CHÂTEAU PRIEURÉ LICHINE

2018 4ème Cru Classé Margaux

EN PRIMEUR

65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot. This has a blackberry nose with a real impression of sweetness. It's very dense on the palate and the tannins are really dominating the fruit at this stage. One for the long haul perhaps. Drinking range: 2030 - 2050L&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.

Powerful tannins, this is young, with depth and clear ripeness to the tannins, touches of chocolate, brioche, creamy smoked toffee and cocoa. A burst of heat throws things off on the finish, saved by a eucalyptus edge that brings in freshness and grip. 45% new oak, Stephane Dernenoncourt consultant, 39hl/h yield, harvest September 24 to October 10. Drinking range: 2027 - 2040 Rating: 92 Jane Anson, Decanter (Jun 2022)

The 2018 Prieuré-Lichine has kept its understated and elegant bouquet, presenting those same blackberry and cedar notes, perhaps with more red fruit emerging with aeration (cranberry and raspberry preserve). The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins (finer than I noticed out of barrel) and plenty of freshness on the finish. This has indeed tempered its excesses and should evolve into a fine Margaux. Drinking range: 2023 - 2035 Rating: 90 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)

The 2018 Prieuré-Lichine is a gorgeous, elegant wine. Strong Cabernet aromatics give the 2018 striking savory notes to play off the natural radiance of the year. Plush and sensual, with no hard edges and terrific balance, the 2018 hits all the right notes. Dried herbs, rose petal, cedar, tobacco and mint linger on the finely cut, persistent finish. This is an especially understated wine for the year. Drinking range: 2028 - 2048 Rating: 94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)

Blackberry with white-pepper and some tile undertones on the nose. It’s full-bodied with tight, chewy tannins yet so beautifully polished and composed. Lingering finish. This needs time to soften and come together. Best after 2024. Rating: 94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2021)

The 2018 Château Prieuré-Lichine is an attractive, elegant Margaux offering classic, pretty red and black fruits, cedary spice, and dried flowers aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, elegant, and again, with an incredible floral character, it has a supple, rounded texture that’s going to allow it to drink nicely in its youth, yet it should also evolve for 15+ years or more. I suspect this will surpass the ’14, ’15, and ’16. Rating: 90-93 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2019)

Black core with barely a purple rim. Very dark but lively fruit and an attractive crushed-stones overlay. Juicy and lifted on the palate, finely textured and already harmonious. The tannins are nicely layered and compact but overall a welcome lightness of touch that should result in greater elegance in bottle. Drinking range: 2025 - 2035 Rating: 17 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2019)

The deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Prieure-Lichine slips sensuously out of the glass with gorgeous raspberry coulis, chocolate-covered cherries and warm cassis scents with hints of candied violets, licorice, camphor and wilted roses. The full-bodied, richly fruited palate is beautifully perfumed with loads of floral accents and has a firm frame of ripe, grainy tannins, finishing long with some mineral notions coming through. Very pretty. Rating: 91-93 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2019)

This is a very fresh and bright red with lots of blue fruit and linear and fine tannins that have drive down the center palate. 65 per cent cabernet sauvignon, 30 per cent merlot and 5 per cent petit verdot. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)

This is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, with a yield of 35 hl/ha, and the declared alcohol is 13.5%. It presents a nose of creamed blackcurrant fruits, with black cherry, damson and a rose-petal lift, a confident and yet classic style on the nose. A pretty palate, gently composed but supple, with a body of crushed black fruits at its core, along with firm and tightly grained tannins at the heart of the wine, and a fresh and lively acidity. Polished, substantial, confident, this is a real success for Prieuré-Lichine, right through to those taut and lingering tannins in the finish. Very well done. The élevage will be in 45% new oak and 55% second-fill oak. Rating: 93-95 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2019)

After considerable investment, this property is showing its true potential. This wine is full of a great black fruit flavor, with generous acidity and a ripe structure. Its black currant flavor is already showing a delicious side, making it a wine to enjoy in the near term. Rating: 95 Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast www.winemag.com (Apr 2019)

Prieuré Lichine has done a great job of capturing the rich concentration in the cassis and blackberry fruits that are easily found in 2018, wrapped up perfectly in juicy, vibrant strands of acidity and tannin. There's no question that this is an intense wine, and although the alcohol is not especially high it has a generous texture. Spice notes lend a sense of uplift to balance out the exuberance of the palate. I expect this will close down for a good few years before coming into its own. Prieuré Lichine operate a gravity-fed winery for gentle handling of the fruit. 2018 saw a yield of 35hl/ha. Aged in 45% new oak. Drinking range: 2027 - 2042 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (Mar 2019)

Margaux Quatrième cru 1855 As the name suggests, the early history of Prieuré-Lichine starts with the Benedictine monks of the Prieuré de Cantenac who assembled, by the 18th Century, quite a reputation for their wine. The Revolution put an end to ecclesiastical ownership, La Prieuré was seized and sold off with much of the vineyard becoming parts of other estates including Château Palmer. A with many Médoc estates, the first half of the 20th Century was a period of decline. By 1951 Château Prieuré-Cantenac was reduced to 11ha of rather sorry vines. Salvation came that year with the estate's purchase by wine writer Alexis Lichine. He renovated the chais and the château, and gradually increased vineyard holdings by buying spare vineyard land from other Margaux estates. Château Prieuré-Lichine is to the east of Cantenac. There are, now, around 70ha of vineyard, somewhat dispersed around the appellation, with 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot with a small balance of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. The Grand Vin spends 16 months inn wood (55% new).

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.