CHÂTEAU LE CROCK

2019 Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel Saint Estèphe

EN PRIMEUR

Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel as of the 2018 vintage, this is a totally gorgeous wine with sleek damson fruits and a clear pocket of air running all the way through the palate and giving a menthol freshness on the finish. A definite one to recommend in the vintage, firm tannins, great fruit expression and a sense of personality. Easily touching the quality of their 2016 vintage. Drinking range: 2024 - 2040 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 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 Le Crock is a powerful, burly Saint-Estèphe. A rush of black cherry, scorched earth, licorice, tobacco and menthol makes a strong opening statement. Rich, virile and packed, the 2019 is big, hearty wine that shows the savory personality of Saint-Estèphe. The tannins are a bit coarse, but then again, that is to be expected. There is certainly a lot of wine here. Drinking range: 2024 - 2039 Rating: 92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)

The 2019 Le Crock has a well-defined nose of blackberry, cedar and light peony aromas, nicely focused and concentrated while retaining a degree of elegance. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, fine acidity, a grainy texture and a caressing finish that displays well-integrated oak. This is a delicious Le Crock. Drinking range: 2024 - 2040 Rating: 91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)

Delivers confident St Estèphe tannins and swagger together with a gourmet richness that is pretty irresistible. Great quality, with liquorice, turmeric, cinnamon spice, along with damson and black berry fruits, wrapped up in cocoa bean and smoked oak pleasure. One to look out for, from the same owners as Léoville Poyferré in St Julien. Drinking range: 2024 - 2040 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (Jan 2022)

The 2019 Le Crock has a very suave bouquet with opulent blackberry, bilberry and cedar aromas, hints of dark chocolate in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with rounded, lithe tannins, a fine bead of acidity, smooth in texture with a liberal sprinkling of white pepper towards the finish. This is a more approachable Le Crock but its harmony and generosity cannot be denied. Drinking range: 2024 - 2040 Rating: 90-92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jun 2020)

Château Le Crock is in Saint Estèphe in the northern Médoc. The imposing current Château was built by the Merman family at the beginning of the nineteenth century and is surrounded by magnificent gardens. The vineyard is around 33 hectares (82 acres) and touches two of the most prestigious châteaux of the appellation, Château Cos d’Estournel and Château Montrose.

It is owned by the Cuvelier family, which also owns Château Léoville Poyferré in Saint Julien. The Cuveliers were originally wine merchants in Lille in northern France and Le Crock was their first vineyard purchase, in 1903, so has a special place in the affections of the family, many of whom spent their summers there. The Cuvelier properties were run with considerable flair by Didier Cuvelier for forty years. 2018 his cousin Sara Lecompte-Cuvelier took over at le Crock. Under Jonathan Servant, who runs the vineyard, the soil is worked mechanically, to avoid the use of herbicides, and with sexual confusion techniques to avoid the use of pesticides. The consultant oenologist is Michel Rolland.

Grape Varieties: 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot.

In the classification of the Crus Bourgeois in early 2020, Le Crock was elevated to the status of Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel.

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.