CHÂTEAU JEAN FAURE
2020 Grand Cru Classé Saint Emilion
Blackberry, black cherry, orange peel, and rose petal aromas follow through to a medium to full body, with creamy and polished tannins and a juicy finish. 60% cabernet franc, 35% merlot and 5% malbec. From organically grown grapes. Give it three or four years to come together. 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 Jean Faure marries sumptuous fruit with quite a bit of structure. Black fruit, chocolate, spice, leather, tobacco and incense all come alive in the glass. This layered, vibrant Saint-Émilion is super energetic and full of character. Drinking range: 2025 - 2040 Rating: 91 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
Always a distinctive wine with real personality due to its unsually high proportion of Cabernet Franc. This is delicious, with vibrancy and poise, seductive layers of raspberry leaf, violet and peony, and rich raspberry fruits. Great stuff from director Marie-Laure Latorre, Olivier Decelle owner. Organic certified. Drinking range: 2026 - 2044 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (Feb 2023)
With around two-thirds Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Jean Faure delivers quite a refined bouquet with touches of bell pepper infusing the black fruit. Like a little brother of Lafleur? The palate is well balanced with distinctive peppery notes, moderate depth, very fresh with a delineated, saline finish. Very distinctive and once you have adjusted your palate to the presence of Cabernet Franc, it grows on you. Drinking range: 2028 - 2040 Rating: 91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
The 2020 Jean Faure, dominated by 65% Cabernet Franc, has a well-defined, slightly earthy bouquet, touches of tobacco coming through with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, just a little bell pepper deriving from the Cabernet Franc and a relatively light but balanced finish. This tends to show better in bottle and, as a recent vertical proved, benefits from bottle age. Drinking range: 2028 - 2040 Rating: 89-91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2021)
A blend of 65% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot, and 5% Malbec, the 2020 Château Jean Faure has a beautiful, elegant, floral style that carries plenty of perfectly ripe black fruits, medium to full-bodied richness, and ripe yet firm tannins. With terrific overall balance, it shows the focused, pure, yet structured style fo the vintage and is certainly going to be a gorgeous wine. Hide bottle for 4-5 years and enjoy over the following 10-15 years. Rating: 92-94 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2021)
Always one of the highest Cabernet Franc percentages in St-Emilion which gives this a sculpted and juicy but oh so slow delivery of the blue-toned fruits. Not one to drink young; really needs a few years to develop in the bottle. You get clear raspberry leaf, tobacco and slate as things open. A yield of 42hl/ha. Drinking range: 2026 - 2040 Rating: 92 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2021)
A tight, firm red with blackberry and plum character, as well as mushroom undertones. It’s full-bodied with creamy tannins and a long finish. Very solid and dense in the center palate. 65% cabernet franc, 30% merlot and 5% malbec. From organically grown grapes. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2021)
65% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot, 5% Malbec Mid purplish crimson. Comfortable, well-knit nose that's not trying too hard. Energetic, pure, well-integrated fruit with real drive that almost disguises the ripe tannins. Impressive wine. A right-bank wine for left-bank enthusiasts? Drinking range: 2027 - 2045 Rating: 16.5++ Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2021)
Château Jean Faure
Château Jean Faure was bought by Olivier Decelle (who had already acquired the Maury, 'Mas Amiel' by then) in 2004. This ended a dark period in the property's history, since it had lost its position as a 'Grand Cru Classé' in 1985, thanks to bad management at the time. A long period of investment and restructuring followed. The vineyard oof 18 hectares, being partly on a similar gravel to its near neighbour Cheval Blanc, is composed of 56% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot and 6% Malbec. The property has now regained its 'classé' rank. The wine is aged for eighteen months, one third in concrete, and two thirds in barrels, 60% new, and 40% one year old.
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.