CHÂTEAU BARDE HAUT

2020 Grand Cru Saint Emilion

EN PRIMEUR

Aromas of black and blue fruit, toasted spices, walnut and dark chocolate. Medium- to full-bodied with a juicy character and firm, polished tannins which build on the palate. Well-balanced, structured and compact with velvety texture and hints of spices and bark to close. Lingering finish. Try after 2027. Rating: 95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 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.

The 2020 Barde-Haut is just as compelling it was from barrel. Blueberry jam, crème de cassis, hard candy, spice, new leather and lavender infuse the 2020 with exotic beauty. Soft contours and silky tannins add to its immediacy. Bright acids lend vibrancy to play off all the natural opulence. The 2020 is a fine vintage of Barde-Haut, one of the best in recent memory. The intensely saline finish alone is a thing of beauty. Drinking range: 2027 - 2040 Rating: 95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)

The 2020 Barde-Haut has an intense bouquet with black cherries, wild strawberries, freshly pressed violets and light incense aromas, harmonious yet fairly backward. The palate has a very sensual opening: sweet blackberry, balsamic, white pepper and light graphite notes from the 20% Cabernet Franc. It feels linear and strict at the moment, which bodes well for the future. Very fine, but patience is necessary if you want to see this Saint-Émilion at its peak. Drinking range: 2027 - 2042 Rating: 93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)

Aromas of black and blue fruit, toasted spices, walnut and dark chocolate. Medium- to full-bodied with a juicy character and firm, polished tannins which build on the palate. Well-balanced, structured and compact with velvety texture and hints of spices and bark to close. Lingering finish. Try after 2027. Rating: 95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Dec 2022)

The 2020 Barde-Haut is packed with inky dark fruit, blackberry jam, chocolate, licorice, cloves and new French oak. Deep and muscular in the glass, the 2020 possesses off the charts intensity married to equally imposing tannins. The 2020 is a huge, virile wine that is going to need time to fully come together. It sure is impressive today. Harvest took place between September 15 and 29, a compact time frame by historical standards. Drinking range: 2032 - 2050 Rating: 93-95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2021)

Coming from a gorgeous vineyard on the eastern, cooler side of Saint-Emilion, and 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Château Barde-Haut has a bright, juicy, yet powerful bouquet of ripe blue fruits, scorched earth, tobacco, and cedary herbs. It has a kiss of background oak (it’s aging in 60% new barrels), medium to full-bodied richness, a ripe, textured mouthfeel, and serious underlying structure that comes out with time in the glass. It should have some upfront appeal, yet smart money is on giving bottles at least 4-5 years of bottle age, and it will keep for 2-3 decades. Rating: 94-96 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2021)

Opaque purple-black in color, the 2020 Barde-Haut opens with a beguiling perfume of wild blueberries, dark chocolate and candied violets before giving way to notes of kirsch, forest floor and spice cake with a waft of dried mint. The medium to full-bodied palate bursts with juicy black and blue fruits, supported by a lovely line of freshness and beautifully soft tannins, finishing with impressive restraint and a long-lingering mineral note. Drinking range: 2025 - 2045 Rating: 93-95 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (May 2021)

A good drop of damson and black cherry fruits right up front, and holds its line while the more austere tannins come in towards the finish. Expertly extracted, self-contained right now, firm fruits that don't dip through the mid palate alongside a glossy wash of liquorice, black chocolate, sage and anis. This is clearly going to age well. 60% new oak for ageing. Owned by Hélène Garcin-Leveque, this is located right next to Troplong Mondot. Drinking range: 2027 - 2042 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2021)

The 2020 Barde-Haut clearly benefited from its limestone soils in this vintage. Picked September 21–30 at 42hl/ha, it does not disguise its opulent nose and displays more blue fruit than some of its peers, gaining purity with aeration and delivering macerated black cherries, loganberry, crushed violet and very subtle hints of fresh fig. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins that disguise the structure of this Saint-Émilion Grand Cru. It has the same harmony and detail as its stablemate, but there is more depth and length toward the finish, which shows real panache. Gorgeous. Drinking range: 2027 - 2042 Rating: 93-95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2021)

A young red with blackberry, chocolate and walnut character that follows through to a medium to full body with creamy tannins and a flavorful finish. Subtle in the end. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2021)

Château Barde Haut is a 17 hectare estate located at the extreme east of the village of Saint-Emilion. The vineyard forms an natural amphitheatre and is particularly well exposed to the south. The soil is very typical of Saint Emilion being mainly composed of clay which is found on a layer of chalk. There has been significant investment in renovating the cellar so that all work is completely done by gravity to ensure that the precious grapes of the Château are well respected. The cellar is equiped with wooden vats, stainless steel tanks and concrete vats of 50 to 70 hl. A strict policy of selection to ensure the quality is undertaken and individual steps including pigeage are all carried out by hand. It is the combination of exceptional soil and the introduction of natural wine producing and winegrowing technologies combining tradition and modernity that have made Château Barde Haut one of the rising stars of Saint Emilion.

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.