LA PETITE ÉGLISE

2018 Pomerol

EN PRIMEUR

80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc. 35% new oak. Inviting warm nose of toasted oak and dark fruit. Supple entry. Not weighty but elegant and balanced. Flows delightfully across the palate with the tannins adding gentle grip. This is a seriously good Petite Église and with only 4,900 bottles made, the big question is how much can we secure! Drinking range: 2025 - 2036L&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.

The 2018 La Petite Eglise was picked September 18 to 28 and raised in 35% new oak. It is intriguing to read my notes from barrel, when this was "backward and reticent on the nose," since now is has attained some degree of youthful precocity, the black fruit mingling with kirsch and more floral, violet scents. The palate is medium-bodied and retains a sense of pliancy. Quite glossy, maybe richer than expected, and very persistent and pure, it reveals a hidden hedonism that it kept under wraps in barrel. Thoroughly delicious. Drinking range: 2022 - 2034 Rating: 91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)

The 2018 La Petite Eglise is every bit as impressive as it was from barrel. Readers will find a very serious second wine endowed with considerable heft and gravitas. Dark plum, graphite, new leather and menthol open with a bit of time, but the 2018 is a wine to put away in the cellar for at least a few years. La Petite Eglise is not going to be easy to find, as yields were down 60%. The blend is 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drinking range: 2026 - 2038 Rating: 93 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)

Plenty of crushed berries, cherries and plums, as well as fresh-mushroom and walnut undertones. It’s full-bodied with chewy tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Beautiful second wine of L’Eglise Clinet. Drinking range: 2025 - Rating: 94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Jan 2021)

Getting the younger vines from l'Eglise Clinet, the 2018 La Petite Eglise is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc brought up in 35% new French oak. Black cherries, tobacco leaf, some earth, and graphite notes all emerge from the glass, and it's elegant and rich at the same time. Nicely balanced, medium to full-bodied, with fine tannins and no hard edges, it's another terrific wine from this estate I’d be happy to drink. Rating: 91-93 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2019)

80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc (young vines); 35% new oak. First year with Cabernet Franc. Barrel sample. Black core with crimson rim. Dark, savoury and chewy. The fruit is dense rather than aromatic. Pretty introvert even with all this power or perhaps because of the power; thick tannins but smoothed on the finish. Drinking range: 2025 - 2032 Rating: 16 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2019)

Produced by Denis Durantou of Château L’Eglise Clinet, the 2018 La Petite Eglise is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, with 35% new oak and 14.5% alcohol. This is the first time Cabernet Franc was used in the blend and the first time younger vines from L'Eglise Clinet were used. Deep purple-black in color, the nose is boldly scented of baked plums, Black Forest cake and kirsch with suggestions of forest floor, cinnamon stick, fertile loam and sautéed herbs with a waft of roses. Full-bodied, the palate is packed with fragrant black fruit preserves, textured by ripe, rounded tannins and finishes long and perfumed. Rating: 91-93 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2019)

This second wine from Denis Durantou is 100% Merlot, as always I think, picked between September 18th and the 28th. It starts with a fine, fresh and slightly peppery nose, with grilled black cherry fruits, sprinkled with notes of chalk dust, all rather fresh and fragrant. The palate shows a very fine, pencil-drawn structure, within which sit the black cherry, black plum and blackcurrant fruit flavours, wrapped up in a chalky substance, and gripped with rich tannin, in a velvety and tight-knit style. A rather fresh character here, with some appealing if rather darkly defined fruits, dusted with liquorice and soot, and a substance which seems appropriate for the structure. Pure, but with a solid grip, this second wine should be destined for your cellar, probably for quite a long time. The élevage will be in 35% new oak. Rating: 91-93 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2019)

This is very tight and long for Petite Église with a very compact and focused palate. Medium-to full-bodied, compressed palate with ripe tannins that are firm and fresh. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)

This is powerful and tingly with great minerality on show, but a large-framed Petite Eglise - a pretty hedonistic take on 2018, and certainly more than Durantou usually gives in to. There’s more Cabernet Franc in Petite Eglise than usual because new plantings up by the church have come on line, plus most of the usual vines for this wine are currently pulled up ready for replanting meaning it’s pretty much entirely young vines which took, and show, the heat of the summer. 35% new oak was used. Drinking range: 2024 - 2036 Rating: 91 Jane Anson, Decanter (Mar 2019)

In a region of modest architecture, the high-spired church in Pomerol tends to dominate the sky-line. Gathered around it, a trio of estates trumpet their proximity with their name – Domaine de l’Eglise, Clos l’Eglise and Château l’Eglise Clinet. Infact, Clos l’Eglise Clinet and l’Eglise Clinet, separated only by a narrow lane, used to form a single estate until they were divided in inheritance in the latter half of the 19th Century. Initially, confusingly, called Clos de l’Eglise, the estate appended the lieu dit name and became Clos de l’Eglise Clinet, before finally settling on l’Eglise Clinet. The château, such as it is, is quite modest – the château proper being left with the Clos l’Eglise portion when the estate divided. The Château l’Eglise Clinet story really begins when Denis Durantou took over in 1983 and turned a traditional if unexciting property into one of Pomerol’s superstars. New equipment in a small new chai were installed and meticulous attention has been paid to the vineyard. There are 6ha of vines given over to 85% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc with the last 1% being a plot of very old Malbec vines. Denis Durantou also owns Château les Cruzelles in Lalande-de-Pomerol, Saintayme in Saint Emilion and Chateau Montlandrie in the Côtes de Castillon.

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.