CHÂTEAU LE THIL

2018 Pessac-Léognan

EN PRIMEUR

95% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc. There is lots of clay here hence the high proportion of Merlot. The wine maker describes the terroir as similar to Pomerol. The property is only a stones throw from owners Smith Haut Lafitte. Good body with a lovely mineral edge. It has a crisp feel to it - quite direct. Concentrated but fresh. Very promising. Drinking range: 2022 - 2032L&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 Le Thil Comte Clary is tight-knit on the nose of blackberry and bilberry fruit and just a splash of India ink, all displaying fine definition. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit on the entry. The acidity is finely judged here and there is a lovely powdery, charcoal-tinged finish that expresses classicism and impressive clarity. This is an excellent Pessac-Leognan. Drinking range: 2023 - 2033 Rating: 91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)

The 2018 Le Thil is a bold, powerful wine. All of the intensity of Merlot planted on clay, allied with small berries from the warm growing season, yields a potent Pessac-Léognan with real density and structure. I would enjoy this hearty, brooding Merlot/Cabernet Franc blend over the next 7-10 years, preferably at the dinner table, with hearty fare. Drinking range: 2021 - 2028 Rating: 90 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)

Beautiful, sweet berries and meat with purple-fruit and inky aromas, following through to a full-bodied palate with super fine, linear tannins that go deep and long at the finish. Some black licorice and violets at the end. Drinking range: 2024 - Rating: 92 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Jan 2021)

A blend of 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc from clay and limestone soils, the 2018 Château Le Thil is a rocking wine in this vintage, with beautiful black raspberry and cassis fruits intermixed with notes of graphite, classy oak, and earth. Ripe, sexy, and nicely concentrated on the palate, it stays fresh and focused, with lots of class and elegance. It’s a terrific 2018 to drink over the coming 15-20 years. Rating: 91-93 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2019)

Sweet ripe plums. Juicy, lively and a little toasty but it’s got lots of fruit all the way through, fine texture, dry but with finesse. Approachable. Drinking range: 2023 - 2030 Rating: 16 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2019)

The soil at Château le Thil is clay limestone, so it behaves a little more like a Right Bank site. Composed of 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, the deep garnet-purple colored 2018 le Thil gives seductive scents of baked plums, warm blueberries and chocolate-covered cherries with hints of spice cake, dried roses and star anise plus a touch of menthol. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is filled with lively minted black fruits and a plush frame, finishing with a lively lift and a touch of minerals. Rating: 89-91 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2019)

This is very intense with a salty and intense walnut character. Medium body, firm and silky tannins. Lovely length. First year with a little cabernet franc. Racy. Rating: 92-93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)

A vineyard dominated by Merlot, Fabien Teitgen having pulled up the Cabernet Sauvignon that once complemented it. He is planting Cabernet Franc instead, but there is only enough for 5% in the blend so far. This is the first time he has been able to include any in the blend, but he is aiming for 20% given time. The nose is intoxicating, heady with summer fruit scents, wild plum, certainly fresh and characterful. The palate is very silky and correct, very elegant and poised, beautifully integrated, texturally seamless, with a sweet bed of red cherry, praline and toasted fruits as well as a fresh acid lift. This is a lovely Le Thil, full of ripe grip, with a fine future. Rating: 91-93 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2019)

2018 is the first year with Cabernet Franc in the mix at Le Thil, and it gives an extra lift to the nose and an extra kick of tension on the finish. On the palate you get the silky, rich roundness of the Merlot, then a muscling in of the tannins towards the finish. There were no stems this time because they felt that there were already plenty of tannins in the skins (since 2014 they have been using a small percentage of whole-bunch fermentation, so this is an interesting departure). 21hl/ha yield. Drinking range: 2024 - 2036 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (Mar 2019)

A very pretty little Château set in parkland, with 11 hectares of vines attached, on the top and south-facing slope of a clay-limestone hillock. The clay soil has prompted the planting of a high proportion of Merlot, and Florence Cathiard calls this 'the Pomerol of Pessac-Leognan'. The Cathiards of Smith Haut Lafitte bought the property in 2012, reuniting it with Smith, as it has previously been under the same ownership in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the two Châteaux were linked by a long drive. Viticulture is done in the same way as at Smith, using the Cathiards system of 'bio-precision'. This is a wine at a modest price which benefits from all the expertise of its great neighbour, and is excellent value.

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.