FUGUE DE NÉNIN
2018 du Château Nénin Pomerol
Dark cherries with some blueberry and herbal notes on the nose. It’s full-bodied with firm tannins. Savory with an inky note on the palate. Nice berry, dark-chocolate and hazelnut undertones. Flavorful finish with length. Second wine of Nenin. Try after 2023. Rating: 94 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.
88% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc; 25% new oak. pH 3.6. Barrel sample. Deepest cherry red. Unusual aroma of exotic spice, almost nutmeg. Really scented with that spice but not overpowered. Quite obvious oak on the palate, less spice, a thick but smooth texture. Supple and rounded then that nutmeg back on the finish. Not very long but generous in fruit at the core. (JH) Drinking range: 2022 - 2028 Rating: 16 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2019)
The 2018 Fugue de Nenin is composed of 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc, with 14.4% alcohol. Grapes were harvested September 13 to October 12, with yields of 33.8 hectoliter per hectare. The wine is to be aged in barriques, 25% new—the finished blend was put into barrels last December. Deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with gregarious black cherries, redcurrant jelly and warm plums scents with nuances of dark chocolate, cloves and anise. Medium to full-bodied, the palate offers lovely rounded tannins and a lively line of freshness supporting the crunchy red and black fruits, finishing with an herbal lift. Rating: 89-91 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2019)
Gorgeous density and depth to this second wine from Nenin with wonderful purity and length. Medium-bodied, very tight and long with gorgeous fruit. Long and together. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)
This is a blend of 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc, mostly from sandy soils around the château, picked between September 13th and October 10th, with a yield of 33.8 hl/ha, an alcohol of 14.4% and a pH of 3.6. It has a really pretty note of rose petals, a quite fragrant perfume, with notes of grilled cherry stones and pips. This continues with a fresh style on the palate, easy going and delicate, with gently polished fruit, fresh and bright. This is all fragrant cherry leaf and bay leaf, with a little menthol freshness, pretty, fresh and expressive. Rating: 88-90 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2019)
This has plenty of Pomerol character with accessible, flexible tannins and a beautifully vibrant edging – again with the pencil lead note that I get in the first wine but overtaken by bright fruits and smoked cedar notes. No need to wait too long to enjoy. 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc in the blend. Drinking range: 2024 - 2034 Rating: 89 Jane Anson, Decanter (Mar 2019)
Château Nénin
Two things make Château Nenin standout from the rest of Pomerol – at 32ha it is considerably larger than most in in this crowded appellation; and Nenin has a real bona fide 19th Century château at its core rather than the more usual small shed. Infact it appears more along the lines of something one might find in the Haut-Médoc which is perhaps fitting as, since 1987, it has been in common ownership with Château Potensac and the great Saint Julien estate of Château Leoville Las Cases. As one might expect with such a noble stable-mate, quality has advanced rapidly in line with a lot of healthy investment in the estate. The vineyards are planted with 78% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon with an average age of around 30 years. The second wine is Fugue de Nenin.
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.