CHÂTEAU MAUVESIN BARTON
2018 Cru Bourgeois Supérieur Moulis-en-Médoc
Merlot 54%, Cabernet Sauvignon 39.5%, Cabernet Franc 6.5%. There is some very attractive freshness to the fruit here with more red berry character than many 2018 Haut Médocs. There's a touch more weight on the mid-palate than you normally see from this estate. It has a lovely feel and good zippy energy. Quite a firm tannic finish but nothing out of place. If you like classically-shaped Haut-Médoc this is an excellent option. 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.
Plenty of blueberry, redcurrant and raspberry fruit, supple with fresh tannins good structure. A classic take on the vintage, you can wait to drink but you don't need to. They produced no 2017 vintage at Mauvesin due to frost, and this is an enjoyable return that is worth looking out for. Consultant Eric Boissenot. Drinking range: 2022 - 2030 Rating: 91 Jane Anson, Decanter (Mar 2022)
Crushed flowers, sweet pipe tobacco, cedar and red berry fruit are all nicely lifted in the 2018 Mauvesin Barton. This deceptively mid-weight, perfumed Moulis has a lot to offer, including a very finessed, persistent finish. I would prefer to drink it on the earlier side. Lovely. Drinking range: 2021 - 2034 Rating: 90 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)
The 2018 Mauvesin Barton benefits from its parcel-by-parcel vinification. It has a lovely bouquet, beautifully defined, with incense and pressed iris petal aromas wafting from the glass. The medium-bodied palate delivers fine-grained tannins, a crisp bead of acidity and a touch of white pepper on the finish. It feels a little pinched so soon after bottling, but it will repay cellaring. Very fine. Drinking range: 2024 - 2038 Rating: 90 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)
Juicy berry fruits, leafy herbs, and earthy notes emerge from the 2018 Château Mauvesin Barton, and it’s medium-bodied, nicely textured, and elegant, with both nicely integrated acidity and tannins. It shines from its balance and freshness, yet still has the sunny fruit of the vintage. Rating: 90-92 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2019)
Deep cherry red. Ripe, deep fruited, smooth and just slightly chewy with a hint of spice. Honest, packed with dark fruit. Drinking range: 2024 - 2032 Rating: 16 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2019)
There is serious depth of fruit in the center palate. Medium to full body, firm tannins and a lovely finish. Shows brightness and minerality. Rating: 92-93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)
Château Mauvesin Barton
Château Mauvesin was purchased by the Barton family in 2011 after having been in the same family since the late 15th century. There are 49ha of vineyard in a single block around the elegant château (built 1853), with another 9 alongside in the Haut-Médoc rather than Moulis appellation. The main block is currently planted with 46% Merlot and 16% Cabernet Franc on calcareous clay, and 36% Cabernet Sauvignon planted on the gravel and sandy part, with 2% Petit Verdot. Its former Cru Bourgeois status seems to have lapsed, although the immediate investment in new kit by the Bartons would indicate a desire to reclaim it. The average vine age is around 35 years. Plot by plot vinification in small volume stainless steel tanks is followed by 14 mothns ageing in barrel, of which 1/3 is new wood. Melanie Barton-Sartorius is the technical director, the consulting oenologist is the Boissenot team.
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 2023 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.