CHÂTEAU MALARTIC LAGRAVIÈRE
2018 Blanc Cru Classé Pessac-Léognan
Aromas of apricot, passion fruit, lemon pie and custard. Crushed stones, fennel and cloves, too. It’s full-bodied with bright acidity and a layered, creamy texture. Long, rounded and mineral finish. Very tight and structured. Drink or hold. Rating: 96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2021)
* 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 Malartic-Lagravière Blanc comes from a 7-hectare section of Malartic’s vineyards which are planted at 10,000 vines per hectare (this is very high-density plantings). A blend of 90% Sauvignon and 10% Sémillon, it has a thrilling mineral-laced style as well as racy citrus and lime fruit, medium to full body, high yet integrated acidity, and a crisp, clean, dry finish. Rating: 92-94 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2019)
Fermented in 55% new barrels and blended of 90% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Sémillon, the 2018 Malartic Lagraviere 2018 Blanc is a little closed to start, soon opening on the nose to reveal ripe apples, Bosc pears and warm peach scents with hints of wet pebbles and freshly baked bread. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with apple and pear flavors with just enough freshness and an oily texture, finishing long and spicy. Rating: 91-93 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2019)
Strong aroma of fermentation, almost hoppy and definitely herbal. Leesy on the palate, slightly odd but certainly interesting if just a little sour on the finish. Drinking range: 2021 - 2026 Rating: 15.5 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2019)
A very dense and powerful young white with sliced-apple, pear and aniseed character and an undertone of fennel. Full-bodied. Salty and tangy. Great wine. Rating: 95-96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)
A blend led by Sauvignon Blanc, at 90% of the total, with 10% Semillon, picked at a yield of 35 hl/ha, and the alcohol is 13.5%. A rather sweet, plush, oak-framed nose carrying a paradox of sweetly dried white peach substance and also a few lightly greener notes, like peach leaf. The palate is just brimming with vanillin bourbonesque oak, such that it even has a tannic grip. Despite this it still feels soft, toasted, oaky, rather stolid in style, with a fair acid profile for this vintage. It has length, but it is all grip, and the oaky tannin and other phenolics are what dominate in the finish. A good result taking into account the difficulties for this vintage in white. The élevage will be in 55% new oak and 45% second-fill oak, with bâtonnage. Rating: 91-93 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2019)
There's great focus on the nose here, with scents of lemon, slate, white peach and rosemary. It's definitely one of the whites with a higher level of freshness, and feels well made and carefully judged. They have achieved success in both colours in 2018, especially with the red. 55% new oak. Drinking range: 2020 - 2030 Rating: 92 Jane Anson, Decanter (Mar 2019)
Château Malartic Lagravière
Château Malartic-Lagravière, originally Domaine de Lagravière, is a Bordeaux wine from the Pessac-Léognan appellation, ranked among the Premiers Crus for red and white wine in the Classification of Graves wine of 1953 and 1959. The winery and vineyards are located south of the city of Bordeaux, in the commune of Léognan. The Domaine de Lagravière was bought in 1803 by Pierre de Malartic whose uncle, Comte de Malartic through battles against the British in Canada and Mauritius brought fame to the name and the martime theme which is associated with this estate. The Malartic name was not applied to the estate until after 1850 however. The estate has belonged to the Bonnie family since 1997, with oenologists Michel Rolland and Athanase Fakorellis as consultants. From a property of 47 hectares (120 acres), the vineyard area consists of 41 hectares (100 acres) of the red grape varieties 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, with 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, and 6 hectares (15 acres) of the white grape varieties 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Sémillon.[3] The Grand vin, Château Malartic-Lagravière, is annually produced in 16,000 cases of the red wine and 2,500 cases of the dry white. There are also red and white second wines, Sillage de Malartic, and a rosé, Le Rosé de Malartic.
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.