CHÂTEAU LE CROCK
2016 Cru Bourgeois Supérieur Saint Estèphe
46% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot. Tasted at Léoville Poyferré. There is smoke, cedar and so much ripe, sweet hedgerow fruit on the nose here. This is forward, hedonistic stuff. A supple weight of rippling juicy velvet. The IPT is 94 and you definitely feel all that structure but the tannins are very fine and there's more than enough juice to provide balance. This is really very impressive cru bourgeois. Drinking range: 2025 - 2035 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.
Love the sheer consistency of Le Crock, deliciously well-crafted, confident cocoa bean, slate, liqourice, blackberry, damson and cassis fruits. Plenty of appellation signature, and a moreish juicy signoff. In its drinking window now. 30% new oak, owned by the Cuvelier family of Léoville Poyferré. Drinking range: 2024 - 2038 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (Dec 2024)
Medium ruby in colour, with firm consistency from rim to core, still young and vibrant. As it opens; the black cherry, damson and cherry pit flvours give way to softer waves of tobacco anc crushed rocks. Still full of tannic power but the light is beginning to seep through. 30% new oak,owned by the Cuvelier family of Léoville Poyferré. Drinking range: 2024 - 2040 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (Oct 2022)
The 2016 Le Crock feels just a tad overripe on the nose of black cherries, kirsch and light canned prune aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with soft tannins, quite plush and forward but missing some backbone on the easygoing yet pleasant finish. Drink over the next 5–8 years. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting. Drinking range: 2021 - 2032 Rating: 89 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Aug 2020)
46% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot. 33% new oak for 18 months. Deep purplish crimson. Scented with black fruit, pure cassis and a hint of stone dust. Just very slightly leafy. Tannins are pretty chewy and it's more closed on the palate than on the nose. Needs more time than most. There’s harmony but it’s a long way off ready. Drinking range: 2022 - 2030 Rating: 16.5+ Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Jul 2019)
From a notable Cru Bourgeois estate in Saint-Estephe that’s managed by the team at Léoville Poyferré, the 2016 Château Le Crock is 46% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the balance Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc that spent 18 months in 25% new French oak. This rich, chewy, character-filled effort offers notes of jammy blackberries and meaty blackcurrants as well as notes of tobacco and cedar, medium to full body, ripe tannins, and outstanding length. Give it a few years and enjoy over the following 15-20 years. Drinking range: 2021 - 2041 Rating: 90 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Feb 2019)
The 2016 Le Crock is a very pretty, fruity wine that will drink well with minimal cellaring. Bright red cherry and plum fruits are nicely pushed forward in this mid-weight, gracious Saint-Estèphe. All the elements are very nicely balanced. Floral overtones add to the wine's considerable appeal. In 2016, Le Crock is pliant and supple, both of which make it an absolute joy to drink now and over the next handful of years. Drinking range: 2020 - 2030 Rating: 92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jan 2019)
The 2016 Le Crock is a blend of 46% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot. It has an intense bouquet, showing quite noticeable new oak compared to some of its peers although there is a modest 30%. The palate is medium-bodied with quite firm tannin. This feels grainy in texture, one of the Left Bank wines that could be a doppelgänger for 2010, with a grippy, slightly masculine finish. Hopefully, it will develop more flesh during its élevage. Drinking range: 2021 - 2036 Rating: 88-90 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2017)
46% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot. Rich and round. Very flattering. Slightly inky end. St-Estèphe on the finish. At the moment far from resolved but it has some alluring elements. Drinking range: 2024 - 2036 Rating: 16.5++ Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2017)
This sports the fresh feel of the vintage, with a thread of bay adding energy to the mix of dark plum and red cherry fruit. Reveals a pleasant chalky spine on the finish. Rating: 89-92 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2017)
This is very tight and structured with excellent tannins and density. Cool and racy. Best ever! Rating: 92-93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2017)
From the Léoville Poyferré stable, this is beautifully fresh, rich and tight. An excellent wine, extremely juicy and controlled with a lovely extraction. It has a high IPT of 94 which comes across as a juicy support system for the fruit. From a blend of 46% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot. Drinking range: 2023 - 2040 Rating: 91 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2017)
The 2016 Le Crock is deep, pliant and seductive. The flavors are deep and boldly sketched throughout, with plenty of black cherry, plum and gravel character. The clay-rich terroir and the high percentage of Merlot combine to make a Saint-Estèphe of striking texture and depth. Because of the small berries of the Cabernet and the lower production of that grape, the 2016 blend includes more Merlot. Rating: 89-92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2017)
Rating: 89 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2017)
The 2016 Le Crock feels just a tad overripe on the nose of black cherries, kirsch and light canned prune aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with soft tannins, quite plush and forward but missing some backbone on the easygoing yet pleasant finish. Drink over the next 5–8 years. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting. Drinking range: 2021 - 2032 Rating: 89 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Dec 1899)
Château Le Crock
Château Le Crock is in Saint Estèphe in the northern Médoc. The imposing current Château was built by the Merman family at the beginning of the nineteenth century and is surrounded by magnificent gardens. The vineyard is around 33 hectares (82 acres) and touches two of the most prestigious châteaux of the appellation, Château Cos d’Estournel and Château Montrose.
It is owned by the Cuvelier family, which also owns Château Léoville Poyferré in Saint Julien. The Cuveliers were originally wine merchants in Lille in northern France and Le Crock was their first vineyard purchase, in 1903, so has a special place in the affections of the family, many of whom spent their summers there. The Cuvelier properties were run with considerable flair by Didier Cuvelier for forty years. 2018 his cousin Sara Lecompte-Cuvelier took over at le Crock. Under Jonathan Servant, who runs the vineyard, the soil is worked mechanically, to avoid the use of herbicides, and with sexual confusion techniques to avoid the use of pesticides. The consultant oenologist is Michel Rolland. Grape Varieties: 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. In the classification of the Crus Bourgeois in early 2020, Le Crock was elevated to the status of Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel.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.