CLOS DU CLOCHER

2018 Pomerol

EN PRIMEUR

Sweet tobacco, cedar, wet earth and mushroom aromas with dark fruit, following through to a full body with rich, chewy tannins to the cool fruit. Powerful and tannic, yet polished and poised. Try after 2025. Rating: 95 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.

Very perfumed and pretty with dark berries, vanilla and hints of chocolate on the nose. Medium to full body, bright fruit and ripe, polished tannins. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)

The harvest here was from September 27th until October 5th, the yield 32 hl/ha. It opens with a rich and gently perfumed nose, quite sweet and polished, with a fragrant, open and gravelly style, rich in mulberry and desiccated black cherry fruits. There follows a very classic Pomerol profile on the palate, showing rather concentrated fruit, with a gravelly edge, wrapped up in a medium-bodied substance. It has a fresh grip, nicely polished, with a firm core of tannins at the wine's heart, and a wrapping of dark, richly expressed currant and olive fruit. It finishes with a wealth of very bright and grippy tannins which persist in the length. A cool and taut style, nicely built, but with no shortage of energy, and a fine, confident structure. Rating: 94-96 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2019)

This is good, precise, inky and concentrated in colour with the texture the first thing you feel here, it actually takes a good few minutes before the fruit comes to the fore. The tannins are powerful, a little more brooding than some Pomerols this year but then the layers appear. The Cabernet Franc is hidden at first and you get the texture of the Merlot, then the florality of the Cabernet arrives, as does liquorice, silky plum and blackberry fruit. Give it time because this is a great Clos de Clocher, perhaps a little departure in terms of style but in the right direction – it’s starting to clearly put a stake in the ground alongside the really serious Pomerols - a property that is getting better and better. 3.8pH. Drinking range: 2026 - 2044 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (Mar 2019)

A property in three plots on the plateau of Pomerol, about 4.6 hectares, a mixture of clay, gravel and sandy soils, planted with 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. The wine is aged in about 60% new wood and production is around 2000 cases per annum. A new chai was created in 2010, and quality has leapt forward here.

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.