CHÂTEAU LA GARDE

2018 Cru Classé Pessac-Léognan

EN PRIMEUR

Quite angular purple fruit. Well structured - the wine has intensity. The fruit is defined and polished. Lean and to the point. Another popular option for affordable drinking claret. Drinking range: 2024 - 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.

Very beautiful aromas of blackberries and crushed stones with hints of dried flowers. It’s full-bodied with soft, creamy tannins that are softly knit. Round, creamy finish. Drinking range: 2023 - Rating: 92 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Mar 2021)

The 2018 Château La Garde is impressive and reveals a glass-staining purple color as well as tons of black fruits (there’s some red fruit as well), spice, leather, and earthy nuances. Medium to full-bodied, it’s beautifully textured, has outstanding balance, nicely integrated tannins and acidity, and a great finish. It’s another terrific Pessac-Léognan that’s going to dish out plenty of pleasure with just a few years of bottle age and keep for 10-15 years. Rating: 91-93 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2019)

Barrel sample. Black core with purple rim. Both ripe black fruit and a more savoury charry note, yet slightly floral as it opens. Tastes rather oaky, and the layers of tannin giving a chalky effect but it's fresh and has potential – just needs time. Bags of black fruit to keep the tannins apart. Drinking range: 2025 - 2033 Rating: 16.5 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2019)

The 2018 la Garde is deep garnet-purple colored and reveals vibrant black cherries, mulberries and warm cassis scents with hints of bay leaves and chocolate box. Medium-bodied with loads of juicy fruit and bags of freshness, it is softly textured and finishes with a peppery kick. Rating: 87-89 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2019)

This is a wonderful young red with crushed blackberry and blueberry character. Full-bodied yet agile and very velvety. Flavorful finish. A beauty. 10 per cent co-fermented cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Rating: 92-93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)

The La Garde vineyard has one north-facing gravel slope and one south-facing clay-limestone slope, giving the estate a good balance of ripening dates in most vintages. In another sign of how unusual 2018 was, both Cabernet and Merlot on these different slopes ripened at the same time, so they were co-fermented in one tank. Unusual for sure, but the result is excellent. They do such a good job here of making accessible but polished and elegant Pessacs. This is smooth, ripe and welcoming, with a seductive expansion through the mid-palate that emphasises the creamy texture of the fruits. Definitely as good as the 2016, maybe better. Drinking range: 2023 - 2038Jane Anson, Decanter (Mar 2019)

Château La Garde is a medium-sized property with 47 hectares of vineyards in Pessac-Léognan, planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc. The Cabernet-dominated red wines are soft, well structured and packed with smooth, ripe fruit which makes them very attractive young, though they also possess good medium-term cellaring potential. Bought by the dynamic Bordeaux merchant Dourthe in the 1980s, this gem of an estate displays the true Graves minerality underneath an exuberant cassis-and-plums aroma. After huge initial investment in the vineyard and cellar immense care is now lavished upon the wine itself, and any re-assessment of the Pessac-Léognan classification would surely see this wine elevated to Cru Classé status

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.