CLOS DU MARQUIS
2013 Saint Julien
Lovely sustained ruby-purple. Bright and pure and aromatically sophisticated fruit with soft ripe berry flavours. Really a very sophisticated wine. Palate shows oak spice. Silky supple coolly expressed concentrated black fruit. The acidity is strong on the finish, but it gives good definition and mouthwatering succulence rather than dryness. Rating: 90-91 L&S (Apr 2014)
* 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 2013 Clos du Marquis has a distant nose that is missing presence. However, with aeration, it musters light leathery black fruit and a touch of black pepper. The palate is fresh and medium-bodied with pliant tannins and moderate weight but lacks grip and substance on the finish. But overall, I don't have many complaints after ten years, given the growing season. Tasted at Bordeaux Index's 10-Year On tasting. Drinking range: 2023 - 2030 Rating: 87 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Aug 2023)
A very good effort in 2013, this blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc was cropped at 31 hectoliters per hectare. It reveals good ripeness for this vintage along with tasty, elegant, black cherry fruit intermixed with hints of tobacco leaf and dusty, loamy undertones, and a medium-bodied mouthfeel. The tannin begins to dry out every so slightly, but this is a good St.-Julien in this tough vintage. Drink it over the next 7-8 years. 2014-2022 Rating: 87-88 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (Aug 2014)
(73% cabernet sauvignon, 18% merlot and 9% cabernet franc; 3.57 g/l total acidity; 3.77 pH; 13% alcohol; 31 h/h; 50% new oak): Full, saturated ruby. Herbal and leafy notes, plus a touch of green bell pepper, along with delicate blackcurrant on the nose. Then richer and sweeter on the palate than the nose suggests, with delicate floral and red berry flavors lingering nicely. The finish is persistent but edgy, even a bit clenched today, featuring some youthfully tough, building tannins that will need a few years to soften. But I'm not at all sure that the fruit will hold up. Very much dominated by cabernet sauvignon this year. Rating: 85-88 Ian d'Agata - Stephen Tanzer website (May 2014)
Perfumed and spicy the nose has lots of charm and although the start of the palate is quite light there is richness and sweetness in the middle. Blackcurrant is backed by black cherry layers of flavour lots of complexity there is the feeling of balance the ripe black fruits enriching the finish. 2018-28 Rating: 89-92 Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (May 2014)
Often described, incorrectly, as the second wine of Léoville Las Cases, this consistently brilliant St Julien deserves to be regarded as a name in its own right. This is very aromatic, with silky tannins, sweet cassis fruit and fresh, minerally acidity. A class act. 2018-28 Rating: 93 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (May 2014)
(73% cabernet sauvignon, 18% merlot and 9% cabernet franc; 3.57 g/l total acidity; 3.77 pH; 13% alcohol; 31 h/h; 50% new oak): Full, saturated ruby. Herbal and leafy notes, plus a touch of green bell pepper, along with delicate blackcurrant on the nose. Then richer and sweeter on the palate than the nose suggests, with delicate floral and red berry flavors lingering nicely. The finish is persistent but edgy, even a bit clenched today, featuring some youthfully tough, building tannins that will need a few years to soften. But I'm not at all sure that the fruit will hold up. Very much dominated by cabernet sauvignon this year. Rating: 85-88 Ian d'Agata, www.vinousmedia.com (May 2014)
(73 Cabernet Sauvignon, 18 Merlot, 9 Cabernet Franc) Very forward and seemingly complete. Superbly suave, genial and rounded. This is a delicious wine with none of the usual serious CdM furrowed brow, but a happy, open air and a fine flavour. Rating: 16.5 Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Apr 2014)
73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc. 50% new oak. Fruitcake aromas, dense black fruit on the palate. Lacking a bit of body – another wine symptomatic of 2013. The tannins have a lovely texture, and will need some time to soften, but there is not quite enough power for very long life. 2020-2028 Rating: 16.5 Richard Hemming MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2014)
Very fine depth of fruit, velvety texture and firm finish from 75-year-old vines, pure St-Julien. Drink: 2018-2028. Rating: 17 Steven Spurrier (Apr 2014)
Solid, with a core of plum and raspberry fruit still working to meld with the coating of roasted apple wood. The juicy finish picks up a dark currant hint and a flicker of bramble. Should fill out more during the élevage. Rating: 87–90 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2014)
The Clos du Marquis 2013 is surprisingly closed on the nose despite rigorous coaxing. The palate is much more expressive with supple tannins, quite linear in style with a touch of spiciness developing towards the finish. Whilst it lacks a little persistency in the mouth, it has a bit of Jean-Hubert's "swagger" about it. Rating: 87-89 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2014)
The 2013 Clos du Marquis is beautifully layered in the glass. Sweet tobacco, licorice, savory herbs and plums meld together in a finely-knit, graceful wine with lovely overall balance. The 2013 turns brighter and more lifted on the finish, where hints of rose petals and red berries add perfume and finesse. In 2013, the blend is 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc. Rating: 89-91+ Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2014)
Château Léoville Las Cases
St Julien Deuxième cru 1855 One of the leading "super-seconds" - a second growth chateau who's wines rival, in terms of quality and often price, the fabled First Growths of the Haut-Médoc. Before the Revolution, the Leoville estate was one of the largest and grandest in the region. At the time, it was in the aristrocratic ownership of the family of the Marquis de Las-Cases-Beauvoir. Unsurprisingly, the Marquis had to flee. To avoid Leoville being seized, the family decided to sell up but the complicated ownership of the estate, which was split between siblings, prevented the sale of Leoville as a whole and, in the end, only a small portion was sold off, to Hugh Barton, and this became Château Leoville Barton. The remainder of the estate came back to the Marquis' family when his son, Pierre-Jean, inherited most of Leoville, the only exception being a small portion inherited by his sister Jeanne. Jeanne's daughter married Baron Jean-Marie de Poyferré and, in 1840, this portion of the estate sheered off to become Château Leoville Poyferré. To stop further divisions among inheriting children, a holding company was founded to own Château Las Cases. Théophile Skawinski, who managed the estate, bought some shares which later passed to his son-in-law André Delon. The Delon family continued to buy share as they became available until, eventually, they became the owners of Château Leoville Las Cases. The bulk of Las Cases's vineyards - the Grand Clos - sit at the very northern end of St Julien, facing Château Latour across the Ruisseau de Juillac. The vines are planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. The hand-picked grapes are fermented in an unusual array of wooden, stainless-steel and cement tanks. Wines spend 20 months in oak, with the proportion of new wood for the grand vin varying from 50% to 100% depending on the vintage. Château Leoville Las Cases have one of the most highly regarded "second wines" in Bordeaux - Clos du Marquis. The first vintage was in 1902, long predating most of its competitors. Its status as a true "second wine" is sometimes disputed, as there is a distinct Clos du Marquis vineyard, a little way to the west of the Grand Clos, although the cuvée does include some declassifications from the grand vin and fruit of younger vines. Its status as a "second wine" also belies the quality which exceeds many of the region's "first" wines.
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.