CHÂTEAU LE GAY
2023 Pomerol
Supple texture, campfire smoke and grilled liqourice, with leafy iris and peony florals. Plenty of charm, with blackberry and black cherry fruit, although the finish has a flash of heat. Vignobles Parent. Drinking range: 2030 - 2044 Rating: 92-100 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 Le Gay is intensely aromatic, floral and quite pretty. Crushed flowers, spice, mint, herbs, licorice and tobacco meld into a core of dark red/purplish berry fruit. All the elements are very nicely balanced in this stylish, mid-weight Pomerol from the Parent family. The 2023 is a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc vinified entirely in 100% new French oak barrels. Élevage is projected to be 14 months, about 2 months shorter than normal. Tasted two times. Drinking range: 2030 - 2048 Rating: 93-95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2024)
The blend of the 2023 from Le Gay is 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, and it was picked at a yield of 42 hl/ha, starting on September 11th, finishing the 25th. I find plenty of savoury aromatics on the nose, with sweet damson, griottes, blackcurrant, black olive and tar; you can sense the depth and richness of the clay terroir coming through here. The palate is no less convincing than the nose, presenting layers of blackberry, plum, liquorice, coffee bean and tar, atop a frame of deliciously bright and delineated tannins, with perfumed nuances of cherry blossom, white peach, rose and mint. This is absolutely delicious, so coherent and fresh, with a fine core of complex fruit on the edge of desiccation laid atop a seamless frame of tannins, fresh and bright, with a long finish simmering with complex and floral aromatics and grippy tannin. Very impressive and composed, this has great potential, and acts as an indicator of the quality of the vintage in Pomerol. Tasted five times. The alcohol is about 14%. Rating: 95-97 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2024)
Very attractive center-palate with blackberry fruit, a hint of chocolate and a minerally, terra-cotta undertone. Medium-bodied, fresh and racy. Shows tension and clarity. It grows on the finish with muscular yet fine tannins. May be better than 2022. Rating: 96-97 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2024)
Château le Gay
Château le Gay, and near-by Château Lafleur, were owned by sisters Therese and Marie Robin for some sixty years. In the later years of their tenure, the management of the estate had been largely entrusted to the Moueix family with whom it was mostly expected that the estate would end up. But when Marie Robin died and her heirs had to sell one of the estates to meet inheritance duties, it was Catherine Pere-Verge who emerged as the owner of le Gay. Catherine had spent 40 years working for the family crystal ware business before deciding to semi-retire by buying a château in Pomerol. She started at Château Montveil where she garnered sufficient enthusiasm for the life of a vigneron to throw her hat into the ring with the better sited Château le Gay. She, subsequently, went on to buy the set to be iconic Château la Violette. On buying Château le Gay, Catherine installed new wine making facilities and increased the size of the vineyard by planting some previous unplanted land. Even with the newer vines, the average age of the vineyard is still 40 years old, planted to 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc.
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.