CHÂTEAU LA TOUR BLANCHE

2019 1er Cru Classé Sauternes

EN PRIMEUR

* 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.

Sauternes Premier Cru 1855 Uniquely among wine estates, Château La Tour Blanche is the property of the French state, having been gifted to the nation by the philanthropist Daniel "Osiris" Iffla on his death in 1907. An agricultural college was duly built in 1911 and functions to this day. M. Iffla's generosity is commemorated by the words "Donation Osiris" that appear on every label. The name derives from an 18th Century owner - Jean Saint-Marc du Latourblanche who was Treasurer Géneral to Louis XIV. Château La Tour Blanche is often quoted as the birthplace of modern Sauternes. It is said that the German owner in the mid-19th Century, Frederic Focke, brought knowledge about noble rot from his native Rhine valley to his vineyards overlooking the River Ciron. Quite how true the story is is in some doubt - as a naturally occuring phenomenon in the area, it is unlikely that Sauternes vignerons were unaware of botrytis cinerea and there is eveidence that its benefits in sweet wine making were known before Herr Focke's time, at Château d'Yquem at least. He may well have brought a deeper understanding of the subject with him as, under his ownership, Château La Tour Blanche was ranked second only to Château d'Yquem in the 1855 classification. There are 65ha of vineyard, planted with 83% Semillon, 12% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Muscadelle. Wines are fermented in oak and aged for 18 months in new wood. La Tour Blanche's reputation has slipped a little since 1855 - it would no longer be able to boast of being second only to Yquem, but one should charitably put that down, at least in part, to the considerable rise in profile and quality of its neighbours and competitors. Château La Tour Blanche is still one of the more reliable producers, especially in the last couple of decades.

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.