CHÂTEAU LES CRUZELLES
2015 Lalande de Pomerol
Even more weight than the La Chenade, and showing even better at the Chateau. Lovely depth and extraordinary length again. Rating: 90-91 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 Les Cruzelles has a perfumed, finely delineated bouquet that's more floral than its peers, with predominantly red berry fruit, briar and light tobacco scents. The palate is medium-bodied with a hoisin-tinged entry. It's perhaps a bit "sweet 'n' sour", with a grainy texture and a finish that needs more complexity and panache. This doesn't get the endorphins rushing. Tasted blind at the 2015 Bordeaux Ten-Year-On tasting at Farr Vintners. Drinking range: 2026 - 2038 Rating: 89 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jun 2025)
I've loved this wine since the first time I tasted it En Primeur, and at six years old it's at the perfect moment to drink. Juicy bueberry and raspberry fruits, a trace of lemongrass and crushed stone minerality, a great choice to bring out on an easy evening with friends and feel sure that it will be a hit. 45% new oak. Drinking range: 2021 - 2032 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (Dec 2021)
The 2015 Les Cruzelles is tasted from two bottles. The one at the blind tasting just felt a little out of sorts. The second bottle opened at home allowing aeration replicates its showing just after bottling: dark cherries and crushed strawberry, a succulent palate with a hint of black olive on the finish. That's more like it. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting and a bottle from my own cellar. Rating: 92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jul 2019)
This is very floral and regal for this appellation with blackberries and dark tea. Medium to full body, fine and polished tannins and a beautiful finish. Love to taste this. Drinking range: 2018 - Rating: 93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2018)
Les Cruzelles, Denis Durantou's Lalande de Pomerol, is once again impressive in 2015. There is notable volume and unctuousness to the super-ripe red cherry, espresso and mocha flavors. The 2015 needs another year or two to come together, but it is super-impressive. Les Cruzelles is 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc from gravelly soils. The 2015 spent one year in French oak, 45% new. Drinking range: 2019 - 2030 Rating: 92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2018)
This fills your mouth and gives a frisson of excitement, a little electric charge. There is so much depth and joy to the rich black fruits, with striking precision. It's complex, mouth filling and there’s clear influence from the 45% new oak, but it is integrated well, giving the palate a gourmet edge. This wine encapsulates the full scope of Château Les Cruzelles, as it's the first vintage made with 3.5ha of vines that were replanted in 2004, after three years lying fallow, bringing the estate to 9.5ha in total. Drinking range: 2020 - 2032 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (Jan 2018)
Grown on a mixture of gravel and clay soils, this is often one of the bargains of the vintage. This is leafy, floral and complex with plummy plushness, fine tannins and deftly integrated oak. Very easy to drink. Drinking range: 2020 - 2028 Rating: 92 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (May 2016)
90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc. 45% new oak. Crimson. Scented and compact nose. Savoury and supple. Very fine for a Lalande-de-Pomerol. Maybe flattering because it went into barrel before Chenade. GV? Drinking range: 2020 - 2026 Rating: 16.5 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2016)
Merlot with 10% Cabernet Franc from clay-gravel soils. As consistent as ever this year. Spicy, dark fruit nose which continues on the palate. Super grain of tannin and mid-palate depth. Length and freshness on the finish. Drinking range: 2020 - 2028 Rating: 90 James Lawther MW, decanter.com (Apr 2016)
The 2015 Les Cruzelles is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc on gravel/clayey soil, picked from September 15-22 and October 6 respectively, then matured in 45% new oak. The new wood is seamlessly integrated into this Lalande-de-Pomerol, more broody and introspective than the La Chenade at the moment, but very well defined. The palate is beautifully proportioned with crisp tannin, a fine line of acidity, somehow gentle and understated on the finish, but very long in the mouth. Yet another ridiculously fine wine to load up on, courtesy of Denis Durantou. Drinking range: 2018 - 2035 Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2016)
The 2015 Lés Cruzelles is terrific. Bright, focused and also generous in the glass, the 2015 balances aromatic intensity with textural richness. Dark red cherry, violet, lavender, mint and wild flowers are all beautifully delineated throughout. There is a sense of energy here that is impossible to miss, while the finish is equally memorable. Lés Cruzelles is 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc planted on gravel/clay soils. Rating: 89-92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2016)
This is 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, harvested from September 15th to the 22nd in the case of the former, October 6th in the case of the latter. Yield 45 hl/ha. Dark, perfumed, plainly more minerally edges to the nose here then seen with La Chenade, a more interesting character overall. The palate is polished, very fresh, with perfumed aromatic fruit brushed with notes of toasted grape pips, grilled almonds and more. Very pure, the middle framed by very ripe tannins, still firm, energetic and spicy though. Really confident. An impressive wine for the appellation, and certain to be great value. Rating: 16-17/20 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2016)
Silky and caressing in feel, with gentle rooibos tea, blood orange and raspberry notes that move gracefully, gaining depth through the finish. Rating: 90—93 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2016)
This is so on it with velvety tannins and rich fruit. So much fun to taste. Generous and exotic. Rating: 92-93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Mar 2016)
Château les Cruzelles
Among the brightest stars of the exalted Pomerol appellation is Denis Durantou at Château l’Eglise-Clinet. Little more than a kilometre to the north, near enough to see one from t’other, across the Barbanne stream in Lalande-de-Pomerol is Château les Cruzelles, also owned by Denis. The 10ha of vines boast the highest proportion of Cabernet Franc in the area – 40% - with the rest being the more usual Merlot. Aside from Château les Cruzelles proper Denis also produces here La Chenade, a Lalande-de-Pomerol cuvee he made with Cruzelles’ grapes even before he bought the estate in 2000. Denis also owns a small vineyard of 35 year old Merlot vines at Saint Etienne de Lisse at the eastern end of St Emilion that goes under the name of Saintayme. And, a little further south-east, across the boundary in the Côtes de Castillon is Château Montlandrie that Denis bought in 2009. Much renovation has taken place at the 12ha vineyard that includes, almost uniquely for the Right Bank, new plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon that now make up 15% of the vineyard alongside the usual 65% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc.
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.