SAINTAYME
2015 Grand Cru Saint Emilion
This is just the most delicious juice! Purple and sweet, a simple but gorgeous mouthful. Rating: 88-89 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.
Denis Durantou's 2015 Saintayme emerges from vineyards in Saint-Émilion's Saint-Étienne-de-Lisse sector. Soft contours enshroud a core of black cherry, plum, espresso, mocha, dried herbs and new leather. Dark, sumptuous and positively alluring, the 2015 is a terrific choice for drinking now and over the next few years. Another year or two in bottle should help the oak (30% new) integrate a bit more fully. Drinking range: 2020 - 2030 Rating: 89 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2018)
Sourced from sandier soils, this is a Merlot for Merlot lovers: sweet, supple and fruit-packed, with ripe tannins, stylish cinnamon oak and undertones of liquorice and Asian spices. Great value, too. Drinking range: 2020 - 2028 Rating: 91 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (May 2016)
Dramatically dark crimson. Very opulent nose. Pretty aromatics. Very flattering sweet palate entry but something a little suggestive of a dry cinnamon stick on the finish. Pretty dry. Shame because the start is so charming. Just 30% new oak, apparently. Drinking range: 2021 - 2029 Rating: 16 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2016)
100% Merlot selected by Denis Durantou of L’Eglise-Clinet from a vineyard in St-Etienne-de-Lisse. Fragrant, dark fruit with notes of blackcurrant and blackberry. Generous and perfumed on the palate with a firmness of tannin behind. Real pleasure and value. Drinking range: 2019 - 2027 Rating: 89 James Lawther MW, decanter.com (Apr 2016)
The 2015 Saintayme is pure Merlot picked between 29 September and 9 October, cropped at 45 hl/ha and raised in 30% new oak. It has a gorgeous bouquet with blackberry and cranberry fruit, a touch of vanilla emanating from the new oak that is nicely integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with good depth, a "solid" Saintayme, a pleasant chewiness with a feisty dark berry, licorice-tinged finish. This comes recommended - a fine Saint Emilion from the hands of Denis Durantou. Drinking range: 2018 - 2030 Rating: 90-92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2016)
Denis Durantou's 2015 Saintayme, 100% Merlot, is dark, exuberant and wonderfully open-knit. Dark red cherry, plum, mocha, spice and new leather give the 2015 much of its seductive, welcoming personality. The purity of the fruit is striking. Because of the protracted malos, the wines went into barrel late, and that shows the slightly angular contours that are the result of oak that has not fully integrated. There is good potential here. Rating: 87-90 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2016)
100% Merlot. The fruit was picked from September 29th until October 9th, with a yield of 45 hl/ha. This will see 30% new oak for the élevage. A dark, spicy, aromatic nose, with peppery cherry fruit. The palate is textured, soft, with a lovely dark concentration and a firm wrapping of ripe tannins. It has plenty of energy too though, giving it some lift and vigour. I like the dark, lightly roasted, spicy fruit, touched with notes of toasted almond and grilled pips, the concentration of the vintage showing though. It culminates in a lovely, fine-grained, tannic finish. Very pure. A second sample poured by Denis, freshly opened, was even better. A top vintage for Saintayme. Rating: 15.5-16.5/20 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2016)
Delivers a blast of dark plum, fig and boysenberry fruit pushed from behind by ganache and licorice notes, with a long finish. Not shy in style, but integrated and caressing in feel. Rating: 90—93 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2016)
Saintayme
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.