CHÂTEAU LES GRANDES MURAILLES
2020 Grand Cru Classé Saint Emilion
This shows notes of smoky plums, ripe mulberries, sweet spices, toasted hazelnut and wet earth. It offers an array of ripe, juicy tannins spread evenly throughout the medium- to full-bodied palate. Textured and creamy finish with notes of nut shell and cedar. Very fine. Give it a year or two to open. 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 Les Grandes Murailles is just as impressive as it was from barrel. Bright, saline and punchy, Les Grandes Murailles is driven by clean veins of minerality that confer notable energy. Dark cherry, grilled herbs, chalk, mint and dried flowers lend notable complexity throughout. This is a fabulous showing. Drinking range: 2027 - 2045 Rating: 94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
Limestone signature, a ton of saffron, cedar and salted crackers, blueberry and raspberry fruit, real energy that lifts up the fairly heavy tannic structure. Good quality, austere in the best way. 2ha estate that is going to be included within Clos Fourtet in future years. Drinking range: 2025 - 2040 Rating: 92 Jane Anson, Decanter (Feb 2023)
The 2020 Les Grandes Murailles has a powerful bouquet, perhaps missing a little delineation, quite heady with plush black cherries and cassis fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins, fine acidity, well balanced with a precise, white pepper tinged finish that lingers long in the mouth. A long-term prospect. Drinking range: 2026 - 2050 Rating: 93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
There is a slight sense of greenness here which is surprising given the prodigious alcohol level, but it punctures the fruit and rather flattens the Merlot flavours. The oak is drying and this also manages to deaden the Merlot fruit. While I am tempted to come down hard on this wine, I can taste lovely foresty fruit notes right in the heart of this wine and so I will give it the benefit of the doubt, but it will take a jolly long time for this fruit to win the fight against the tannins and the oak! Rating: 17+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Jun 2021)
The 2020 Les Grandes Murailles is fabulous. Rich, effusive and vibrant, it possesses terrific energy and plenty of verve. A whole range of floral and spice notes opens first as this chiseled, finely sculpted Saint-Émilion gradually unfolds in the glass. A wine of reserve and character, the Les Grandes Murailles is shaping up to be a gem. Drinking range: 2030 - 2050 Rating: 92-94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2021)
The 2020 Les Grandes Murailles was picked September 15–18 at 38hl/ha and matured in 50% new oak. It has a precocious bouquet of intense red berries, raspberry confit, touches of humidor and a touch of orange peel. The palate is medium-bodied with a little chewiness on the entry. This is quite a solid Les Grandes Murailles, very saline in the mouth, leading to a grippy, slightly tarry finish. Broody at the moment. I suspect this will require 4–5 years in bottle before it shows what it is capable of. Drinking range: 2026 - 2050 Rating: 92-94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2021)
An estate readers need to have on their radar (as well as their buy list) is the 2020 Château Les Grandes Murailles, which comes from a great, yet tiny terroir situated next to Clos Fourtet. All Merlot, it offers medium to full-bodied aromas and flavors of mulled cherries, blue fruits, cassis, and graphite, with some hints of scorched earth in the background. With beautiful purity, a layered, elegant texture, and just about flawless tannins, it’s a remarkable Saint-Emilion readers will love. It should keep for 15-20 years. Rating: 93-95 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2021)
Intense aromatics of baked earth and perky white pepper and sage. Sappy, high in bilberry, loganberry and freshly cut herbs on the attack with a clear limestone influence that keeps things moving forward through the palate, but this needs time to move past the austerity. 6,500 bottles of this wine produced, owned by Mathieu Cuvelier. Drinking range: 2027 - 2040 Rating: 92 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2021)
100% Merlot Dark purplish crimson. Tight knit, rather stony nose and then masses of sweet fruit on the palate with marked acidity on the end. Quite hard work on the finish at the moment but at least there is ripe fruit as well as all that acid and tannin. Still pretty unresolved but it will probably get there. Drinking range: 2027 - 2040 Rating: 16+ Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.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 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.