CHÂTEAU POTENSAC

2016 Cru Bourgeois Médoc

EN PRIMEUR

44% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Fine juice and penetrating Cabernet fruit - lean and taut. Drinking range: 2022 - 2032 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 Potensac has a ripe, pure-fruit-driven bouquet of black cherries and bilberry fruit, developing lovely floral aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fleshy ripe black fruit and fine mineralité. There is a subtle marine influence at play toward the finish, and a dash of white pepper on the aftertaste. Enjoyable. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting. Drinking range: 2020 - 2036 Rating: 92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Aug 2020)

Another sleeper is the 2016 Château de Potensac, which is 44% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, all aged 14 months in 30% new French oak. This beauty is upfront and ready to go, with a dark, rich bouquet of currants, unsmoked tobacco, graphite, and earth. With beautiful concentration and a layered, elegant texture, it’s one of those wines that has ample upfront appeal yet will keep for 15+ years. Drinking range: 2019 - 2034 Rating: 91 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Feb 2019)

The 2016 Potensac is a blend of 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, cropped at 55 hectoliters per hectare between 5 and 19 October (11 days of picking), then matured in 30% new oak. Jean-Hubert Delon told me that his team was selective in the winery and so the Grand Vin only comprises 55% of the total production. It actually shares the potent marine/estuarine influence of the Chapelle de Potensac, plenty of black fruit here, maybe a little rustic but with plenty of character. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite linear at first, opening nicely in the mouth to reveal a spicy and lively middle and finish. This has a little more panache than the 2015 Potensac, more detail towards the finish, and it should give plenty of drinking pleasure over the next decade or more. Drinking range: 2020 - 2035 Rating: 90-92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2017)

39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. 30% new oak. Bright crimson. Racy and very rich and polished. Lovely tannins. Very juicy. Some tannin and potential underneath. Firm structure but no austerity. GV? Drinking range: 2024 - 2033 Rating: 17 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2017)

Lovely cherry paste and cassis flavors are fresh and open, backed by light plum pit and chalk notes that impart focus on the finish. Nicely done. Rating: 88-91 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2017)

What a racy and focused Potensac with wonderful density and finesse as well as a firm and polished tannins that hold the whole thing together. A beautiful, reasoned young red. One of best Potensacs in a long time. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2017)

Potensac benefits from its location close to St-Estèphe in this vintage, and the tannins are absolutely beautiful, far more bouncy and fresh than in some vintages. Deep, rich blueberry and raspberry fruits are framed by the same floral prettiness as the second wine. What an excellent vintage for Potensac, owned by the Delon Group. A definite buy this year, give it maybe five years then crack right into it. 56% grand vin, 34% to Chapelle de Potensac and 10% sent to bulk. A blend of 44% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, aged in 30% new oak. . Drinking range: 2022 - 2038 Rating: 90 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2017)

The 2016 Potensac bristles with energy. Bright aromatics, mouthwatering acidity and finely sculpted fruit elevate the 2016 to a lofty position among the best wines in its class. Graphite, crushed rocks, lavender, blue/purplish fruit and exotic flowers abound in this tasty, midweight Médoc from Jean-Hubert Delon. Rating: 89-92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2017)

Rating: 90 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2017)

Château Potensac is owned by the Delon family, owners of Léoville-Las Cases and Nénin. Potensac belies its humble Cru Bourgeois status and regularly outperforms its more illustrious neighbours.

The vineyards of Potensac are located in Ordonnac in Médoc. The blend is predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, with approximately 40% Merlot and Cabernet Franc combined.

Yields are severely restricted to around 35 hl/ha (hectolitres per hectare) and rigorous selection for the 'grand vin' consigns roughly 35% of the harvest to the second wine, named Château Lassalle. Michel and Jean-Hubert Delon do not filter their wines as they prefer the more caring approach of fining with egg whites.

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.