CHÂTEAU DALEM
2020 Fronsac
Aromas of spiced plums and cocoa-dusted blueberries with hints of walnuts and dry earth. Medium- to full-bodied with layers of fine-grained tannins and a chalky texture. Structured and concentrated with a vivid and crunchy dark fruit palate. Pure and succulent with notes of spices and dried herbs with a lingering finish. Try after 2024. Rating: 94 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 Dalem is all class. Bright, floral and nuanced, the 2020 offers gorgeous hints of crushed raspberry, mint, blood orange and lavender. This is beautifully done. Drinking range: 2024 - 2035 Rating: 92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
The 2020 Dalem, the first vintage under the consultancy of Eric Boissenot, has a tertiary, sous-bois infused bouquet with a mixture of red and black fruit, discrete at first but opening beautifully in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, citrus-fresh with impressive focus, gradually building towards the clean and precise finish. This is a top-notch Fronsac that will give pleasure for 20-25 years. Drinking range: 2024 - 2042 Rating: 93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
A solid version, with a core of dark cherry and red currant fruit laced with a taut, chalky mineral edge. Subtle tobacco and warm earth hints dot the finish. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. 7,000 cases made—J.M Drinking range: 2024 - 2034 Rating: 91 The Wine Spectator, www.winespectator.com (Jan 2023)
The 2020 Dalem is a very pretty wine, a bit brighter and more aromatically intense than usual, and offering more red/purplish fruit and blood orange. One of the most refined, nuanced Dalems I can remember tasting. All the elements are impeccably balanced. Tasted three times. Drinking range: 2025 - 2035 Rating: 90-92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2021)
The 2020 Dalem has a well-defined bouquet of blackberry, raspberry, cedar and light undergrowth scents, all very focused and beautifully delineated. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, ripe but elegant, with plenty of freshness toward the finish. There is an effervescent quality about this nascent Fronsac that I love. A super Dalem that will age with style. Drinking range: 2027 - 2045 Rating: 92-94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2021)
Deep purple-black in color, the 2020 Dalem leaps from the glass with notes of ripe black cherries, juicy blackberries and stewed plums, plus suggestions of garrigue, star anise and chocolate mint. The full-bodied palate is chock-full of wonderfully pure, expressive black fruits, supported by plush tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long with a spicy kick. The blend is 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, aging for approximately 14 months in French oak barrels, 52% new. Drinking range: 2024 - 2040 Rating: 91-93 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (May 2021)
Glass-staining violet colour, super attractive, with enticing floral aromatics. A little austere, this takes some time to work into itself in the glass but it is enjoyable once it relaxes and opens, offering damson fruit and wet stone texture. A yield of 35hl/ha. Eric Boissenot consultant, not a name you see often in Fronsac. Harvest september 10 to 24. Drinking range: 2023 - 2036 Rating: 91 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2021)
Beautiful transparency and depth of fruit to this, yet it remains so refined and polished with extremely fine tannins that are energetic and long. Medium-to full-bodied. Such balance and intensity. One of the best I had from here in the making. 95% merlot and 5% cabernet franc. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2021)
Château Dalem
Brigitte Roullier-Loussert runs this property with enthusiasm, having taken over from her father, Michel Rullier, who bought it in 1955 from the family that had owned it for the previous three centuries. The estate dates back to 1610, making it one with one of the longest histories in the Bordeaux area, and has a rather lovely 'chateau' in the form of an eighteenth century manor house.
The vineyard Brigitte inherited in 2002 was around 15 hectares of south and south-west facing slopes, planted with Merlot and around 10% Cabernet Franc. She bought a further 11 hectares in 2015, and then 10 more in 2018, so has more than doubled the size of the property, building a new winery and driving the quality here so that it is now one of the most exciting names in Fronsac.
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.