CHÂTEAU CARBONNIEUX

2016 Cru Classé Pessac-Léognan

EN PRIMEUR

A pure nose of red fruit, good ripeness and darker spice overtones. Grip and density on the finish. Not quite the tension of the best, so it seems a little more earthbound, but a good solid wine. Drinking range: 2025 - 2035 Rating: 90-91 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.

Notes of red and black currants, truffles, smoked earth, and graphite emerge from the 2016 Château Carbonnieux. Medium-bodied, ripe, with present tannins and good acidity, it has an old-school vibe and is classic Graves. Drink it over the coming 10-15 years. Drinking range: 2019 - 2034 Rating: 91 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Feb 2019)

The 2016 Carbonnieux has a gorgeous, beautifully defined bouquet with pure black fruit, hints of sous-bois and pressed flowers, the new oak seamlessly integrated. What a nuanced and sensual bouquet! The palate is medium-bodied with plenty of ripe, black, graphite-tinged fruit, supremely well-judged acidity and a level of harmony that frankly, I have never encountered on a Carbonnieux. This is a brilliant wine from this Pessac-Léognan estate that has threatened to make a wine this good in the past. Drinking range: 2021 - 2050 Rating: 92-94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2017)

Very lively and fresh on the nose. Thick and sweet. Lacks a little bit of life but it's superficially flattering. Very drying finish. Lots of mass but not that much finesse. Drinking range: 2024 - 2037 Rating: 16.5 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2017)

Lively, with a bouncy edge to the mix of plum, cherry and cassis notes. A light tarry echo shows on the finish, but this relies more on juicy acidity. Solid length. Rating: 90-93 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2017)

Big and juicy red with lots of fruit and tannins yet it’s not overdone. Full-bodied, chewy and intense. Lots of potential here. Better than the 2015? Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2017)

Succulent, beautifully fragrant and subtly spicy, easy to sink into and will offer many years of pleasurable drinking. Planted to 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot and Carmenère. Drinking range: 2025 - 2040 Rating: 92 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2017)

The 2016 Carbonnieux is positively delightful. Elegant, gracious and medium in body, the 2016 possesses exceptional finesse and nuance. Bright red cherry, white pepper and mint add a super-appealing upper register. Above all else, though, Carbonnieux speaks to total finesse. This is an especially refined wine for the appellation. Rating: 90-93 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2017)

Showing the freshness, balance and purity that’s a feature of the best Pessac-Léognan reds in 2016, this has scented berry fruit, notes of toast and fresh tobacco, gentle tannins and a bright, floral finish. Drinking range: 2020 - 2026 Rating: 92 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2017)

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.