CHÂTEAU LA GARDE
2015 Cru Classé Pessac-Léognan
Very fleshy and supple in its usual style, it may not be massively complex but it makes up for it with an attractive fruit and in this vintage a particularly full, fine-tannined middle - a really nice texture and balanced length. Drinking range: 2018 - 2026 Rating: 89-90 L&S (May 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 La Garde has quite an intense bouquet with blackberry, wild hedgerow and light gravel aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin, crisp acidity, quite angular and abrasive at the moment with a little attenuation on the finish. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting. Rating: 85 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jul 2019)
Very deep crimson. Lively and full of life. Perhaps not the densest but offers great fruit. GV Drinking range: 2022 - 2030 Rating: 16.5 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2016)
Rating: 91 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2016)
Nose fairly closed, but well-knitted damson fruit, fresh fine tannins and good promise to age. An estate that now offers sure-fire value. 62% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Drinking range: 2021 - 2032 Rating: 89 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2016)
The 2015 La Garde did not quite have the complexity or nuance of some of its Pessac-Léognan peers, although there is plenty of blackberry and bilberry fruit to enjoy here. The palate is quite sweet on the entry, fleshy in the mouth with cedar-tinged black fruit, the finish easy going and perhaps needing a little more backbone. Drink over 4-6 years. Drinking range: 2018 - 2024 Rating: 86-88 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2016)
The 2015 La Garde is impressive and delicious. A dark, enveloping wine, the 2015 possesses notable depth and more than enough richness to stand up to the tannins. The combination of nuance and generosity makes La Garde an especially appealing Pessac-Léognan. Rating: 90-92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2016)
Very solid, with a bolt of graphite striding through, matched by dark plum, blackberry and anise notes. Shows excellent definition and integration already. Rating: 90—93 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2016)
Extremely dense and chewy with ripe tannins and chocolate. Full and flavorful. Loads of coffee and plum character. Fantastic young wine. From organically grown grapes. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Mar 2016)
Château La Garde
Château La Garde is a medium-sized property with 47 hectares of vineyards in Pessac-Léognan, planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc. The Cabernet-dominated red wines are soft, well structured and packed with smooth, ripe fruit which makes them very attractive young, though they also possess good medium-term cellaring potential. Bought by the dynamic Bordeaux merchant Dourthe in the 1980s, this gem of an estate displays the true Graves minerality underneath an exuberant cassis-and-plums aroma. After huge initial investment in the vineyard and cellar immense care is now lavished upon the wine itself, and any re-assessment of the Pessac-Léognan classification would surely see this wine elevated to Cru Classé status
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.