CHÂTEAU QUINTUS

2016 Grand Cru Saint Emilion

EN PRIMEUR

70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc. Extra depth to this (compared to the 'Dragon'), more Cabernet Franc and it shows in the drive and energy. Crisp and focused as well as sweet and supple - nicely done. Drinking range: 2025 - 2042 Rating: 92-94 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 Quintus has a very noble bouquet with beautifully defined blackberry and briary fruit, wonderfully integrated oak and a genuine sense of focus and poise. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, plenty of freshness and a pure, tensile, focused finish that is very seductive. This is a beautifully crafted Saint-Émilion and one of the best releases of Quintus to date. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. Drinking range: 2021 - 2040 Rating: 94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Aug 2020)

The deep ruby-colored 2016 Château Quintus is thrilling stuff, and my money is on it being the finest to date. Saturated purple in color, powerful notes of blackberries, currants, spicy tobacco, and a touch graphite all flow to a deep, rounded, sexy Saint-Emilion that’s beautifully balanced. It shows the class of the vintage and is capable of lasting for two decades or more. Drinking range: 2019 - 2039 Rating: 95 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Feb 2019)

The 2016 Chateau Quintus, of course under the umbrella of Domaine Clarence Dillon (Haut Brion, La Mission Haut Brion), is a blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc picked between 3 and 20 October. This is the highest proportion of Cabernet Franc since the debut in 2011. Matured in just under 30% new oak, it has a slightly broody bouquet at first with black fruit and hints of allspice and clove. The palate is nicely structured, with the Cabernet Franc lending this impressive backbone (more than the 2015) and a slightly masculine, grippy finish that suggests it will be a long-term proposition. Excellent. Drinking range: 2022 - 2040 Rating: 92-94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2017)

Dark purplish crimson. Silky and appetising and now it's getting really good! Fresh and zesty. Polished and very successful in this sixth vintage. Appetising and sophisticated. Croquant. Long. Spicy. Drinking range: 2024 - 2040 Rating: 17 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2017)

A tight and concentrated young Quintus with blackberry, blueberry and salt character. Medium-to full-bodied, firm and lightly chewy. Grows on the finish. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2017)

The sixth vintage under the wing of Haut-Brion. The vines didn't block in the heat here, which is why the alcohols are generous, but this is absolutely perfectly balanced. The generosity of the ripe blackberry and cassis fruit stretches out with the juice running right through it, joined by some exotic spice and grilled oak touches through the mid-palate. But they never overwhelm the gentle extraction, and overall this is an extremely successful Quintus that leaves a beautifully fragrant quality in the mouth. 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. Drinking range: 2027 - 2050 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2017)

One of the real surprises of the vintage, the 2016 Quintus is superb. Creamy and ample on the palate, with striking depth to its dark, fleshy fruit, it possesses exceptional balance. All of the previous vintages have been good, but each of them has lacked something. The 2016 is the first vintage in which I can say Quintus is not missing anything. Now, what remains to be seen is how high this wine can go. The 2016 is exceptionally vivid and nuanced, with seemingly endless layers of fruit that virtually cover the tannins, and a long, sublime finish. Rating: 93 - 96+ Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2017)

Made by the team at Haut-Brion since 2010, this has now established itself as a top St Emilion, as you’d expect. It’s quite a ripe, late picked style, but it doesn’t show its 15% alcohol, thanks to the acidity and leafy vibrancy of the Cabernet Franc. Drinking range: 2023 - 2029 Rating: 94 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2017)

Domaines Clarence Dillon (Haut Brion) bought, in 2011, what used to be Château Tertre Daugay, a Grand cru Classé Saint Emilion. The name was chosen following the Roman tradition of calling the fifth child Quintus. The property was originally about 16 hectares of vines on a promontory on the south-west corner of the Saint Emilion plateau, with vines on the limestone of the plateau itself and sloping down on all sides on clay over the limestone base, looking over the Dordogne valley.

In 2013, the Dillon family acquired Château L'Arrosée which they include in the production of Chateau Quintus. This has expanded the property to 28 hectares of vines on a gently sloping plateau 68 meters above sea level in the south west of Saint Emilion. Soil type varies from limestone in the north of the property, to clay and gravel in the south. Merlot represents 66% of the vines planted; Cabernet Franc (26%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (8%) make up the rest.

There are two wines, Château Quintus and its second wine 'Le Dragon de Quintus'.

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.