CHÂTEAU FAUGÈRES

2014 Grand Cru Saint Emilion

EN PRIMEUR

Lovely nose of bright redcurrant and strawberry fruit. Brightness and clean lines follow in the mouth, but there is good ripeness too and the weight of more plummy fruit and the fine tannin builds, well balanced and very pretty overall. Rating: 90 L&S (May 2015)

* 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 2014 Faugères showed well just after bottling although this has a candied, almost bubblegum scented bouquet that feels a little overdone. The palate is medium-bodied with a sweet core of liquorices-tinged fruit, saline towards the finish but overall, it lacks the natural flow that it demonstrated before. I will reserve judgement for now. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2018)

Large-scale, dramatic and intense, the 2014 Faugères is exceptionally beautiful and polished. Succulent red cherry, plum and pomegranate notes make a strong first impression. Sweet floral notes, spice and new leather add aromatic nuance throughout. This is an especially effortless wine with all of its elements in the right place. Drinking range: 2019 - 2034 Rating: 93 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2017)

The 2014 Faugères is rich, intense and powerful, yet retains a gorgeous sense of freshness that gives lift to the dark plum, crème de cassis, spice and floral flavors. Even with all of its obvious intensity, the 2014 is impeccably balanced and polished, not to mention incredibly appealing. Hints of lavender, mint and sweet spices are laced into the super expressive, nuanced finish. Tasted two times. Rating: 92-95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2015)

The Château Faugères 2014 has an attractive, perfumed and quite floral bouquet with black cherries, juniper and touches of violet. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, crisp acidity and a sense of harmony coming through on the finish. This has charm and class, a well-heeled Saint Emilion that will give at least a decade of pleasure. If you desire something more "flash" then opt for the Peby-Faugères, but this just seems more natural and actually, more complex. Drinking range: 2018 - 2030 Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2015)

Marked by the limestone terroir. Chalky, mineral notes and dry finish. Robust but not over-extracted. Lacks a little mid-palate density. Drinking range: 2020 - 2028 Rating: 87 James Lawther MW, decanter.com (Apr 2015)

Mid crimson. Sweet start but a gentle hand on the oak. Until the very end when some dryness digs in. Good combination of richness and freshness until then. It may all soften. Drinking range: 2019 - 2026 Rating: 16 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2015)

Balanced and refined with blueberry and mineral character. Medium body, fine tannins and a fresh finish. Rating: 90-91 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Mar 2015)

Château Faugères spreads across the appellation divide between St Emilion and the Côtes de Castillon and, consequently, produces examples of each. Long time in the ownership of the Guisez family, Faugères was bought in 1995 by Swiss businessman Silvio Denz who, together with his friend Comte Stephan von Neipperg and well-known consultant Michel Rolland, have driven the estate's reputation forward. To this end, more vineyards have been purchased and a brand new state of the art winery built. Four wines are produced at Château Faugères - the "grand vin", Château Faugères, 85% Merlot; a second wine, Haut Faugères; a super-premium 100% Merlot Parker-pleasing wine, Cuvée Spéciale Péby, named after Péby Guisez; and the produce of their Côtes de Castillon vineyards Cap de Faugères.

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.