CHÂTEAU LA TOUR DE BY

2018 Cru Bourgeois Médoc

EN PRIMEUR

Attractive nose of plush black fruit. Smooth and inviting on entry. The dark fruit continues with a mineral frame. Gently structured. Should be a decent early drinking option. Drinking range: 2022 - 2028L&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.

A linear, chewy red with pretty, creamy tannins and delicious berry, walnut and cedar character. It’s medium-to full-bodied with tight tannins and a medium finish. Give it two or three years to come together. Drinking range: 2023 - Rating: 91 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Mar 2021)

Black as the ace of spades. Dark and stony/dusty on the nose but with plenty of fresh cassis. Tannins are pretty dry although they are finely layered rather than being a solid block. Quite refined on the finish though not very expressive now and a little bit sour on the finish. Drinking range: 2025 - 2030 Rating: 15.5 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2019)

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 La Tour de By opens with cedary/oak-inspired notes giving way to a core of red and black currant preserves, mulberries and boysenberries with suggestions of wild sage and charcuterie. Full-bodied and richly fruited in the mouth, it has a firm, grainy frame and seamless freshness lifting the muscular fruit to a long finish. Rating: 87-89 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2019)

This is one of the best I have had from here. Shows depth and richness with ripe tannins and a lovely blackcurrant and blueberry aftertaste. Rating: 91-92 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)

This barrel sample has a ripe, chalky, dusty and oak-framed character on the nose. The palate is shaped by the oak right now, with a polished presence, rich in praline-tinged red cherry and with a redcurrant bite. Firm, ripe, showing a huge structure in the finish, this is a good result for La Tour de By. It will need some time to come together and absorb that oak though. Rating: 91-93 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 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.