CHÂTEAU LE CROCK
2018 Cru Bourgeois Supérieur Saint Estèphe
This was missing from the tasting booklet at Léoville Poyferré but Château Le Crock is a lesser known Saint Estèphe that should not be overlooked. Much like Meyney and Capbern, it often offers terrific value for money, especially in warmer vintages where the higher proportion of clay helps these wines stay fresh. There's plenty of juicy dark berry and black cherry fruit, as well as a streak of cool minerality. The texture is fine too and while there are a lot of tannins to contend with, they are nicely ripe and smooth. This is another excellent Le Crock that's built to last. 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.
One of the standout Cru Bourgeois of the vintage, and full of signature St Estèphe flesh and power. Plenty of chewy tannins to hold in the blueberry and blackberry fruits, alongside black pepper, turmeric and cinammon spice. Give it a good few hours in a carafe, and in fact when I drank this I went back to it the next day and it had held up perfectly. 30% new oak, 35hl/h yield. Owned by the Cuvelier family of Léoville Poyferré. Drinking range: 2023 - 2036 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (Oct 2021)
The 2018 Le Crock, now a Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, has a perfumed and floral bouquet of vibrant red currant and wild strawberry fruit infused with wilted rose petals. The palate is well balanced, the oak neatly enmeshed. Not a deep or powerful Le Crock, but poised and delineated toward the finish, with sufficient sapidity to beckon you back for another sip. Very fine. Drinking range: 2023 - 2033 Rating: 91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)
The 2018 Le Crock offers plenty of Saint-Estèphe character in its brambly red berry fruit and burly, but well-balanced tannins. Cedar, tobacco, smoke and earthy notes add quite a bit of aromatic presence. This is an especially rich, potent edition because of dry, warm east winds that caused dehydration, thereby lowering yields. There is plenty of personality here. Drinking range: 2022 - 2033 Rating: 92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)
Deep purplish crimson. Rich, dark and warm-smelling, plenty of black fruit, almost a little tarry in its savoury character, and the sweetness of oak spice but it`s not overdone. Even a hint of violets to add complexity. Chewy and firm, compact tannins but individually fine-boned. It is chewy but not at all tough, just needs time and food. Well-balanced in a big wine, with enough freshness to lift the finish. Drinking range: 2023 - 2033 Rating: 17 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Feb 2021)
A complex nose with aromas of blackberries, spices and chocolate. It’s full-bodied with wonderfully integrated tannins that show dark fruit and berries with some lavender and violet undertones. Such gorgeous texture to this. Really impressive for this estate. A blend of 57% cabernet sauvignon, 33% merlot, 5% cabernet franc and 5% petit verdot. Try after 2024. Rating: 94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2021)
A blend of 44% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Petit Verdot, the 2018 Château Le Crock is a rich, beautifully textured, opulent effort that has loads of black cherries, graphite, crushed herbs and earthy notes. It's ripe, sexy, and beautifully textured, yet also fresh and pure. The 2018 hit 14.3% alcohol, with a pH of 3.71 and an IPT of 80. It’s a serious wine. Rating: 92-94 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2019)
Lovely spiciness and dark-fruit character with hints of walnuts and hazelnuts. Medium body. Firm tannins and a flavorful finish. Rating: 92-93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)
This is 44% Merlot, picked September 24th to the 28th, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, picked October 1st to the 7th, 10% Cabernet Franc, picked October 1st, and 6% Petit Verdot, picked October 2nd. There is usually more Cabernet in the blend, but in 2018 the percentage of Cabernet is lower as the berries were so small and concentrated; so while there were lots of berries, there was not so much juice. The yield was just 34 hl/ha. The wine has a pH of 3.71 and an alcohol of 14.3%. It has a very dark, plump, rather smoky nose, with touches of red cherry. The palate is convincing, with a serious weight and breadth of fruit, showing charming texture but with a firm substance, provided by a bright frame of acid and tannin. Deliciously dusty, pure, fresh and bright, a polished and complete wine, with lovely chalky edges but plenty of texture and grip too. It culminates in a long and grippy finish. This is a fine result for this estate. Rating: 92-94 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2019)
Packed with dry tannins, this wine also has beautiful, ripe fruits. Bright acidity and a black currant flavor give freshness to the wine and contrast with the massive tannins. Rating: 93 Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast www.winemag.com (Apr 2019)
Château Le Crock
Château Le Crock is in Saint Estèphe in the northern Médoc. The imposing current Château was built by the Merman family at the beginning of the nineteenth century and is surrounded by magnificent gardens. The vineyard is around 33 hectares (82 acres) and touches two of the most prestigious châteaux of the appellation, Château Cos d’Estournel and Château Montrose.
It is owned by the Cuvelier family, which also owns Château Léoville Poyferré in Saint Julien. The Cuveliers were originally wine merchants in Lille in northern France and Le Crock was their first vineyard purchase, in 1903, so has a special place in the affections of the family, many of whom spent their summers there. The Cuvelier properties were run with considerable flair by Didier Cuvelier for forty years. 2018 his cousin Sara Lecompte-Cuvelier took over at le Crock. Under Jonathan Servant, who runs the vineyard, the soil is worked mechanically, to avoid the use of herbicides, and with sexual confusion techniques to avoid the use of pesticides. The consultant oenologist is Michel Rolland. Grape Varieties: 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. In the classification of the Crus Bourgeois in early 2020, Le Crock was elevated to the status of Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel.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 2026. 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 2026. 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.