CLOS SAINT DENIS
2016 Grand Cru Domaine Lignier-Michelot
Unusually in 2016 Virgile did no pigeage, except at the end. 100% Whole bunch - this helps fill up the fermenting tank as he had only one barrel's worth of fruit. the stems make up about 20% more volume. Fantastic impact at first inspection. So sleek on the attack, sublimely easy glide across the palate. Not rich, but beautifully ripe, 'a point' red fruit. Soft strawberries and lovely spice. Such sleek tannins, super fine feel. Long and pure, fruit is great and stems add that extra dimension of structure and intensity. L&S (Oct 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.
(from purchased fruit and released under the Maison Virgile Lignier label, 100% whole cluster). More evident but not invasive oak sets off more elegant and spicier aromas that are composed more from the red side of the fruit spectrum along with plenty of floral elements. There is a bit less power but much better refinement displayed by the middle weight flavors that possess a caressing mouthfeel before terminating in a vibrant, balanced and beautifully complex finale. This is pretty much textbook CSD that should age effortlessly. *Don't miss*. Drinking range: 2031 - Rating: 93-95 Allen Meadows, www.Burghound.com (Jan 2018)
The 2016 Clos St Denis Grand Cru is comprised of just one barrel this year, 100% whole-bunch fruit. It spends the first six months in a new barrel and then it is racked into a two-year-old barrel. It has a very intense bouquet with layers of precocious blueberry, blackberry, orange essence, hoisin and spices—quite extravagant for this vineyard but very well defined. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a fine bead of acidity, smooth and harmonious with just a little toasty new oak to be fully subsumed by the end of its élevage. Excellent. Drinking range: 2025 - 2045 Rating: 94-96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Dec 2017)
Domaine Lignier-Michelot
A domaine of 11 hectares, 25% regionals, 50% Villages, 20% Premiers crus and 5% Grands Crus. Virgile Lignier worked at the domaine with his father Maurice from 1988, beginning to bottle some of the wine from 1992 (it had previously been sold to the négoce), taking over in 2000, which was the vintage when he first bottled all the domaine's production.
In the vineyard Virgile made significant changes, stopping the use of herbicides, and beginning to plough instead. Green harvesting to limits yields followed, along with greater attention to grape selection. The domaine works organically except in extremis.
The wines have a lovely combination of enough body and richness, combined with a lively clarity of expression. The old vines village cuvées are seriously good, and great value too. Going up the scale each site seems to speak very clearly of its source and there is a brightness and energy along with full, seamless fruit.
Please note that certain wines are on very tight allocations and will first be offered to customers who buy across the range. If you have any queries, please email our primeurs team or speak to your usual L&S contact. Please feel free to email us at any time. This list can include wines listed as available on the website, as well as those marked 'To Be Advised'. We will reply as soon as possible with confirmation of what we can offer. Wines bought en primeur are scheduled to arrive in the UK over the course of the next eighteen months. If you do not wish to take home delivery, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our primeurs team for more information. While helpful, we do not require a firm commitment on delivery destination to process your primeur order at this stage. Our team will be in contact with you when your wines arrive in the UK to confirm the necessary delivery details. OFFER: All wines are offered subject to availability and final confirmation. PRICING: All prices are quoted IN BOND ex-VAT, by the case size stated. Please double check that the desired case size does match what is being offered as wines are variously listed in threes, sixes, dozens, halves and larger formats. DELIVERY - TIMING: This is a primeur offer so the wines are not yet physically available for delivery. They will be shipped to the UK over the next eighteen months. Generally, wines are shipped to your nominated location once the whole order has landed in our London City Bond account. If you require wines to be delivered by a certain date, please advise us at the time of ordering. DELIVERY - FEES: In bond delivery to an Elephant Storage account (for more information see 'Storage Options' opposite) is free of charge. Transfer of wines to any third-party bond (i.e. not Elephant Storage) will incur an administration charge of £16.50 + VAT for all orders under £1,000. Please indicate if you would like the wine duty paid and a duty & VAT invoice will be raised once all the wines on your order are available for shipment. Once the relevant duty & VAT has been settled, we will ship the wines to your nominated address as per our normal duty paid Delivery Terms. PAYMENT: All orders will be invoiced for immediate payment by cheque, cash, debit card or cleared funds to our account. We regret that we cannot accept credit cards for primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.ORDERING VIA OUR WEBSITE:
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