CARDINALE

2015

EN PRIMEUR

90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot. Lots of rich dark fruit on the nose. Sweet black & blue fruit on the palate with supporting role by the oak. Blackcurrant, plum, blueberry and violet flavours dominate. The impressive tannin emerges at the end and is slightly masked by the slick feel to the wine. It is relatively one dimensional at this stage but will surely develop into something impressive. Drinking range: 2020 - 2035 Rating: 92 L&S (Sept 2018)

* 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 2015 Cardinale is dark, sensual and totally beguiling. Voluptuous fruit and soft, racy contours make a strong opening statement. The dark cherry, mocha, smoke, plum, spice and new leather flavors are all amped up in a seamless, alluring Cardinale that is going to be nearly impossible to resist in its youth. There is so much to like here. Drinking range: 2022 - 2040 Rating: 96 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Mar 2018)

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Cardinale Cabernet Sauvignon (containing 10% Merlot) gives beautiful red, black and blue fruit notes with touches of dried herbs, spice cake and unsmoked cigars, plus a waft of cedar. Medium to full-bodied, it has a firm structure with plenty of gregarious mid-palate fruit, finishing with a lingering herbal lift. This seductive blockbuster is temptingly drinkable now and it should age gracefully over 15-20 years. 2,579 cases produced. Drinking range: 2017 - 2037 Rating: 96+ Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Dec 2017)

Cardinale, founded in 1982 and owned by Jackson Family wines, is one of the older wineries in Napa’s Oakville district. While most vineyards in Napa and indeed elsewhere in the world focus on producing a number of wines each year, Cardinale concentrates all its effort into making one great wine - producing a single Cabernet Sauvignon (blended with smaller amounts of Merlot) every vintage.

Christopher Carpenter, Cardinale’s chief winemaker, regards the creation of his blended signature cabernet sauvignon as a composer would a finely balanced piece of music. He blends different layers and sounds together to create one harmonious piece. The wine is a limited-production blend from Napa Valley’s most recognized mountain appellations including Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain, Howell Mountain and Diamond Mountain. This blend of mountain terroirs, sourced from ten different vineyards, is essential to Cardinale’s character.

The steep aspects, rocky soils and exposed vineyards are instrumental in crafting this structured and complex wine. Well layered, both on the nose and the palate, it has dense, rich, dark fruit flavours while showing oaky tannins and grip on the finish.

Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on 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' (excluding duty paid and VAT).

Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price sits within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.

Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.

You can register your interest via the online wishlist form, by emailing privateclients@leaandsandeman.co.uk, or by calling 020 7221 1982. All wishlist requests are subject to availability and final confirmation. Inevitably, some wines will have to be allocated but please do not let that deter you from asking. We will do our best to satisfy all requests.

Confirmation

All orders will be confirmed by email and are contractually binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of the confirmation date.

Invoices are raised at in bond prices. Duty and VAT invoices will be raised on request when the wines land in the UK.

Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We reserve the right to levy a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.

Delivery

  • Shipment to our bond (at 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 in bond deliveries are free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £1,000. Orders below this total will be charged at £16.50+ VAT when the wine invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchase from this offer, not a per-case charge. Please inform us of in bond delivery addresses and account details at the time of ordering.
  • If the wines are required duty paid we will issue invoices at prevailing rate of duty and VAT when the wines arrive in the UK.
  • The wines will become available by the end of the year and should be shipped very early next year.