CHÂTEAU LATOUR MARTILLAC

2020 Cru Classé Pessac-Léognan

EN PRIMEUR

Pristine dark berries with chocolate, black licorice, nut shell and graphite. Some wet stones, too. Full and muscular with an array of well-grained, meaty tannins that unfold seamlessly throughout the bold, dark-fruited palate. So much going on here. Long length with a creamy, chocolaty finish. Try after 2026. 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 Latour-Martillac offers up a heady mix of dark red and black fruit intermingled with tobacco, cedar, scorched earth, gravel and chocolate. This mid-weight, vibrant Pessac-Léognan is a bit somber in character, but it certainly is not lacking in personality. The richness of the Cabernet is quite evident today. Drinking range: 2025 - 2045 Rating: 92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)

The tannins are pretty tight and closed in right now, but they are cradling real depth of flavour, blueberry, cassis, tobacco, raspberry leaf and green tomato leaf on the finish. Aromatic, with gourmet swirl of cocoa bean and espresso. 38hl/ha yield. Drinking range: 2025 - 2042 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (Feb 2023)

The 2020 Latour-Martillac has an impressive, quite engaging bouquet with blackberry, incense, graphite and faint touches of black olive. This is very harmonious and well defined. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins, very well balanced, quite saline with a poised and quite persistent finish. Quintessentially Pessac-Léognan, this has a bright future ahead. Drinking range: 2027 - 2055 Rating: 94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)

There is some welcome fruit in this wine and this makes a change from many of the PL samples I have tasted. Fresh and dark, with the oak under control and the tannins in line, this is a decent young wine. Rating: 16+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Jun 2021)

The 2020 Latour-Martillac is a potent, brooding wine. Graphite, crushed rocks, game, scorched earth, menthol, lavender and chocolate are all kicked up in this searingly intense Pessac-Léognan. It will be interesting to see if the 2020 softens at all. Today, it is pretty tight, and yet there is quite a bit of potential. Drinking range: 2026 - 2040 Rating: 90-92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2021)

The 2020 Latour-Martillac offers an enticing bouquet of black fruit infused with black olive, background citric scents lending a bit of zest. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, well-integrated oak and impressive depth. This is a very assured and confident Latour-Martillac that continues their strong run of form. Perhaps one of the dark horses of the appellation in 2020, this should be on your primeur shopping list. Drinking range: 2027 - 2055 Rating: 93-95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2021)

Deep purple-black colored, the 2020 Latour Martillac needs a little swirling to release scents of wild blueberries, fresh black-currants and mulberries with hints of chocolate box, aniseed and mossy tree bark with a touch of charcoal. The medium-bodied palate is soft, juicy and refreshing, offering a savory finish. Drinking range: 2024 - 2040 Rating: 90 - 92+ Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (May 2021)

Chocolate, liquorice, some bitter points that accompany the fruit from beginning to end, this is one of the best in terms of focus and precision. There is clearly excellent colour extraction, you get real glass-staining purple, but the flavours are more austere and tannic than the colour might suggest. Well chosen coffee and chocolate expression that remains elegant and pointed. Good stuff, needs time, but will grow into a classic elegant wine. A yield of 38hl/ha. Drinking range: 2025 - 2040 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2021)

55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot. Dark purple. Notably well-integrated nose. Sweet purple fruits on the palate entry and more than a hint of oak overlay. Quite chewy on the end. Tannins and fruit very separate at the moment. I wouldn't have minded a little more freshness of fruit. A little dry and chunky on the slightly sudden finish. 14% Drinking range: 2027 - 2043 Rating: 16 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2021)

The 'tour' of the estate's name is a tower that stands in the main courtyard of the estate - it is all that remains of a 12th century fort. The rest of the fort was demolished and the stones used to built the château sometime in the 18th century. A Bordeaux wine merchant, Edouard Kressmann, purchased the estate in 1871 and the Kressmann family own and run it to this day. In 1930, the striking art-deco inspired label was created. Also in 1930, the word 'Martillac' was appended to the name to avoid confusion with any other Château Latours there might be. They produce both red and white Pessac-Léognan, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot vines being grown on the slightly higher gravel soils of the Martillac plateau above the château and Merlot, Sauvignon and Semillon growing on the clay/limestone land nearer the River Garonne.

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.