CHÂTEAU FERRIÈRE
2023 3ème Cru Classé Margaux
This is one of the best Ferrieres for years, with waves of blackberry, cassis, fennel, anis, liqourice root, all sweet and pure and intense, with velvety tannins. Great stuff. 40hl/h yield, 3.79ph, harvest Septemboer 13 to october 2, highest yields for for 12 years, 40% new oak for ageing overall, along with concrete eggs, touch of amphoras. Drinking range: 2030 - 2044 Rating: 92 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 Ferrière is a hugely promising wine. At this early stage, 2023 looks like a wine of notable refinement. Ferrière is typically a big Margaux with large-grained tannins, but that is not the case at all with 2023. Dark cherry, plum, lavender, spice and menthol abound. Claire Lurton likes to present this wine from tank, before the wine is put into wood, in order to show the quality of the fruit. For that reason, the en primeur sample is really just a snapshot. Drinking range: 2031 - 2053 Rating: 92-94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2024)
A Lurton estate since 1988, when they acquired it from the Ferrière family; prior to that it was farmed by the team at Lascombes. Their first vintage after that was in 1992. The blend is 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 3.5% Petit Verdot and 0.5% Cabernet Franc, much from old vines, managed using biodynamic methods. The yield is 40 hl/ha this year, the highest for many years. This sample comes rom concrete tanks, and does not include anything from the 40% of the blend which is in wood. An attractive nose, red plum and red rose petals, with fragrant gravel, all rather attractive. This is sinewy and fine on the palate, with a linear frame and rich notes of cedar and currant. This has lovely charm on the palate, a touch juicy perhaps, underpinned by abroad and rich frame of tannins, which persist through the finish. The alcohol is 13.2% on analysis. Rating: 90-92 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2024)
The 2023 Ferrière is a strong effort, bursting with aromas of dark berries, spices and boot polish, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered palate with a broad attack, good depth at the core and sweet structuring tannins. It's a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 3.5% Petit Verdot and a touch of Cabernet Franc. Rating: 91-93 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2024)
Very pure fruit here, showing blackberries and black cherries, as well as hints of walnuts. Medium body. The tannins are fine-grained and well integrated. I like the concentration on the center-palate and the freshness on the finish. It’s structured and long, with lively fruit and a hint of salt at the end. Minerally. 68% cabernet sauvignon, 28% merlot, 3.5% petit verdot and 0.5% cabernet franc. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2024)
Château Ferrière
Margaux Troisième cru 1855 The Ferrière family owned their eponymous estate from its origins in the 18th Century right up until 1914. During the 20th Century, Château Ferrière's star fell considerably with the vineyard leased to Alexis Lichine and the wine made at Château Lascombes, and Château Ferrière was rarely seen or known outside France. Ferrière was purchased by the Taillan Group (who own, among others, Gruaud-Larose and Chasse-Spleen) in 1988, and the story since then has been of continued improvement. The connection with Château Lascombes was ended and all wines are made at Château Ferrière now. Château Ferrière is the smallest of the Cru Classé estates, with just 8ha of vines dispersed around the centre of Margaux village. 80% are Cabernet Sauvignon, with 15% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. The Grand Vin spends 18 months in wood (60% new). Both in terms of quality and availability, Château Ferrière is unrecognisable from where it was a few short years ago. Classic, gently assertive Margaux and excellent value for money.
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.