CHÂTEAU D'AIGUILHE
2019 Côtes de Castillon
This is delicious. What an opener from Von Neipperg! Measured and intense. Well packed with lovely soft fruit and super suede like dusty tannins. Chalky feel adds some good bite - very impressive. Restrained and cool. Supple integrated feel. 85% Merlot & 15% Cabernet Franc. L&S (Jun 2020)
* 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 2019 Château d'Aiguilhe has a lifted nose of blackberry, raspberry, cedar and black pepper, composed though not amazingly complex. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, quite a bit of extraction here, however I need to see a little more terroir expression on the finish. Not bad, though not as memorable as I would have liked. Possibly just closing down? Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. Drinking range: 2024 - 2036 Rating: 89 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
The 2019 d'Aiguilhe is still pretty tight. That won't be an issue in time, but readers looking for a 2019 to drink young won't find that here. In this tasting, the savoriness of Franc and the bright acids of these calcaire soils drive the wine's taut personality. Blood orange, mint, chalk, dried flowers and red cherry jam lead into the bright, layered finish. Drinking range: 2024 - 2034 Rating: 90 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)
The 2019 d'Aiguilhe has a really lovely bouquet of ample black cherry, mulberry and light floral scents, very pure and delineated. The palate is medium-bodied with cedar-infused red fruit. While not as exuberant as the aromatics, this is nicely detailed and quite poised on the finish. No, I still cannot pronounce its name, but this Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux is well worth seeking out. Drinking range: 2023 - 2038 Rating: 92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)
The 2019 d'Aiguilhe sports a very deep garnet-purple color, springing from the glass with vivacious scents of fresh blueberries, kirsch and ripe blackberries plus wafts of underbrush, wilted roses, chalk dust and chocolate-covered cherries with a hint of lavender. The medium-bodied palate has an electric line of freshness cutting through the perfumed black fruits, textured by finely grained, soft tannins, finishing with a skip in its step. Rating: 90-92 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Jun 2020)
The 2019 d'Aiguilhe was picked from 19 September to 5 October and matured in 30% new oak. This has a beautiful, very pure bouquet, demonstrating more precision than the Clos Marsalette alongside. The palate has a spring in its step with fresh red berry fruit, cedar, mint and a citric twist right on the finish. What a delicious d'Aiguilhe, even if I still cannot pronounce its name. Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jun 2020)
Brilliant wine maintaining clear grip from start to finish, powerful black fruits with a silky smooth texture. Clear austerity with fresh acidities, this is mouthwatering on the finish and totally moreish. Drinking range: 2023 - 2036 Rating: 92 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2020)
I like the blue fruit to this with violet and wet-earth undertones to the currants. It’s medium-bodied with fine tannins and a fruity finish. Rating: 91-92 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2020)
Château d'Aiguilhe
Chateau d’Aiguilhe, owned by Stephan Neipperg is situated in a unique location. The Bordeaux wine property is bordered on one side by a plateau. The other side is bordered by a small valley. This overlooks “l’aiguille”, which is a French term meaning “needle.” This is how the chateau found its name. The property has a long and interesting history as a Bordeaux wine property. At one time, there was supposed to have been a Roman villa on this site. Much later, the château was probably used as a commandery for the Knights Templar. The first written records date back to the late 12th century. The château was built in the 13th century. d’Aiguilhe was obtained by the d’Albret family before it was sold to the Leberthon family. The Leberthon family connection was important as numerous familiy members were officials in the Bordeaux parliament. Eventually the Leberthons sold Château d’Aiguilhe on the eve of the French Revolution to Etienne Martineau. He expanded it into a huge Bordeaux wine estate with four hundred hectares of vines in a single block. His descendents remained owners of the château until 1920. Today, the Right Bank property is owned and managed by Stephan von Neipperg, who owns several other Bordeaux wine properties in St. Emilion.
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.