CHÂTEAU HAUT BAGES LIBÉRAL
2014 5ème Cru Classé Pauillac
This is bright and surprisingly elegant. Lots of fruit which is deep and nicely ripe, but the tannins are so silky and so fine that the feel is one of succulence and poise. Claire Villars says she does not remember an Haut Bages Liberal with this much elegance - and tannins 'si chargés'. Great Pauillac, but gentle. Rating: 90 L&S (Apr 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 Haut-Bages-Libéral has a lifted bouquet, quite floral in style with black cherries and a touch of cassis. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit tinged with graphite, moderate length with a slightly blunt finish. To be honest, it is not my favourite Haut-Bages Libéral in recent years. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. Drinking range: 2020 - 2032 Rating: 88 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2018)
Rather stewed fruit on the nose. Lots to chew on, with tannins and greenness – a bit intrusive. Drinking range: 2022 - 2030 Rating: 15.5 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Feb 2018)
The 2014 Haut-Bages Libéral is vibrant and also quite closed in on itself, which is probably a good thing for the medium term. Smoke, gravel, smoke, anise, tobacco and intense red-fruit notes are front and center. I would give the 2014 a few years in bottle to shed some tannins, but I imagine the wine will always be a bit wild. Drinking range: 2019 - 2029 Rating: 90 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2017)
The Château Haut-Bages Libéral 2014 has generous bouquet with plush red cherry and crushed strawberry scents, touches of cassis developing in the glass. The palate is better with gently gripping tannin and an attractive grainy texture. It is nicely balanced with blackberry and graphite notes on the linear finish. Not a bad Pauillac 2014 with its pencil lead aftertaste, though it could do with a bit more flair. Drinking range: 2018 - 2030 Rating: 88-91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2015)
Fine, lifted fragrance of Cabernet with very good clarity and persistence, depth to come. Always shows an attractive liveliness of fruit. (Highly Recommended Pauillac, Decanter.) Drinking range: 2019 - 2030 Rating: 90 Steven Spurrier (Apr 2015)
The 2014 Haut-Bages Liberal opens up nicely in the glass, with an intriguing combination of, juicy red-fleshed fruit underpinned by distinctly stony, chalky notes that give the wine much of its energy. Today, the tannins are a bit tightly wound. Still, there is plenty to admire in the wine's overall persistence and sense of proportion. Rating: 89-91 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2015)
Low-key nose. Rather loose textured and then astringent. Not as focused as most of its peers. Just a little dull. Drinking range: 2022 - 2030 Rating: 16 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2015)
Bright on the nose the palate has some red fruits underpinning the fresh black fruits. There is more depth and richness in the middle a touch of sweetness the back palate and finish lighter with a mix of fresh fruits. Drinking range: 2025 - 2038 Rating: 88-90 Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (Apr 2015)
Rating: 89 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2015)
Lots of good fruit here that give depth and seriousness. Full and juicy. Round tannins. Rating: 92-93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Mar 2015)
Château Haut Bages Libéral
Pauillac Cinquième cru 1855 Château Haut Bages Libéral sits nearly atop the hill to the south of the hamlet of Bages - hence the name, Haut Bages - seperated by a country lane from Château Latour. The estate was owned by the Libéral family during the 18th Century, hence the last part of the name. Despite being surrounded by illustious neighbours - aside from Latour to the immediate south, Haut Bages Libéral can also count the two Pichons as "next door" - achieving 5th Growth status in 1855 seems to have been a bit of a high point as a century of typically Bordelais decline followed. In 1960 the Cruse family took control and, apart from cleaving off a portion of vineyards and handing them over to Château Pontet-Canet, the fortunes of Haut Bages Libéral began to improve. The Cruse family were forced to sell in 1982 and Château Haut Bages Libéral became part of the Merlaut family's Taillan Group, which includes Chasse Spleen and Gruaud Larose. The 28ha of vineyard are planted to 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. The wine is fermented in stainless steel before spending 16 months in wood (40% new). Whilst not living up to the greatest heights of its neighbour Latour, Haut Bages Libéral offers some very good value for a really well-made Pauillac.
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.