleshy and forward on the entry. There is plenty of sweet fruit, perhaps the oak imparting a few “seasoned” flavours, although there is decent definition on the austere, masculine finish. Rating: 87-89 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2013)

This wine offers attractive floral notes intermixed with notions of lavender, black currants, black cherries, smoke and earth. It is another successful effort from an estate that has been consistently producing exceptional wines in all the finest vintages over the last 15-20 years. An attractive, seductive, dense ruby/purple-hued, medium-bodied 2012, it finishes with some shortness, but everything leading up to the finish is impressive. Like most of these 2012s that possess a certain forward appeal, it should drink well for 12-15 years. 2013 - 2028 Rating: 89-92 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (Apr 2013)

Rating: 91 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2013)

Fine fragrant red and black fruits, good extraction leading to depth and grip from natural tannins, a very good wine that needs time. Drink: 2017 - 2030 Rating: 17 Steven Spurrier (Apr 2013)

Very dense looking. Really interesting nose – draws you in. Cool finish. Pretty snazzy really. Nothing overdone. Great balance. Racy finish. Hint of foxgloves and masses of still unformed fruit. This should be interesting to follow. 2020 - 2035. Rating: 17.5 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2013)

Rating: 17 Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Apr 2013)

Quite vibrant, with a racy core of dark raspberry, currant and boysenberry fruit that drives along a solid graphite spine. The long, alluring finish stretches out impressively. A very strong showing. Rating: 93-96 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2013)

Margaux Troisième Cru Classé 1855
Simon Malescot laid the foundations for this estate when he purchased the land in 1697. In 1827 it was sold to Count Jean-Baptiste Saint-Exupéry, who appended his name to that of the château and added vineyard land from his family holdings. His extravagent life-style, however, led his widow to sell Château Malescot Saint Exupéry in 1853 to a banker called Fourcade who added the now defunct Château Dubignon to Malescot Saint Exupéry. In 1885 the present château was built. A sale of the estate in 1901 saw Château Dubignon split off again (selling for most of the next fifty years as Château Dubignon-Talbot), only to be re-incorporated into Malescot Saint Exupéry by Paul Zuger who bought the estate (together with Marquis d'Alesme Becker) in 1955. At the time, Malescot Saint Exupéry had just 7ha of vines and a reputation that had hit rock bottom. The Zuckers, now represented by the third generation Jean-Luc, have rejuvenated Malescot Saint Exupéry and it now has a reputation for good quality and good value.

Château Malescot Saint Exupéry can claim the great Château Margaux as its neighbour and lies, therefore, in the very heart of the appellation. The vineyards are planted to 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. The Grand Vin spend 14 to 16 months in oak, with up to 80% of the barrels being new wood.

Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those of the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do call us, but see the 'practical notes' below.

Ordering

Prices are per case as listed 'in bond London'.

Pre-Orders are a firm commitment from you to buy the wines you order on release, subject to the price being below the upper price of the estimated band on our website. You may also set your own upper price limit, lower or higher than ours. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability. Providing this firm commitment to us effectively gives you priority.

Wines listed on the website (after any pre-orders and allocations have been fulfilled) can be ordered in the usual way via the website order form or by email or telephone 020 7221 1982, always subject to stock remaining.

Confirmation

All orders will be confirmed by email and are contractually binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of the confirmation date, apart from pre-orders which are binding if the release price is below the top estimate or other price you have set.

Invoices are raised at the In Bond price, excluding any duty and VAT which will become payable at the prevailing rates on arrival of the wine if required duty paid.

Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or credit transfer. We reserve the right to charge 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.

Delivery

  • Shipment to our bond (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 £1000, orders below this total will be charged £16.50+ VAT when the wine invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
  • Delivery for 2016 Bordeaux primeurs will probably be completed by October 2019, but we make no guarantee as to specific delivery times, and some of the Sauternes may be later.

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) for immediate payment. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option, but do please note that confirmed orders are still binding as above even if the final invoice has not been issued.

When the wine is shipped, unless previously specified we will assume that delivery is to be to bonded storage with Elephant Storage, but in any case, we will contact you requesting any alternative instructions. If you have another bonded delivery address you would like the wine to go to, please tell us at the time of ordering. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue invoices at the rates prevailing at the time for the excise duty (currently £25.98 per case) and the VAT (currently at 20%) on the total of the wine cost and the duty.

Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.

One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the bottle size you want. Even if a wine is only listed in one size, you can order any bottle or case size you want if the property supplies it, but you must order the case/bottle size you require and check that the correct size has been invoiced.

Additional charges are as follows:-

  • +£15 per case of 24 half-bottles
  • +£15 per case of 6 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
  • +£35 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
  • +£45 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.