TRONQUOY

2023 Saint Estèphe

EN PRIMEUR

Medium to full intensity ruby plum colour, higher Petit Verdot than usual in the blend, and it comes through in sappy, lively black pepper spice and dark fruit character, good quality, a little austere. In organic conversion, to be certified 2024. Harvest September 6 to 26. Drinking range: 2026 - 2036 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2024)

75cl bottles (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 Tronquoy is quite elegant in this vintage. Crushed flowers, mint, dried herbs, tobacco and cedar lend lovely aromatic complexity. There's more Petit Verdot in this year's blend, which comes through in the wine's aromatic presence, and also less Merlot, which is noticeable in the mouthfeel. It's a style I like a lot—more Saint-Estèphe and less of the rusticity that marked some years. This is a very pretty and promising Tronquoy, not to mention one of the most finessed vintages of this wine I can remember tasting. Drinking range: 2027 - 2038 Rating: 90-93 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2024)

This is a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and 11% Petit Verdot, just a touch more Cabernet Sauvignon than usual, and the Petit Verdot was also of high quality, hence Merlot was pushed into a minority position. Picking start September 6th, commonplace in St Estèphe and Pauillac, and finished on the 26th. Beautiful aromatics on the nose, expressive, with concentrated and lightly dried berry fruits, wrapped in cedar, dark chocolate and crushed chalk. A rather cool and fresh entry, with the sinewy and taut character of the vintage, with a savoury restraint to the texture, with a finely extracted and powdery grip of tannins underneath, and the vibrant acid freshness of the vintage. This has delicious poise and a fine sense of energy and balance, and should provide great value drinking. The alcohol here is 13.2%. Rating: 92-94 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2024)

Containing an unusually high 51% Cabernet Sauvignon this year (complemented by 38% Merlot and 11% Petit Verdot), the 2023 Tronquoy offers up aromas of dark berries, cherries, burning embers and violets, followed by a medium to full-bodied, velvety and refined palate with good depth at the core, lively acids and a persistent finish. Foudres are now complemented barriques for élevage. Rating: 91-93 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2024)

A crunchy and velvety Tronquoy with blackberry, blackcurrant and chocolate aromas. Lots of blackcurrant, berry and cherry character on the medium-bodied palate, with solid tannins that have a powdery texture. 51% cabernet sauvignon, 38% merlot and 11% petit verdot. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2024)

This 42 acre Bordeaux wine property is planted to 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot. The vines are planted to a density of 9,000 vines per ha and are close to 25 years of age. On average, the property produces 7,500 cases of Bordeaux wine per year. The wine is produced by the same team that is responsible for the Bordeaux wine being made by Chateau Montrose.

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.