CHÂTEAU DE PEZ
2020 Cru Bourgeois Saint Estèphe
Ripe berries, plums, spice and cedar aromas follow through to a medium body, creamy tannins and a delicious finish. Some nice acidity here too. Thyme character to the fruit at the end. Try after 2024. Rating: 92 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 de Pez is a potent, brooding wine, just as it was en primeur. Black cherry, gravel, tobacco, scorched earth, chocolate and menthol all flesh out in the glass. This is a pretty rich, heady Saint-Estèphe, punctuated by huge tannins and quite a bit of heft. Drinking range: 2027 - 2040 Rating: 93 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
The 2020 Château de Pez has a far superior bouquet than the Deuxième Vin, with blackberry and mulberry, pressed violet and then peony. The palate is medium-bodied with firm and quite saturated tannins. Fine backbone here, fresh and saline with a vibrant finish. Maybe not the most persistent Saint-Estèphe yet there is impressive weight. Drinking range: 2027 - 2045 Rating: 93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
This is suave and showy de Pez and it is certainly performing at the top of its game in 2020. Spicy, dark, plummy and with decent tannic traction on the finish, there is lovely freshness throughout this wine which offsets the density of the flavour on the mid-palate. I have not seen a de Pez as spicy as this before. Rating: 16.5+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Jun 2021)
The 2020 de Pez is a wine of somber intensity. Black cherry, scorched earth, gravel, incense, chocolate and dried herbs infuse the 2020 with striking layers of dimension. Powerful. Plush and wonderfully inviting, Pez has so much to offer. Quality continues to improve under the direction of Technical Director Nicolas Glumineau. The 2020 is gorgeous and promising. Drinking range: 2028 - 2040 Rating: 91-94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2021)
The 2020 Château de Pez is one of the more aromatically fruit-driven Saint-Estèphes, presenting a nose of black cherries, raspberry and light blueberry scents, and hints of cedar and mint. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins and real salinity and precision. A slightly powdery-textured, quite mineral-driven finish completes this superb de Pez. Tasted twice with consistent notes. Drinking range: 2027 - 2045 Rating: 92-94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2021)
Impressive jammy red and blue fruits, candied violets, and tobacco notes all emerge from the 2020 Château De Pez, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a beautifully textured, silky mouthfeel, the ripe yet firm, polished tannins of the vintage, and a great finish. I love its purity as well as its length, and it will certainly be an outstanding, age-worthy Saint-Estèphe. Tasted twice. Rating: 91-93 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2021)
Extremely drinkable and very easy to recommend. The tannins are already showing elasticity and a sense of embracing the fruit without constricting it. No need to wait too long - give it two or three years to soften further, and then enjoy for the next decade. 4% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 45% new oak. Drinking range: 2024 - 2038 Rating: 92 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 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 2024 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2027. 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 2027. 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.