CHÂTEAU ROUGET
2015 Pomerol
There's a compact density to this which is very impressive. Fruit and tannins all of a piece - the tannins themselves are fruity and fine. A suave dryness and some real personality and length. Well done! 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.
Beautiful aromas of plums and filtered coffee follow through to a full body. Firm and silky tannins and a flavorful finish. Bright acidity and spice character. Tight and focused. Needs two or three years to open. Rating: 94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2018)
The 2015 Rouget is the blend of five parcels around the Pomerol plateau and I took time to taste each of them when I visited Edouard Labruyère. A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc aged in one-third new oak, it has quite a punchy, high-toned bouquet with licorice-tinged red fruit that opens nicely in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannin, rounded in the mouth with moderate acidity, the Cabernet Franc very articulate. I like the cohesion here, svelte in the mouth with black fruit and allspice fanning out on the structured, sandalwood finish. This is a well-crafted Rouget that deserves wider consumer appreciation. I would not be surprised if this Rouget ends up at the top of my banded score. Drinking range: 2019 - 2035 Rating: 92-94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2016)
Dark crimson. Sweet and not thick but lively and transparent. Racy and sinewy. Lots of appeal in this wine. GV Drinking range: 2020 - 2032 Rating: 16.5 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2016)
Rating: 89 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2016)
Rich, ripe and modern. Firm extraction gives plenty of weight and depth. Plentiful tannins, and the oak is a touch intrusive on the finish. Drinking range: 2020 - 2030 Rating: 90 James Lawther MW, decanter.com (Apr 2016)
A large estate between the Clinet secteur and the Barbanne, with a vineyard of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, picked between September 18th and October 10th. A really convincing fruit character on the nose, all black plum and black cherry skins. The palate shows a cool, fresh, reserved texture at first, with improved substance through the middle, but always staying restrained and elegant. The structure feels nicely integrated, the fruit very savoury, the tannins ripe and deeply hidden, with correct acidity. This is a very confident and dark, flavoursome wine, but it feels ripe and fresh. A big, bold, grippy character in the finish. Tasted twice, with a consistent showing. Well done. Rating: 16.5-17.5/20 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2016)
Château Rouget
Perhaps a relatively new name in the upper echelons of the Pomerol world, Château Rouget lays claim to origins in the last years of the Roman Empire, it was certainly known for its vineyard as far back as 1700 making it one of the oldest wine estates in Pomerol. Rouget had some fame for its wines in the 19th Century, but when Jean-Pierre Labruyère bought Rouget in 1992 most of the production was being sold off in bulk, and it is the Labruyères who have put Château Rouget on the map. The family are originally Beaujolais producers from Moulin-a-Vent, and now also own Domaine Jacques Prieur in Burgundy. Since 1992, the vineyards have been renovated and replanted as necessary, with all of the Cabernet Sauvignon being taken out. They have purchased new vineyards, taking the size up to 18ha, one of the largest in Pomerol. The winery has been completely renewed. Rouget sits in the north of the Pomerol appellation, just north of the various Eglise châteaux, overlooking the Barbonne stream that separates Pomerol from Néac. The vineyards are planted with 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, with an average age of 28 years. Once a little off the radar, the focus of the Labruyère family on making Château Rouget one of the better wines of Pomerol is paying dividends and the wines are certainly worth seeking out and still remain relatively good value.
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.