CHÂTEAU LA CONSEILLANTE
2012 Pomerol
The 2012 La Conseillante takes some time to settle in the glass, gaining harmony after 10 minutes with scents of red cherry, sandalwood, freshly rolled tobacco and clove. This comes across as showier, more extravagant than other 2012 Pomerols. The palate is medium-bodied with silky smooth tannins, harmonious and poised, spicy and perhaps with a little more edge towards the finish. There is a sense of confidence about this La Conseillante. Tasted twice at Bordeaux Index's Ten Year-On tasting and blind at the Southwold Ten-Year On tasting. Drinking range: 2022 - 2040 Rating: 93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Sept 2022)
* 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.
This is closed up and subdued, majoring on cloves, white pepper spice, raspberry leaf and blackberry. Not as luscious as you find La Conseillante in more recent vintages, there is an enjoyable slate grip to the tannins and smoked sandalwood adding sense of delicacy and appeal, but it is not for long ageing. I would recommend drinking now and over the next decade. 70% new oak. Rating: 91 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (Mar 2022)
The 2012 La Conseillante has a very expressive bouquet with vibrant black cherry, blackcurrant and truffle aromas, with aeration fomenting more red fruit (crushed strawberry and cranberry) with an undertow of mineralité. The palate is medium-bodied with finer tannin than the 2011, a keen thread of acidity and a satisfying crescendo of flavours: dark cherry, cranberry, hints of tobacco and cedar. It feels structured on the finish although that is matched by the freshness and the impressive length. This is just a superb La Conseillante although it is only just getting going. Tasted at La Conseillante vertical at the property. Drinking range: 2020 - 2042 Rating: 95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2018)
A pretty, open-knit wine, the 2012 La Conseillante is quite expressive today. Dark cherry, plum, smoke, new leather, cedar and cloves flesh out in the glass. Supple, racy and inviting, the 2012 is an attractive, mid-weight Conseillante built on harmony and textural finesse. There is plenty to like, although I would have liked to see a bit more depth through the mid-palate and follow through to the finish. The 2012 is 89% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc, which is to say more Merlot and less Franc than is the norm, aged in 70% new oak. Winemaker Jean-Michel Laporte, who has since been replaced by Marielle Cazaux (formerly at Petit-Village) characterized 2012 as a year with high disease pressure and alternating periods of sunshine and rain that made finding the right time to work in the vineyards a challenge. The 2012s came in around 14% alcohol, whereas alcohols were closer to 13.5% in 2014. Rating: 92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jan 2016)
The nose has hints of spice with red fruit and bilberry freshness but the palate is serious dark fruited with mid chocolate richness. The tannins are firm and give structure but feel ripe and although towards the back there is sweet fruited power the finish has a red fruited charm. 2017-28 Rating: 92-95 Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (Dec 2013)
The La Conseillante is a blend of 89% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc (slightly less than usual) delivering 14.2% alcohol, raised in 70% new oak. It was cropped at 38.5hl/ha between 18th September and 1st October for the Merlot, and between 5th and 9th October for the Cabernet Franc. It has a lifted bouquet with broody dark fruit, a little more introspective than the 2011 at this stage with hints of cedar and mint. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins on the opening. It is a more feminine La Conseillante for sure, sedate and natural with an easy-drinking finish that you could almost consume now. The ’12 is very fine – but there is better to come once they have “broken in” their spanking new winery. Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2013)
(89% merlot and 11% cabernet franc): Medium-deep purple-ruby. Pungent minerality lifts subtle, very pure aromas of red fruits, violet, wet stone, ink and cinnamon. Dense, vibrant, sharply delineated flavors of blackcurrant, raspberry, sweet spices and cocoa powder make for a memorable experience. Subtle violet and flint notes lift and extend the very long, minerally, suavely tannic finish. There's insidious sweetness and purity to this almost Burgundian Pomerol; all the elements are in place to make for a remarkable La Conseillante. In my notebook, this is one of the top half-dozen wines of the vintage. Rating: 91-94 Ian d'Agata, www.vinousmedia.com (May 2013)
The 2012 La Conseillante exhibits a dark ruby/purple color as well as a beautiful, up-front, projected fragrance that includes mulberry and raspberry jam, licorice, lavender and underbrush. Rich and medium-bodied, this attractive effort possesses the estate’s hallmark elegance, finesse and sweet, velvety tannins. It should be approachable in its youth and last for 15+ years. This is another Bordeaux property that appears to be on top of its game, producing wines of great elegance as well as flavor authority. Sandwiched between the border of St.-Emilion and Cheval Blanc, and, on the Pomerol side, l’Evangile, Vieux-Chateau-Certan and Petrus, its terroir has extraordinary potential. 2013 - 2028 Rating: 92-94 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (Apr 2013)
Made for the first time in the château’s gleaming new cellar, Jean-Michel Laporte’s red is another success from this much-improved château. Flavours of fig, plum, chocolate and vanilla are beautifully intermingled here, with sumptuous tannins and a touch of minerality adding backbone and depth. Drink: 2020-35 Rating: 94 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2013)
Deep dark crimson. Refined dark fruit - blackcurrant pastilles and a touch cedary. Very precise and fresh and has a nice tightness about it without being highly strung. Even with that refinement it has rich, velvety depth in the middle. Long without evident power. Cool and fluid on the finish. 2019 - 2030. Rating: 17 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2013)
Less Cabernet Franc than usual (11%). Nose ripe and round with expressive blackcurrant notes. Palate impressive. Long and well-constructed with a certain power. Delicious wine. Drink: 2018 - 2030. Rating: 17.5 James Lawther MW, decanter.com (Apr 2013)
Floral, with stunning oak integration this is a damson and plum-soaked superstar with epic length. Rating: 18 Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Apr 2013)
Rounded and juicy, with lovely boysenberry and linzer torte flavors coursing along, inlaid with bergamot and blood orange notes. Delivers a polished finish without exhibiting any of the vintage’s sinewy feel. Rock solid and beautifully rendered. A strong showing. Rating: 92-95 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2013)
Château La Conseillante
Château la Conseillante’s origins lay in an estate called Domaine de Mautretat that was broken up in the early years of the 18th Century with reverend gentleman called M. Léglise purchasing the part that became Château l’Evangile whilst Catherine Conseillan took the other. In 1871 Château la Conseillante was bought by the Nicolas family who own it to this day. With only the addition of a small plot of vines in 2014, the estate has remained the same ever since. The 12ha of vineyard are planted with 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. The vineyards border Petrus to the north, and one can gaze across l’Evangile and see the vines of Château Cheval Blanc. Indeed, a small part of la Conseillante’s vineyard strays across into St Emilion, but is included in the main Pomerol cuvée. Château la Conseillante is a well-executed balancing act marrying tradition with modernity, something exemplified by the new cellar that opened in 2012.
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.