CHÂTEAU MARQUIS D'ALESME
2018 3ème Cru Classé Margaux
The 2018 Marquis d'Alesme is a very silky, elegant wine. Sweet pipe tobacco, cedar, dried flowers and mint are laced throughout this wonderfully nuanced Margaux. Bright red berry fruit, mid-weight structure and silky tannins add to an impression of total finesse. The 2018 is so impressive, even in the early going. Drinking range: 2028 - 2048 Rating: 94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Mar 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 Marquis d’Alesme (the Becker is only noted on the back label!) has a beautiful and very pure bouquet of violet-tinged black fruit, crushed rock and India ink scents, all very seductive. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, perfectly pitched acidity and a velvety-smooth texture that lingers. Plush and extraordinarily harmonious, and one of the purest 2018s you will find on the Left Bank. Drinking range: 2023 - 2045 Rating: 94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)
This is a wonderful wine with dark berries, wet earth and dark tea. Full body, firm and striking tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)
This is a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, picked between September 25th and October 10th. It starts with a very pretty nose, of crushed cherries, with a rose-petal perfume, fragrant with scents of peony, with little notes of grilled pips and black tea leaf. This is expressive and very interesting, more than I would historically expect from this estate. There follows a very poised palate, fresh and elegant, cool, showing very nicely defined blackcurrant and damson fruits like the nose, with a delicious fragrant perfume. True and bright, fresh and elegant, defined, very typical of Margaux, with an energetic profile. This is very well done. Rating: 92-94 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2019)
Good stuff from winemaker Marjolaine de Coninck: there's a creamy sweetness through the palate, with patisserie notes joining the dark fruit impact of the Cabernet. It's well balanced and rich, with tannins that build fairly rapidly from the mid-palate onwards - you can feel their impact but they support rather than crush. Fermentation temperature was kept to 26°C to ensure gentle extraction, nicely combining the clear pleasure of this wine with a sense of elegance. 3.65pH. 65% new oak. Harvested 25 September to 12 October. 5% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Drinking range: 2027 - 2042 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (Mar 2019)
Château Marquis d'Alesme
Established by the Marquis d'Alesme in 1585, the estate was originally planted in 1616. The property was acquired in 1809 by Monsieur Becker, who attached his name to that of the estate, and for a period the wine was called simply "Becker" in Bordeaux. In the early 20th Century, the property was bought by Comte Jean-Jules Théophile Chaix-d'Est-Ange, who had also inherited neighbouring Château Lascombes from his father, who intended to combine the two estates, but died in 1923 before carrying out the plan. The original Marquis d'Alesme château became offices for Lascombes, with the original château of Desmirail taking its place. The estate saw a succession of owners, including English firm WH Chaplin & Co and the Zuger family, until it was sold in 2006 to petrochemical industry businessman Hubert Perrodo . Apparently with elaborate plans of combining several of his Margaux estates, no changes took place after Perrodo was killed in a skiing accident in late 2006. The estate is currently run by Nathalie Perrodo.
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 2027. 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 2027. 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.