CHÂTEAU DURFORT VIVENS

2019 2ème Cru Classé Margaux

EN PRIMEUR

A number of tasters in Bordeaux have remarked on Durfort Vivens this year - Gonzague Lurton's biodynamic approach having produced a wine with great clarity of expression. Bit of a punt, but maybe worth a try at this price.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 Durfort-Vivens has fleshed out nicely. Silky, red/purplish fruit, blood orange and pomegranate give this plush Margaux fabulous depth. Time in the glass brings out very pretty floral accents to round things out. This classy Margaux is elegant, nuanced and polished. It's a terrific effort from Gonzague Lurton. Drinking range: 2029 - 2049 Rating: 95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)

The 2019 Durfort-Vivens was matured two-thirds in new oak barrels and one-third in amphorae. The plush nose of blueberry and violet scents is very Margaux in style, though much tighter than I was anticipating. The poised palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, and quite delineated toward the the finish, which shows more mineralité than previous vintages and impressive linearity. Excellent. Drinking range: 2023 - 2040 Rating: 92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)

Hard not to be impressed by the balance on display here, with plenty of graphite and crushed stones, savoury blueberry and cassis fruits, and a kick of rosemary, gunpowder tea and eucalyptus on the finish. This really showcases the concentration and freshness that is a mark of the vintage in Margaux. 66% new oak, and the rest in amphoras. An upscore from En Primeur. Drinking range: 2028 - 2046 Rating: 95 Jane Anson, Decanter (Jan 2022)

A super natural red with blackberries and blackcurrants, as well as black chocolate and hints of cedar. Partially made in amphora. It’s long, very flavorful, rich and pure. New classic. From biodynamically grown grapes. Rating: 95-96 James Suckling, The Wine Spectator (Jun 2020)

While we are preparing the bottling of our glorious 2018 vintage, and tend to the vines as the 2020 progresses, activity in the cellar is relatively peaceful, as 2019 slowly ages in barrels and terracotta jars. When we decided to convert the property to biodynamic agriculture in 2012, ultimately obtaining certification from Demeter® in 2016, our desire was to be more attuned to nature, and to express its beauty in our wines.

We have not been disappointed by the new dimension that Château Durfort Vivens’ wines have acquired. We have shifted from a world of manufacturing to one of orchestration.

2019, like every vintage, has its own personality. This has evolved harmoniously, but not without taking us through many kinds of emotions! The spring frost luckily raised more fears than damages. Then flowering was exceptionally uniform, the most spectacular that I have had the good fortune to witness, giving birth to immense optimism. This was then dashed by the rain in June, and the spectre of the downy mildew returned from the previous year to haunt us day and night.

Fortunately, this threat remained largely in our imaginations, and the vines and their grapes continued to grow harmoniously through a hot, dry summer and a late season that brought a few welcome showers. This 2019 Château Durfort Vivens is like a coldblooded animal. It met various challenges with phlegm, while we were so worried, and now with the first tastings, it quietly wowed us by its impressive balance.

HARVEST
Merlot 17 to 19 september
Cabernet franc 23 september
Cabernet sauvignon 23 september to 10 october
YIELD
2019 50 hl/ha
BLENDING
Cabernet Sauvignon 90%, Merlot 10%
MATURING
The DURFORT VIVENS 2019 will be raised for 18 months for 2/3 in new barrels and 1/3 in terracotta jars.
Winemaker's notes (Jun 2020)

The Durfort de Duras family came to Bordeaux in the 14th Century and laid the foundations of today's estate. They also, for a while, owned the near-by Château Lamothe (which went on to become Château Margaux). In 1824 the family sold to a Monsieur de Vivens who added his name to his new property. Under his ownership, Durfort-Vivens was awarded Second Growth status in 1855, a status it has often struggled to live up to. In 1937 the company that owned Château Margaux bought Durfort-Vivens and it was, once again, in common ownership with the villages grandest estate. Indeed, until 1961 when Durfort-Vivens was sold to Lucien Lurton, the wine from Château Durfort Vivens was made at Château Margaux.

The period of Lurton ownership has seen slow steady progress for Durfort-Vivens particularly since Lucien's son Gonzague took over and had a new chai built in the 1990s.

Gonzague decided to take the whole property into organic farming in 2012, and achieved certification in 2016. Following a biodynamic regime, the estate is also certified by Demeter.

AOC appellation : Margaux
Ranking : 2nd Classified Growth in 1855
Surface of the vineyard : 65 hectares of which 55 are vines
Soil : deep gravel from the Quaternary
period (Günz and Mindel) with a sand/clay matrix
Density : 6600 to 8300 vines/hectare
Vats : wooden, concrete vats and terracotta jars with capacities that enable each parcel to be treated separately.
Barrels : Bordeaux type barrels made of French oak from the centre of France. 60 % of new oak
Owner : Gonzague Lurton
Production Manager : Léopold Valentin

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.