CHÂTEAU BEAUREGARD
2015 Pomerol Château Beauregard
First tasting: very supple on the palate, a smoky personality to the ripe black fruit, a slightly savoury middle, texture thickening towards the finish. This seems to have a bit more body than it usually does, but the elegance is retained. One to look at closely if the price is right. At the UGC Pomerol tasting this got the remark 'Hooray, it's wine' in my notes, after a series of things more like paint. Sophisticated and real, spiced fruit nose, a gentle richness, and more weight than usual for Beauregard. Lot's of things paying off at once here - this estate has always been well-run by the charming Vincent Priou, and the vineyard has been extensively restructured, including increasing the planting density from six to nine thousand vines per hectare. More recently, the bank that owned it has sold to a consortium - mostly the owner of Galeries Lafayette but also including the Cathiards of Smith Haut Lafitte. This has resulted in more new investment including a magnificent new cuverie with almost egg-shaped concrete vats. Recommended. Rating: 92-93 L&S (Apr 2016)
* 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 Beauregard has an intense bouquet with black cherries, boysenberry and smoky/tobacco aromas, more precocious than some of its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with gentle grip, foursquare and conservative in style and yet I appreciate its delineation and poise, with a persistent and mineral-driven finish. This is a very good performance and suggests some melioration in bottle. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting. Rating: 92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jul 2019)
Impressive and deep-set plums, cherries and violets, not to mention licorice and lightly spicy oak-derived accents, meet with mocha on the nose. The palate has a really impressive core of fleshy, bright red-plum and blueberry flavors all wrapped in supple tannins that have freshness and effortless depth. Drinking range: 2022 - Rating: 95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2018)
The 2015 Beauregard has turned out better than I had originally expected. Today, I see a wine of notable textural richness and far better balance than en primeur. Most, if not all, of that can be attributed to the work the winemaking team did in tweaking the blend. Sumptuous and racy to the core, the 2015 is gorgeous today. The more floral/savory element of the Franc that was so evident during aging has softened considerably. This is an impressive debut for the first vintage under the management of the Cathiard family. Black cherry, chocolate, new leather and spice notes add to the wine's succulent, inviting personality. Tasted three times. Drinking range: 2020 - 2035 Rating: 93 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2018)
The change of ownership in 2015 - enter Florence and Daniel Cathiard - has given this property a shot in the arm. It’s a grassy, leafy, Cabernet Franc-influenced Pomerol with scented oak, bright acidity and a voluptuous mid palate. Drinking range: 2020 - 2028 Rating: 93 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (May 2016)
Dark lustrous crimson. Bought by Smith Haut Lafitte and Galeries Lafayette family. Debut vintage. Floral nose. Polished. Dry finish but lots of attention clearly went into this wine! There's an Edinburg rock quality. Drinking range: 2023 - 2033 Rating: 16.5+ Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2016)
The estate has moved up a gear with this vintage and with new ownership. Bright fruit with lift and fragrance. Purity and precision on the palate; opulence as well. Refined tannins. Drinking range: 2021 - 2032 Rating: 91 James Lawther MW, decanter.com (Apr 2016)
This domaine changed hands recently, in July 2014, having been acquired by the Moulin-Houzé and the Cathiard families. The management of the domaine remains entrusted to Vincent Priou, but no doubt there will be a new imperative to improve things here. The organically-managed vineyard is planted to 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc, and the harvest took place between September 17th and October 2nd. The assemblage for 2015 was 75% oft he first variety, 25% of the latter, the sorting of which included optical technology. The yield was 31 hl/ha. The fruit on the nose here is dark, spicy, peppery, with notes of liquorice and grilled almonds. It feels rather relaxed on the palate, open, with some spicy fruit, more grilled almond and lightly roasted fruit. It has a light-to-medium body and a textured, soft, chalky tannin backbone. Overall, this is a soft, spicy-peppery wine, polished, gentle and relaxed. It has a little freshness on its side, a fact reflected by the alcohol which is just 13.8%. Rating: 15.5-16.5/20 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2016)
The 2015 Beauregard has undergone a complete overhaul since its purchase by the Moulin family of Gallarie Lafayette, of which the Cathiards at Smith Haut Lafitte are shareholders. Chancing upon Daniel Cathiard at the UGC tasting held in Beauregard's new vat-room, he told me how stressful it was, seeing the Italian-made, concrete vats being lowered by crane just a few days before the harvest. Their shape, not unlike an English cooling tower, is certainly an arresting sight. But Daniel's high blood pressure was not in vain, since this wine has one of the best bouquets that I have encountered from this Pomerol estate. The 30% Cabernet Franc imparts wild heather and fennel aromas intermixed with the pure black fruit that are entrancing. The palate is medium-bodied with a sweet opening, very smooth and sensual for Beauregard, perhaps needing a little more tension and backbone on the finish. There is satisfying body and depth, though I think the investment will really pay off in a future vintage rather than 2015. Drinking range: 2019 - 2035 Rating: 90-92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2016)
The 2015 Beauregard shows a more intensely earthy, savory side of Pomerol. Hints of iron, smoke, tobacco and leather are nicely delineated in the glass. Pliant and succulent, the 2015 shows plenty of raciness, while the significant presence of Cabernet Franc (25%) in the blend comes through in the wine's floral, savory aromatic finish. Beauregard is not a huge wine, but it does appear to have considerable latent potential. Needless to say, it will be interesting to see what Daniel and Florence Cathiard, along with the technical team led by Fabien Teitgen, do here over the coming years. Rating: 88-91 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2016)
Engaging, with a juicy core of plum and anise, backed by a bolt of fruitcake. Shows good energy overall. Should be a crowd-pleaser. Rating: 88—91 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2016)
This is really exotic with bright blackberry, blueberry and chocolate aromas and flavors. Lots of walnuts. Full body, extra soft and silky tannins. Best I have tasted from here. 90% merlot and 10% cabernet franc. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Mar 2016)
Château Beauregard
Unusually for Pomerol, Château Beauregard has a rather fine château built in 1795 that they proudly display on the label. Rather than having a fine view – or beau regard – the estate is named after the Beauregard family who owned it in the 17th Century. Since acquisition by Vignobles-Foncier in 1991 the whole estate has been renovated, and all the Cabernet Sauvignon replaced with more suitable Merlot, and Beauregard has been set on an upward trajectory. The recent (2014) sale of the estate to the Moulin-Houzé family offers optimism for further improvement, not least because at the same time a minority share was taken by the Caithard family whose stewardship Château Smith Haut Lafitte has yielded great results. Sitting just east of the village of Catusseau, Beauregard is practically on the border with Saint Emilion and can boast Cheval Blanc as a near neighbour. The 17.5ha of vineyard are planted with 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc with the best vines being nearer the château on the Pomerol plateau and its more typical clay soil. The average age of the vines is around 35 years.
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.