CHÂTEAU BELGRAVE
2016 5ème Cru Classé Haut Médoc
50% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot. Deep dark purple-edged fruit. Very Cabernet expression. Lots of dark glossy depth. Savoury, almost meaty, but still very pure. Very solid effort and likely to be good value. Drinking range: 2024 - 2038 Rating: 91-92 L&S (Apr 2017)
* 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 spicy, red and black-fruited 2016 Château Belgrave is fresh and elegant, and while it could use some more oomph, it’s nicely balanced and enjoyable. Rating: 86 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Feb 2019)
The 2016 Belgrave is subtle, nuanced and quite expressive, with lovely floral notes that add brightness. Sweet red plum, sage, menthol, rose petal and mint all develop as this layered, flavorful, Haut-Médoc opens up in the glass. This is very nicely done, not to mention absolutely delicious. Drinking range: 2019 - 2031 Rating: 90 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jan 2019)
The 2016 Belgrave is a blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot and was picked from 28 September until 20 October. It has a generous bouquet with small dark cherries, blueberry and crushed violet aromas, quite Margaux-like in style. There is certainly good intensity here. The palate is medium-bodied with a supple opening: blackberry, mint and cedar. From the start there is fine tension and there is very impressive structure towards the finish, plus a long saline aftertaste. This is a very strong follow-up to the 2015 Belgrave and indeed, it may surpass it. Drinking range: 2021 - 2042 Rating: 90-92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2017)
Very deep crimson. Real lift and attractive (rather than underripe) leafy top note. Rather sumptuous start and then it rather falls away to something a little scrawny on the end. Drinking range: 2024 - 2034 Rating: 16 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2017)
Modest but persistent, with a focused beam of black cherry and cassis flavors, carried by a good graphite edge. Rating: 88-91 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2017)
This is really constructed and powerful with lots of muscular tannins and rich fruit. Full-bodied, juicy and intense. Very serious. One of the best in years. Rating: 92-93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2017)
nvestments at this property have increasingly paid off over recent vintages. This is brooding and a little subdued at the moment, but is packed with Médoc signature delivered in a subtle but enjoyable manner. It has a cedar sweetness and ripe blackberry fruits with a pulse of acidity, and is well held together. 50% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. Drinking range: 2024 - 2040 Rating: 91 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2017)
Ample and richly textured, the 2016 Belgrave is super expressive from start to finish. The exotic bouquet reveals graphite, herb, crushed flowers and a multitude of enticing inky fruit nuances. This powerful, overachieving Haut Médoc has quite a bit to offer. Rating: 89-91 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2017)
Even though it’s technically in the Haut-Médoc, Belgrave is as good as many of the classed growths that surround it. It’s a serious, stylish, well-structured red with fresh, leafy Cabernet Sauvignon at its core, textured tannins and understated concentration. Drinking range: 2022 - 2032 Rating: 92 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2017)
The 2016 Belgrave feels a little flabby on the nose compared to its peers, coming across quite earthy in style, open-knit but needing more attack. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, and rather hard on the midpalate, with a brusque finish. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting. Drinking range: 2021 - 2032 Rating: 87 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Dec 1899)
Château Belgrave
Haut-Médoc Cinquième cru 1855 Despite being listed as a 5th Growth in the 1855 classification, Château Belgrave's reputation for great wine-making is very recent. It is only since it came under the Dourthe umbrella that serious advances have been made in the vineyards, production techniques and, consequently, the finished wine. The estate is in the commune of St Laurent-Médoc and, therefore, only entitled to the Haut-Médoc appellation. However, only a small stream seperates the vineyards from St Julien, and the gravel soils are very much the same. Whilst the name might appear to derive from these same gravelly soils, apparently it dates from the time of an English owner who named his vineyard after the London district of Belgravia! Since the Dourthe take-over the vineyards have been gradually replanted to a more Médoc-like 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, whilst the proportion of Merlot has shrunk to just over 40%, with the rest made up of a little Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
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.