CHÂTEAU MARQUIS D'ALESME
2016 3ème Cru Classé Margaux
Marquis d'Alesme is run by the same team as Labégorce, and may in time become a little jewel of the appellation (this is certainly the intention, for it is well-placed), but there is much re-structuring of the vineyard under way. Very deep colour, dark fruit, pure but forceful tannins build. For now it is showing more forcefulness than class, but that may come in time Drinking range: 2025 - 2038 Rating: 89-91? 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.
The 2016 Marquis d'Alesme Becker is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc cropped between 4-24 October and matured in 65% new oak. It has a tight and focused bouquet, well defined but less generous than its peers: blackberry, briary, a touch of limestone and cedar aromas gently unfolding in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a grainy texture, very harmonious with superb depth, perhaps demonstrating more roundness and opulence than its peers with a very concentrated finish where I would just like to see more finesse come through. Drinking range: 2023 - 2050 Rating: 92-94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2017)
Aromatic and fresh with lovely texture and integrity. Very firm spine. Lots of excitement. Well done. Drinking range: 2024 - 2040 Rating: 17 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2017)
Fresh, with a pure beam of cassis, flecked with singed alder, dried anise and lilac notes. Shows good latent grip through the finish, maintaining a racy edge. Rating: 91-94 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2017)
Refined and very pretty with currants, blueberries and crushed stones. Medium body and polished tannins. Not the 2015 but very inviting indeed. Rating: 91-92 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2017)
There has been a lot of investment in this property from the all-female team, from owner Nathalie Perrodo to winemaker Marjolaine Maurice-de Coninck. Don't think this means a feminine take on the vintage though; we have the full gamut of chewy tannins running through well structured, ripe cassis fruit. It holds back on the finish, with a sense of confidence and careful extraction. Maybe not as floral as some, but for me it's another step up in quality from this fast-rising estate. Drinking range: 2027 - 2050 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2017)
The 2016 Marquis d'Alesme Becker is a bold, racy wine. Beams of tannin and bright acids give the wine its shape and energy. Hints of smoke, espresso, succulent red cherry and rose petal build gradually into a crescendo of aromas, flavors and textures. The 2016 is powerful, concentrated and dense, yet retains terrific balance, with more than enough fruit intensity to handle the tannins. Michel Rolland is the consultant. Rating: 91-94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2017)
Château Marquis d'Alesme
Established by the Marquis d'Alesme in 1585, the estate was originally planted in 1616. The property was acquired in 1809 by Monsieur Becker, who attached his name to that of the estate, and for a period the wine was called simply "Becker" in Bordeaux. In the early 20th Century, the property was bought by Comte Jean-Jules Théophile Chaix-d'Est-Ange, who had also inherited neighbouring Château Lascombes from his father, who intended to combine the two estates, but died in 1923 before carrying out the plan. The original Marquis d'Alesme château became offices for Lascombes, with the original château of Desmirail taking its place. The estate saw a succession of owners, including English firm WH Chaplin & Co and the Zuger family, until it was sold in 2006 to petrochemical industry businessman Hubert Perrodo . Apparently with elaborate plans of combining several of his Margaux estates, no changes took place after Perrodo was killed in a skiing accident in late 2006. The estate is currently run by Nathalie Perrodo.
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.