CHÂTEAU FOURCAS DUPRÉ

2018 Cru Bourgeois Haut Médoc

EN PRIMEUR

The depth of blackcurrant and blueberry fruit here is impressive. It has a nice cool feel and good gloss too. It's not shy though. There's are a lot of Haut Médoc tannin on show but they are fine and the fruit can cope. We are really enjoying the 2010 from this estate at the moment and this will be an excellent follow up once it's had some time in the cellar. Drinking range: 2025 - 2035L&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 Fourcas Dupré displays good intensity on a nose of blackberry, briary and light tobacco notes, just a faint sea spray scent emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, quite saline in the mouth and struck through with good acidity. Red fruit begins to take over toward the finish, where clove and white pepper linger. Enjoy this well-crafted Listrac over the next 12–16 years. Drinking range: 2023 - 2038 Rating: 89 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)

Fresh currants and berries on the nose with damp soil and some forest-floor character. It’s medium-bodied with soft, sleek tannins. Juicy and fresh. Drinking range: 2022 - Rating: 90 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2021)

Inky core, purple rim. Sweetly fragrant cassis on the nose but less immediate fruit on the palate. In fact it’s rather severe in its tannin structure. Tannins are fine-boned but there’s not a huge amount of flesh in the middle. Dry but actually quite elegant. Drinking range: 2023 - 2028 Rating: 16 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2019)

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Fourcas-Dupre opens a little shy with subtle black raspberry, redcurrant jelly and cassis scents followed by suggestions of garrigue, bay leaves and tilled soil. Medium to full-bodied, it has a solid line of chewy tannins tagged with compelling freshness sparking energy into the bright fruit, finishing mineral laced. Rating: 89-90 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2019)

This is a little tight, but shows attractive currant and earth character, medium body and a fresh finish. Medium-firm tannins. Rating: 89-90 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)

This is a blend of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 54% Merlot and a 1% soupçon of Petit Verdot. It has a rather perfumed nose, of dark summer fruits, rose petals and violets. The palate shows a slightly leaner character than some of its peers, with a firm jacket of grip controlling the palate, but with fresh acidity and a tightly knit frame of apparent tannin, with lots of grip and substance in the finish. The élevage will be in one-third each new, second-fill and third-fill barrels. Rating: 90-92 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2019)

This has a vibrant ruby colour with violet reflections, gourmet touches, firm black cherry and raspberry fruits and a wet stone texture. It shows real vibrancy through the fruit without being too austere - a far more difficult line to walk to get vibrancy right, than it is to layer on the oak, so hats off to them. Drinking range: 2024 - 2038 Rating: 92 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2019)

A 46ha estate in Listrac, the highest point in the Medoc, with a mix of well drained soils, 80% Pyrenean gravels, 20% clay-limestone. Originally called Château Roulet, Jean Antoine Baptiste Dupré renamed the estate in 1843.

The vineyards are planted with 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Vinification is classical, with four weeks in vats, barrels and amphora, after which the wine is aged 14 fourteen months in french oak barrels, of which 25% are new each year. The consultant oenologist is Eric Boissenot.

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.