CHÂTEAU SAINT PIERRE

2019 4ème Cru Classé Saint Julien

EN PRIMEUR

This more serious and more reserved big brother of Chateau Gloria impresses in 2019. There is more Cabernet here (79% Cabernet Sauvignon & 21% Merlot) and Saint Pierre always spends longer in oak than Gloria - always more masculine. 'This will last forever' said Jean-Louis Triaud as we tasted over the air-waves together. It will certainly reward the patient.

More guts and bite here really jump out after the easy and more generous Gloria. Some green leaf and tobacco notes are deliciously classical. Lovely spice. The fruit is darker and more brooding, a more traditional feel , but totally delicious. Cabernet to the fore and it is upright and nicely gnarly. Smart Bordeaux lines with proper grip and tannins and a ripe fruit smudge that leads to the long aromatic finish.

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 Saint-Pierre has a quintessential Saint-Julien nose, very well defined with blackberry, brown spices and cedar unfurling with each swirl. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, fresh and full of tension. Good mid-weight depth, grippy yet fresh, with an appealing corpulence on the finish. Yummy! Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. Drinking range: 2025 - 2050 Rating: 94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)

Violet-edged, with sculpted fruit and an enticing mix of precision and generosity, with classic St Julien balance. Great depth of fruit, crushed rocks, smoked earth, tobacco. Takes time to show itself, but there is sweet blackberry fruit here, and a purity of expression that has clear long-term potential. At this point they were working 15% organic, before switching to 100% the following year. 49% new oak. Harvest September 23 to October 4, Eric Boissenot consultant. Drinking range: 2029 - 2046 Rating: 96 Jane Anson, Decanter (Feb 2022)

The 2019 Saint-Pierre is a Saint-Julien of real substance and presence. Inky black fruit, gravel, scorched earth, new oak, espresso, lavender and menthol build into the wine's huge, vibrant frame. There's quite a bit of tannin here, so readers will have to be patient. Saint-Pierre is always a powerhouse, but it appears to be especially brooding in 2019. Drinking range: 2027 - 2039 Rating: 94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)

The 2019 Saint-Pierre has a little more intensity and ambition than the Gloria, offering intense blackberry, boysenberry, cedar and pencil box aromas; hints of iodine come through with time. The palate is medium-bodied, dense and saline, with sappy black fruit, fine acidity and hints of black olive lending complexity on the persistent finish. A great Saint-Julien. Drinking range: 2025 - 2050 Rating: 95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)

Ripe and well-built, with a gentle, understated approach stylistically and a rounded feel, as warm earth, sweet tobacco and savory details permeate a core of friendly plum, black cherry and cassis flavors. Features a long iron note, which adds subtle tension through the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2024 through 2038.—J.M. Rating: 94 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Jan 2022)

Very deep purple-black colored, the 2019 Saint-Pierre comes shooting out of the glass with vibrant scents of crushed black and red currants, black raspberries and boysenberries with touches of lavender, tilled soil, pencil shavings and camphor plus a waft of red roses. The medium-bodied palate is charged with energy, featuring densely packed, muscular black and red fruits with a solid frame of ripe, grainy tannins and tons of freshness, finishing long and mineral laced. Make no mistake, this estate is on a roll! Rating: 94-96 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Jun 2020)

The 2019 Saint-Pierre (Saint-Julien) is fabulous. Graphite, gravel, lavender and inky dark fruit are some of the many notes that emerge from this potent, tightly wound Saint-Julien that is going to require at least a measure of patience. The blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot results in a virile, tannic Saint-Julien loaded with potential, but also a wine that demands cellaring. Rating: 92-94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2020)

Walnuts and dark berries with chocolate undertones. Medium to full body, firm tannins and a tight finish. In reserve. Very structured. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Jun 2020)

A powerful St Julien, bedded and knitted down with layers of cassis and bilberry fruits, crushed stone and baked earth, along with a gentler waft of tobacco and black pepper spice. Needs time to open, this is a confident wine with a ton of tannin, and will require a bit of patience but you'll be richly rewarded. 55% new oak. Drinking range: 2028 - 2044 Rating: 95 Jane Anson, Decanter (Jun 2020)

St Julien Quatrième cru 1855 At 17ha Château Saint Pierre is the smallest classed growth estate in St Julien. The name is derived from the Baron de Saint-Pierre who owned the estate at the tail end of the 18th Century. He left Saint-Pierre to his two daughters who, after running the estate together for a while, divided Saint-Pierre in two in 1832. The Dutch company, Van den Bussche bought both bits of Saint-Pierre in 1923 and re-united the estate. In 1982, Henri Martin (the man who assembled the Château Gloria from bits of vineyard purchased from various St Julien estates, including Saint-Pierre) bought the estate and he, and his daughter and son-in law Françoise and Jean-Louis Triaudand, have done much to raise the profile of this oft over-looked château. The vineyards are planted to 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, with the wines being made at Château Gloria. Although renewed reputation has pushed the price up a little in recent years, Saint-Pierre still represents quite good value for some nicely made darkly coloured St Julien.

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.