CHÂTEAU CANTEMERLE

2018 5ème Cru Classé Macau

EN PRIMEUR

Ripe soft red fruit on the nose. More mixed red and dark fruit on the palate. Has a cool feel to it. Chalky tannins are noticeable. There is lively energy too. A simple but honest claret from Macau. Drinking range: 2023 - 2030L&S (Apr 2019)

* 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 2018 Cantemerle has an initially perplexing nose, very outgoing with predominantly red berry fruit that feels too oaky. Then it coalesces with aeration, though there is quite a lot of reduction in evidence. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and, again, mainly red fruit plus a touch of sea salt. Yet it lacks precision and delineation, feeling rather forced on the finish. Not my favorite vintage from this reliable performer, and I must admit that it left me scratching my head. Drinking range: 2021 - 2027 Rating: 85 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)

The 2018 Cantemerle is going through a challenging time. Mid-weight structure and harsh, angular tannins are penalizing. Dark cherry, graphite, dried herb and coffee struggle to emerge, but the 2018 never really fills out. Drinking range: 2021 - 2028 Rating: 86 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)

Rich aromas of blackberries, dried currants, chocolate, walnuts and tile on the nose. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins. Polished and structured with a nice core of black fruit. Give it at least a couple of years of bottle age. Lovely balance to it. Try after 2023. Rating: 93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2021)

Darkest crimson rim with black core. Elderberry-like tangy fruit. Juicy in the middle even with the layers of dryish tannins. But the finish is rather too dry for overall harmony. Drinking range: 2023 - 2028 Rating: 15.5 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2019)

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Cantemerle delivers notions of crème de cassis, raisin cake and prunes with hints of Chinese five spice and dusty soil. Full-bodied and boldly fruited with dried berries and fruit preserves, it has a firm, chewy texture and just enough freshness, finishing spicy. Rating: 86-88 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2019)

A rich and layered young Bordeaux with a solid center palate of ripe fruit and coated with ripe and polished tannins. Tightly wound ball now. Pretty texture and length to this. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)

This is a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot. The yield is 33hl/ha, the alcohol 13.3%. The nose is full of polished dark summer fruits, dried black cherry swirled with peony scents, touched with notes of vanilla pod and chalk dust. It feels no less convincing on the palate, showing a very complete style, medium-bodied, gripped and yet rather velvety, very complete, with some tightly grained tannins and fresh acidity. It remains full and grippy in the finish, with a long fade of tannic substance. Well done. The élevage will be in 40% new oak, 40% second-fill oak, the rest in older barrels. Rating: 93-95 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2019)

This wine shows rich dark fruit on top of firm, dry tannins. It has structure and concentration, offering a dense wine that is going to develop well. Rating: 93 Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast www.winemag.com (Apr 2019)

Philippe Dambrine retires as director of the estate at the end of the 2020 vintage, after a long successful tenure. He is replaced by Laure Canu from Château Angélus. Laure is taking on the property in fine fettle with recent innovations in the cellar including their Air-Flow pump system that ensures the softest touch and minimal extraction of the juice - particularly valuable in the recent run of hot vintages. In the vineyard too plot selections and their HVE (level 3) certification means the developments continue towards healthier, better and more sustainable farming.
The long history of Château Cantemerle begins at least as far back as the 12th Century when it was a fortification. Wine production got under way seriously under the watch of the Villeneuve family who bought Cantemerle in 1579 and finally sold up in 1892. During that time Château Cantemerle famously scraped in to the 1855 classification as an apparent last minute addition after some frantic lobbying by Caroline de Villeneuve-Durfort. Théophile-Jean Dubos bought Cantemerle in 1892 and had some initial success, but the 20th Century saw a familiar period of decline and his descendents sold up nearly a hundred years later in 1981 to the Groupe SMABTP who's recent investments have put Château Cantemerle back on its feet.
Château Cantemerle lies in Macau, to the south of the Margaux appellation. There are 87ha under vine, planted to 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Grapes are hand harvested. The Grand Vin spends 12 months in wood, of which 50% is new.
There is a second wine - Les Allées de Cantemerle.

Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.

Ordering

Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.

Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.

Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.

Confirmation

All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.

Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.

Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.

Delivery

  • Shipment to our bond (at 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 £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
  • Delivery of 2022 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2025. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.

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). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.

Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.

Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.

One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-

  • +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
  • +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
  • +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
  • +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
  • +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
  • +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.

Storage Options:

Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2025. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. 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 private client team for more information.