CLOS DE LA ROCHE

2017 Grand Cru Domaine Lignier-Michelot

EN PRIMEUR

All silk and elegance, this initially somes across as less punchily concentrated than the Faconnieres, but it is fabulously balanced and sleek, and all in supple length. Dark fruit expression, long, long finish.L&S (Nov 2018)

* 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 a .27 ha parcel, most of which is young vines of 15+ years of age though there is a parcel approximating 15% of the total with ~40 years of age; 80% whole cluster). All but invisible wood sets off the spicier and overtly floral-suffused nose that possesses excellent complexity. There is excellent drive and delineation to the big-bodied and tautly muscular flavors that deliver fine persistence on the moderately austere finish. This powerful effort will need a few years to develop more depth but the underlying material appears to be present for that to occur with time. Drinking range: 2032 - Rating: 93 Allen Meadows, www.Burghound.com (Jan 2020)

The 2017 Clos-de-la-Roche Grand Cru has an expressive bouquet that is a dead ringer for a Dujac, conveying plenty of energy and earthy black fruit laced with undergrowth and sea cave scents. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and quite a firm backbone. Fresh from the start to the refreshing, elegant, saline finish that gets the saliva flowing. Excellent. Drinking range: 2024 - 2050 Rating: 95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jan 2020)

(from a .27 ha parcel, most of which is young vines of 15+ years of age though there is a parcel approximating 15% of the total with ~40 years of age; 80% whole cluster). Here too notes of reduction and wood mask the underlying fruit. There is excellent drive and delineation to the big-bodied and tautly muscular flavors that deliver fine depth and persistence on the moderately austere finish where again there is a mild dryness that surfaces. In this case though it seems more likely that the dryness will eventually dissipate with time in bottle. Drinking range: 2032 - Rating: 90-93 Allen Meadows, www.Burghound.com (Jan 2019)

The 2017 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is matured with 80% whole bunch fruit. It has a very precise, intense bouquet of blackberry, leather, sous-bois and light iris aromas that gently unfold in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. This is a relatively linear and prudent Clos de la Roche that does not want to let its hair down, but feels reassuringly correct and precise on the finish. Very fine and understated. Drinking range: 2022 - 2040 Rating: 92-94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jan 2019)

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.

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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.

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STORAGE OPTIONS:

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.

BURGUNDY EN PRIMEUR FAQ

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.