CHÂTEAU LILIAN LADOUYS
2014 Cru Bourgeois Supérieur Saint Estèphe
The upswing in fortunes and class of this great little estate are crystal-clear, since the since its acquisition and serious investment by French property magnate Jacky Lorenzetti. In this 2014 release, the 2% Petit Verdot adds another dimension to this ample, full and satisfying claret. There is a touch of chewy intensity to the deep fruit - but the level of ripeness is spot-on. Broad, yes but a measured balance is there too. Nicely done with a touch of modernity. Another stylish St Estephe! This is drinking brilliantly now, but will comfortably rest in the cellar for mid-term drinking. Drinking range: 2018 - 2025 Rating: 89 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.
Good quality, this lacks a little depth but has an attractive mix of cassis and mint leaf that runs right through the centre of the wine and plenty of St Estèphe signature of punchy black fruit, power and acidity. Not as generous as the 2016 that is being tasted alongside, a little tight on the finish, give it an hour or two in a carafe. Harvest September 30 to October 17, 30% new oak, 94% 1st wine. 46ha, Eric Boissenot consultant, director Vincent Bache-Gabrielsen. Owners Jacky and Florence Lorenzetti were expanding the footprint of Lilian Ladouys at the time but were not at the stage they are today. Drinking range: 2022 - 2034 Rating: 91 Jane Anson, Decanter (Oct 2022)
The 2014 Lilian Ladouys is soft, plump and incredibly appealing. Bright red cherry, raspberry, rose petal, mint and sweet spice notes are all pushed forward. This is an absolutely delicious, joyous bottle of wine to enjoy for its primary fruit and raciness. The blend is 55 % Merlot, 40 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 4 % Cabernet Franc, and 1 % Petit Verdot. The team headed by technical director Vincent Bache-Gabrielsen and consulting winemaker Eric Boissenot continues to do impressive work at this Saint-Estèphe property. Tasted two times. Drinking range: 2017 - 2026 Rating: 90 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2017)
The Château Lilian-Ladouys 2014 is a blend of 55% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot cropped at 44hl/ha. Aged in 30% new oak from several cooperages, it veers towards fleshy red berry fruit on the nose with hints of dried herbs and sous-bois lending personality, something to talk about. The palate is medium-bodied with tobacco infused black fruit, masculine in style with good backbone and impressive precision on the finish. This Saint Estèphe cru has seen a rapid improvement in recent years and this is another fine wine to add to their roster. I expect the bottle sample to land at the upper end of the band and continue the upswing in fortunes since its acquisition by Jacky Lorenzetti. Drinking range: 2019 - 2032 Rating: 90-92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2015)
Lillian Ladouys is soft, plump and juicy, with lovely immediacy in its fruit and terrific overall balance. Dark red cherry, plum and spice notes flesh out in the glass, but it is the wine's textured, layered personality that is most appealing. The 2014 will drink well early and should be a terrific value as well. There is a lot to like. The blend is 55% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. This is a terrific effort from Lilian Ladouys and the team headed Technical Director Vincent Bache-Gabrielsen and Consulting Winemaker Eric Boissenot. Rating: 88-90 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2015)
This is a very serious and structured wine from here. Best ever? Full, chewy and structured. Plenty of fruit. Chewy. Rating: 91-92 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Mar 2015)
Château Lilian Ladouys
This lovely Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel in Saint Estèphe enjoys an enviable location on the Cos plateau, near to Calon, Montrose and Cos d'Estournel itself. The 80 hectare vineyard is 80% on gravel with a clay-limestone base, 20% on limestone-clay and is planted at 8500-10000 vines per hectare, with 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet-Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc.
The history of the estate can be traced back as far as 1654, when the property was in the ownership of Jacques de Bercoyan, a Bordeaux magistrate. By this time it was already known as La Doys, an obvious precursor to the Ladouys name of today.
The exciting modern history of the property began in 2008 when it was bought by Jacky Lorenzetti, and the family's investment was rewarded with the Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel classification in 2018. Since the purchase there has been many more deals to consolidate a coherent vineyard from the many parcels.
Lilian Ladouys is managed by Emmanuel Cruse, the consultant oenologist is Eric Boissenot. The work in the vineyard aims to make sure there is an even spread of bunches on the vines, and that these are well-ventilated (leaf-thinning). The earth is ploughed, with either sowing of ground-cover between the vines, or leaving nature to its own devices, depending on the vigour of each parcel. The grapes are harvested by hand, with sorting as bunches and again by grape after the de-stemming, after which the they go into the vats by gravity for a cold maceration prior to the fermentation. Extraction is managed by gentle délestage. The wine is aged in barrel, with 40% new wood each year.
The vineyard certified 'Haute Valeur Envionmentale' level 3. From 2020 they began conversion to organics with 20% of the vineyard, and all being well will complete conversion in 2023.
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.