CHÂTEAU CROIX DE LABRIE
2020 Grand Cru Saint Emilion
This is a glorious 2020 with such pure fruit of currants and blackberries, as well as dark chocolate. It’s full and layered and opens in the glass to a lovely layer of fine, velvety tannins that are bright and citrusy. Crunchy. It really opens and shows so many layers. Spectacular. Drink after 2027. Rating: 98 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 Croix de Labrie is rich, sumptuous and a real head-turner. Jammy dark fruit, blood orange, mint, cinnamon, sweet oak and mocha are all amplified. Plush, silky tannins wrap it all together beautifully. The 2020 is opulent and flamboyant, but also remains light on its feet, showing impeccable balance and tons of class. Drinking range: 2025 - 2040 Rating: 94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
The 2020 Croix de Labrie has a highly perfumed, overly floral bouquet with crushed violet and iris infusing the dark cherry fruit. It manages to retain admirable delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with a candied orange peel-tinged opening, harmonious, fine tannins and a fresh, cohesive finish. This is one of the best wines from Axelle and Pierre Courdurié in recent years. Drinking range: 2027 - 2045 Rating: 92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
This is a glorious 2020 with such pure fruit of currants and blackberries, as well as dark chocolate. It’s full and layered and opens in the glass to a lovely layer of fine, velvety tannins that are bright and citrusy. Crunchy. It really opens and shows so many layers. Spectacular. Drink after 2027. Rating: 98 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Dec 2022)
Soupy and full-bodied and far too oaky, this is a heavy wine with no freshness or vivacity at all on the palate. While the oak is hard, the fruit is ripe and the constituent elements are certainly of appreciable quality, the winemaking is heavy-handed, sweaty and extractive. What a shame. Rating: 15+? Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Jun 2021)
The 2020 Croix de Labrie is superb. Rich, pliant and wonderfully expressive, it dazzles right out of the gate. Inky red fruit, rose petal, cinnamon, cedar, new leather and mint all build in the glass. Silky and plush, with terrific balance, the 2020 is shaping up to be a real jewel of a wine. Drinking range: 2026 - 2040 Rating: 93-95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2021)
The 2020 Croix de Labrie has an intense bouquet of blueberry, cassis and light violet aromas, showing a little more delineation compared to the 2018 that I recently re-tasted. The palate is medium-bodied with a satin-like texture, very plush but not exotic thanks to the counterbalancing acidity. This is a little spicier than previous vintages and it shows commendable harmony on the finish. One of the best vintages I have tasted in recent years. Drinking range: 2027 - 2045 Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2021)
Glass-staining purple, plenty of violet reflections. It starts off with confidence, with sappy fruits and a whisk of mocha gourmet edging, and keeps up the pace through the palate. Nicely held together with tension, concentrated flavours and a swagger of grilled oak. Axelle and Pierre Courdurié. A yield of 25hl/ha, 100% new oak. Harvest September 16 to 27. Drinking range: 2026 - 2038 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2021)
The focus and texture of this wine is really something. It’s totally transparent with blackberries, blueberries, earth, stone and mushrooms. Flowers too. Full-bodied with firm tannins that give super form and length to this. Freshness. Almost all merlot with a tiny dash of cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon. Perhaps the best ever? Certainly at the same level as the 2019. About 14,000 bottles made. Rating: 98-99 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2021)
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 2023 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.