CHÂTEAU LABÉGORCE
2015 Cru Bourgeois Supérieur Margaux
52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Fresh and silky, a little subtlety here. Sweetness coolly expressed in restrained and pure black fruit. Some middle with real flavour depth and floral red fruit lift, an attractive easy, super-supple wine with a good flavoury finish. Very attractive and should drink well quite early - say from 2020 - but will hold well too. Likely to be a value buy. Rating: 91-92 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.
Excellent quality, with glass-staining inky purple colour and a punch of blue and red fruits on the opening moments. Exactly what you want from this level of Margaux, has so much pesonality, is richly textured, caputres the exuberance of 2015 while retaining the elegance of the appellation. Harvest September 15 to October 20, 50% new oak, technical director Marjolaine de Coninck. Drinking range: 2023 - 2036 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (Mar 2023)
The 2015 Labégorce has a more open, expressive bouquet compared to the 2015 Pouget; touches of charcoal and black tea infuse the black and red fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with gentle grip. Quite full in the mouth and perhaps not the most sophisticated wine on the block, yet plenty of freshness and tension burst through on the finish. Give it three or four years. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting. Rating: 93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jul 2019)
Dried-mushroom and dark-fruit character. Some flowers, too. Full body, round and chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Big and chewy. Yet finishes beautifully. Fantastic. Drinking range: 2022 - Rating: 94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2018)
The2015 Labégorce is a big wine that shows the more potent, voluptuous side of Margaux. The red cherry jam, licorice, iron, French oak, pomegranate and scorched earth flavors are positively explosive in the glass. Although not especially finessed, the 2015 has much to recommend it and will be especially enjoyed by readers who enjoy sumptuous, intense wines.The blend is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Drinking range: 2022 - 2035 Rating: 92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2018)
Sweetly fragrant. Rather bloody and assertive. A little chunkier/stodgier than classic Margaux. Not charming yet! Drinking range: 2024 - 2035 Rating: 16.5 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Nov 2017)
This is one of the bigger, richer Margaux wines in 2015, with plenty of tannic backbone and fruit concentration. But it’s certainly not without the charm of appellation, with vibrant acidity and harmonious red and black fruits. Drinking range: 2022 - 2032 Rating: 93 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (May 2016)
The 2015 Labegorce is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot that was picked between 15 September and 20 October. Cropped at 38 hl/ha and matured in 45% new oak, it has a sumptuous bouquet with macerated black cherries, wild strawberry and a touch of fresh prune. The palate is well balanced and much more reserved than the aromatics: crisp and firm tannin, nicely focused with a pleasing salinity on the structured finish that suggest that this Labegorce will reward long-term ageing. Drink: 2022 - 2045 Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2016)
This has a really enticing nose, perfumed but very dark and roasted character. The palate shows lovely full flesh, showing the same toast, grilled almond, coffee ground notes as the nose, with grilled cherry underneath, wrapped up in a supple, accessible structure. This has a really promising, medium-bodied poise, and some fine notes of elegance too. Good energy and grip in the finish. Rating: 15.5-16.5/20 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2016)
Big broad fruit and lots of structure and depth. Quite a chunky Labégorce with a good future. Drinking range: 2021 - 2033 Rating: 90 Steven Spurrier (Apr 2016)
Not much on the nose but very sweet on the palate. An attempt at flattery? Pretty drying tannins on the end. Drinking range: 2023 - 2033 Rating: 16+ Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2016)
The 2015 Labégorce is dark, plummy and juicy, with lovely textural richness and intensity. This is a decidedly modern style of Margaux, with all the elements in the right place. Today, the new oak (45%) is a bit pronounced, but the wine appears to have the stuffing to support it. The high percentage of Merlot gives an extra degree of sumptuousness that is emphasized in this vintage. Raspberry jam, mint, cinnamon and wild flowers wrap around the succulent finish. The blend is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Rating: 90-92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2016)
Ripe plum and blackberry compote flavors are very direct, framed by a well-singed cedary edge. This has solid fruit, but it's a bit shy on refinement. Rating: 87—90 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2016)
Wonderful purity of fruit here with blackberry, black currant and floral aromas and flavors. Full body. Fine tannins. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Mar 2016)
Château Labégorce
Nathalie Perrodo brought her father's dream to reality with the 2010, the 'first' vintage from the newly reunited Labégorce vineyards, after they had spent a couple of centuries split into three. The Labégorce vineyard seems to have been named after an Abbé Gorsse, but the truth is somewhat shrouded in mystery. Feret, in his edition of 1865, mentions the existence of the noble La Bégorce house in Margaux from 1332. The estate was split into three after the revolution. The part that was named Labégorce Zédé in 1840 was reintegrated for the first time since then in 2010. Hubert Perrodo bought Labégorce in 1989, and the buildings of l'Abbé Gorsse de Gorsse in 2002 (the vineyard of this one escaped him, bought by Château Margaux). But his dream of re-uniting the historic Labégorce estate after he bought Labégorce Zédé in 2005 was cut short by his death in a ski-ing accident at Courchevel in 2006. After a couple of years of reflection, his twenty-five year-old daughter Nathalie has taken up the challenge of continuing his work, directing this really quite large domaine which also includes the fifteen hectares of the Cru Classé Château Marquis d'Alesme.
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.