CHÂTEAU ROUGET
2018 Pomerol
Ripe red and dark fruit on the nose. On the palate the juice is sweet and forward. Mineral too. Medium bodied. Nicely balanced. Energy and poise. This is delicious already. Drinking range: 2022 - 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.
Blueberries, blackberries, elderberries, mushrooms and earthy notes. Spices as well. It’s full-bodied with an unctuous texture. Balanced and savory with a fine, chewy tannin structure. Flavorful finish with length. One of the best ever from here. Try after 2025. Rating: 97 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2021)
Deeply colored, the 2018 Château Rouget is another impressive Pomerol, which is a region loaded with impressive wines in 2018. Cassis, black raspberries, white chocolate, and a touch of spicy wood all flow to a medium to full-bodied, beautifully layered, expansive 2018 that has top-notch mid-palate depth, notable purity of fruit, and silky tannins. Give bottles 2-4 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following 10-15. Rating: 91-93 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2019)
85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc; 25% new oak. Barrel sample. Very dark black-cherry colour. Sweet vanilla-laced black fruit, nicely stony/dusty to balance the sweet blueberry fruit. Extremely smooth, polished and rounded and a touch of vanilla sweetness on the finish. (JH) Drinking range: 2023 - 2030 Rating: 16.5 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2019)
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Rouget sports quite a lot of oak at this stage, opening out to lively red and black plums notes and notions of baked cherries, blueberry compote and dried mulberries plus wafts of raisin cake, tree bark and bouquet garni. Full and concentrated, with a firm, fine-grained frame, it fills the palate with berry preserves and offers plenty of spicy and earthy nuances on the long finish. Rating: 91-93 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2019)
This young wine really sings with a level of purity and precision that I’ve never seen from here. Medium to full body, ultra fine tannins and beautiful red-berry and floral character at the end. Rating: 96-97 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)
Here we have a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, reflecting the distribution of varieties in the vineyard. The yield was 37 hl/ha, while the alcohol is declared to be a heady 15%, presumably with a touch of rounding up. A dark, smoky and complex character on the nose, with an intriguing aromatic profile, reminiscent of wild black cherries, black raspberries and damsons. The palate continues this complexity, with a fresh flavour profile of black cherry and damsons, dressed with little mentholated and floral notes, perfumed and elegant. Mirroring the nose, the flavours here are fascinating, a mélange of crushed wild plum, perfumed and bright, with tobacco, liquorice, chalk, gravel and menthol notes. A quite beautiful style, distinctive, with a charming grip in the finish. Very well done. This is a standout wine for those looking for Bordeaux with personality, and it is certainly one of the best examples of Rouget I can recall tasting. The élevage will be in 25% new oak and 75% second-fill oak (yes, those figures are the right way around). Rating: 93-95 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2019)
An excellent Rouget this year -there is perhaps the slightest trace of heat on the attack, but it disappears into the body of the wine, and this is really rather lovely. When you think back to this wine even in good vintages like 2009, it didn't have the flesh on the bones that it has today. It’s even more impressive that the weight has been gained without sacrificing balance – a great job from Edouard Labruyère, 3.4pH. Tasted on multiple occasions. Drinking range: 2026 - 2040 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (Mar 2019)
Château Rouget
Perhaps a relatively new name in the upper echelons of the Pomerol world, Château Rouget lays claim to origins in the last years of the Roman Empire, it was certainly known for its vineyard as far back as 1700 making it one of the oldest wine estates in Pomerol. Rouget had some fame for its wines in the 19th Century, but when Jean-Pierre Labruyère bought Rouget in 1992 most of the production was being sold off in bulk, and it is the Labruyères who have put Château Rouget on the map. The family are originally Beaujolais producers from Moulin-a-Vent, and now also own Domaine Jacques Prieur in Burgundy. Since 1992, the vineyards have been renovated and replanted as necessary, with all of the Cabernet Sauvignon being taken out. They have purchased new vineyards, taking the size up to 18ha, one of the largest in Pomerol. The winery has been completely renewed. Rouget sits in the north of the Pomerol appellation, just north of the various Eglise châteaux, overlooking the Barbonne stream that separates Pomerol from Néac. The vineyards are planted with 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, with an average age of 28 years. Once a little off the radar, the focus of the Labruyère family on making Château Rouget one of the better wines of Pomerol is paying dividends and the wines are certainly worth seeking out and still remain relatively good 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 2024 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.