CHÂTEAU LA DAUPHINE
2018 Fronsac
This has been tried twice - in the UK and in Bordeaux. Strained fruit on the nose. Good concentration on the palate. High toned with powdery tannins. Good lick of acidity provides freshness. Another Fronsac wine that will offer excellent value for money. Drinking range: 2022 - 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 Château de la Dauphine was picked at 35hl/ha from 21 September to 15 October, matured in 30% new oak. It merely reconfirms my assertion just a few weeks earlier that it represents the best this Fronsac estate has produced. Killer definition on the nose that surpasses even the excellent 2015 with much more mineral drive. The palate is supremely well balanced with fine tannins, beautiful black fruit laced with graphite towards the sophisticated finish that has newfound sapidity. Cellar this for three to four years and wait to be handsomely rewarded. Drinking range: 2024 - 2040 Rating: 93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jun 2022)
The 2018 Château de la Dauphine was a knockout when I tasted it from barrel. Now in bottle, it has a very clean, precise bouquet of shimmering blackberry and wild strawberry aromas, underlying blood orange notes coming through with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, plenty of graphite-tinged black fruit and a very elegant yet long finish. Superb! Drinking range: 2022 - 2040 Rating: 93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)
The 2018 La Dauphine is a very sexy wine. Although it is not quite as rich or overt as some other Fronsacs, La Dauphine is so sensual and silky in the glass. Inky dark fruit, spice, chocolate and lavender are all laced together. Drink this stylish, refined Fronsac over the next 10-15 years. Drinking range: 2022 - 2035 Rating: 91 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)
Aromas of dried blueberries, currants, bitter chocolate, chalk and sweet tobacco. It’s medium-to full-bodied with compact, firm tannins that provide form and tension. Racy and energetic finish that goes on for minutes. Try after 2024. Rating: 93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2021)
Inky purple-colored, the 2018 Château La Dauphine reveals wonderful purity in its cassis and blueberry fruits as well as graphite and subtle oak and mineral nuances. Medium to full-bodied, beautifully concentrated, and elegant on the palate, it's another 2018 that has a more fresh, focused, even classic vibe. Rating: 90-92 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2019)
Black, black core with narrow purple rim. Darker and more savoury than the Ch de Carles, a little charry but intense with cassis too. The fruit so intense it becomes savoury but opens up to be bright blackcurrant, changing in the glass even now. But on the palate there is a lightness of touch giving really smooth texture, generous and velvety. Rich, compact and still fresh. Likely to be GV. Drinking range: 2024 - 2032 Rating: 17 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2019)
A tangy and energetic sense to this Fronsac with dark berries, wet earth and a mineral undertone. Medium-bodied, focused and real. Rating: 92-93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)
This is a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. It has a fresh and lightly grilled style of fruit on the nose, with blackcurrant and curranty notes, as well as a gentle chalky freshness and lift. The palate shows a supple weight and breadth, with dark and purely expressed fruits, especially blackcurrant, damson, liquorice and brambles, with touches of black pepper, and the same limestone bite as was suggested on the nose. Firm, full, grippy and fresh, this has substance and an elegantly sinewy poise. Great tannic substance in the finish. This is a very fine vintage for La Dauphine. Rating: 93-95 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2019)
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 2024 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2027. 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 2027. 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.