CHÂTEAU LA TOUR CARNET
2014 4ème Cru Classé Haut Médoc
The Magrez properties have toned down the extraction and oak a little in recent vintages, but this is still a wine made in a modern style - solid weight of fruit - and really pretty good value at this level and in this style.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 La Tour Carnet has an earthy, tobacco-tinged bouquet, moderate levels of dusty black fruit that never quite attain the focus they aspire to. The palate is medium-bodied with chalky tannin, a fine level of acidity, more angular than its peers. “Spiky” you might say, with a pinch of black pepper towards the short but focused finish. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. Drinking range: 2019 - 2030 Rating: 89 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2018)
Some interesting tertiary notes on the nose and nice structure and balance. Slightly inky but certainly refreshing! Lightweight. Drinking range: 2023 - 2034 Rating: 16 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Feb 2018)
Dark red cherries, plums, smoke, leather and cedar flesh out in the 2014 La Tour Carnet. The style is soft, succulent and open, with lovely overall depth and silky tannins that wrap around the jammy finish. There is lot to like in this tasty Haut-Médoc from Bernard Magrez and Consulting Winemaker Michel Rolland. Tasted twice. Rating: 88-91 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2015)
Recommended Haut-Médoc, Decanter. Rating: 89 Steven Spurrier (May 2015)
The Château La Tour Carnet 2014 is a blend of 68% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petit Verdot picked between 22 September and 23 October, aged in 30% new oak. This feels more precocious and concentrated on the nose compared directly with the Grand Chênes with small black cherries and blueberry fruit that is nicely defined, quite racy and lively. The palate is full-bodied, dense and quite muscular, a pleasant saline tang coming through towards the finish. There is more presence here than the Grands Chênes. Tasted four or five times, a couple showing a tad "foursquare" perhaps, but otherwise a decent if not spectacular contribution to the 2014 vintage. Drinking range: 2018 - 2030 Rating: 86-88 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2015)
Dark crimson. Refined, classic nose with pure fruit and some rather opulent purple fruit. Relatively early maturing. All stops pulled out. Strong floral aromas. Then a slightly drying, rasping finish. But some glamour here. Drinking range: 2019 - 2027 Rating: 16 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2015)
This shows a solid core of fruit with dark berry and chocolate character. Full with polished texture. Rating: 90-91 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Mar 2015)
Château La Tour Carnet
Chateau La Tour Carnet, owned by Bernard Magrez is one of the oldest Bordeaux wine producers in the appellation. In fact, some parts of the building, specifically the round tower, date all the way back to the 11th Century. The fortress was inhabited by the English as early as the 12th Century. It was an important fort that was used by the military. Originally, it went under the name of Chateau de Saint-Laurent. The land eventually fell to French rule. After centuries of war, the ruined property passed through the hands of a succession of owners, before coming to Thibault de Carmaing in the 16th Century and eventually to Charles de Leutken. The Bordeaux wine estate remained with his descendents. During the 1855 classification, the estate was under the direction of Angélique Raymond. The current owner is Bernard Magrez, who is the proprietor of a number of other Bordeaux estates, most notably Pape Clément in Pessac-Léognan. He also owns Fombrauge in St. Emilon. Chateau La Tour Carnet is one of the top producers in Haut Medoc and lesser appellations area today.
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.