CHÂTEAU PRIEURÉ LICHINE
2019 4ème Cru Classé Margaux
The 2019 Prieuré-Lichine has a clean and precise bouquet with blackberry, tobacco, undergrowth and light smoky scents - very classic in style, the oak nicely integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with high-toned black cherries and blueberry fruit, spicier than expected with an energetic if not particularly complex finish. Enjoyable rather than intellectual. This performance does not correspond with its showing either from barrel or just after bottling, so I will seek to revisit this Margaux. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. Rating: 0 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
* 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.
Excellent quality, full of pleasure, this unrolls slowly and carefully, great texture to the tannins, with sculpted, precise black cherry and damson fruits, cocoa bean, liqourice and gunsmoke. 51hl/h yield overall, 45hl/h yield for the 1st wine (which reflects the fact that some of the best plots are old vines that give less yield overall). 40% new oak continuing this gradual reduction. Drinking range: 2027 - 2044 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (Jun 2022)
The 2019 Prieuré-Lichine is impeccable. Creamy, layered and resonant in the glass, the 2019 hits all the right notes. Sweet red cherry/plum, lavender, rose petal, spice, mint and blood orange all build effortlessly. Over the last handful of years Prieuré-Lichine has been the single most under the radar wine in Margaux. The 2019 is another fine edition. Class, polish and sensuality make Prieuré-Lichine absolutely irresistible. Drinking range: 2029 - 2049 Rating: 95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)
The 2019 Prieuré-Lichine is very perfumed on the nose, offering ample red berry fruit, cranberry and undergrowth scents; more rose petal aromas emerge with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and gentle grip. As I suggested in my primeur note, it appears to show a little more judicious extraction, so that the finish feels more substantial. Excellent. Drinking range: 2026 - 2060 Rating: 93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)
The 2019 Prieuré-Lichine soars from the glass, showing tremendous aromatic depth and tons of pure drive. Silky and plush on the palate, the 2019 has so much going on. Super-ripe red cherry, red plum, blood orange, mint, wild flowers and sweet spice give this racy Margaux tons of class. As good as the 2019 is today, my impression is that there is more wine than I am seeing from these barrel samples. Tasted two times. Rating: 93-95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2020)
Marked Cabernet cassis aroma with crunchy, fresh appeal. Lively, animated palate that is both juicy and suave. Ample fruit to coat the firm but ripe tannins. Good length and persistence. Drinking range: 2026 - 2038 Rating: 17 James Lawther MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Jun 2020)
Plump black fruits, medium to full intensity plum colour with a violet rim and slate-edged tannins that slow things down on the end of the wine. The trick with a Margaux wine is to get concentration without losing elegance, and they have pulled that off here. It's an excellent Prieuré, with a slow build through the palate, if not quite at the height of the wines that have been produced at this estate in 2016 and 2018 but you are not going to be disappointed here. Tasted twice two weeks apart. Stéphane Derenoncourt consultant. Drinking range: 2026 - 2040 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2020)
Dense and layered red with blueberry and currant aromas and flavors. It’s full-bodied, focused and intense. Nice balance of fruit and tannins. Curious to see if 2019 will be better than the 2018 in the end. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, The Wine Spectator (May 2020)
Château Prieuré Lichine
Margaux Quatrième cru 1855 As the name suggests, the early history of Prieuré-Lichine starts with the Benedictine monks of the Prieuré de Cantenac who assembled, by the 18th Century, quite a reputation for their wine. The Revolution put an end to ecclesiastical ownership, La Prieuré was seized and sold off with much of the vineyard becoming parts of other estates including Château Palmer. A with many Médoc estates, the first half of the 20th Century was a period of decline. By 1951 Château Prieuré-Cantenac was reduced to 11ha of rather sorry vines. Salvation came that year with the estate's purchase by wine writer Alexis Lichine. He renovated the chais and the château, and gradually increased vineyard holdings by buying spare vineyard land from other Margaux estates. Château Prieuré-Lichine is to the east of Cantenac. There are, now, around 70ha of vineyard, somewhat dispersed around the appellation, with 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot with a small balance of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. The Grand Vin spends 16 months inn wood (55% new).
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 2024 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2026. 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 2026. 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.