CHÂTEAU PETIT VILLAGE
2020 Pomerol
A creamy and velvety-textured red with chocolate, berry and walnut aromas and flavors. It’s medium-bodied with a nice fruit and soft tannin balance. Very long. Give this four to five years to come together. 60% merlot, 32% cabernet franc and 8% cabernet sauvignon. Best after 2027. Rating: 97 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 Petit-Village comes across as heavy and monolithic, with a lot of depth but also a very heavy oak imprint. I expected more based on the en primeur sample, but Petit-Village remains a work in progress and easily the biggest question mark in Pomerol. Can a great wine be made here? I don't know. Drinking range: 2025 - 2035 Rating: 91 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
Excellent quality, with grip, power and depth, slathers of bitter black chocolate, blackberry and oyster shell, intense and concentrated but without excess - giving it plenty of vintage signature in Pomerol, where 2020 has so much going for it. This was the year that the 10.5ha Petit Village was sold by AXA Millesimes, moving into the Moulin family portfolio that also owns neighbouring Beauregard, technical director Diana Berrouet-Garcia (who has since moved over to Le Pin), and Vincent Priou. 50% new oak for ageing, along with larger sized oak casks and amphora, 27hl/ha yield. An estate to follow over the next few years, as they look to focus on the oldest vines in the historic heart of the vineyard. Drinking range: 2025 - 2042 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (Feb 2023)
The 2020 Petit-Village was presented in a half-bottle format on both occasions, one in Bordeaux and the other via the UGC samples in the UK. I cannot understand why this is advantageous. Assessing the wine, like the Rouget also submitted in this format, there is a touch of VA on the nose that I bet is not in full-bottle. The UGC conveys a rather unnecessary smear of dark chocolate on the finish. I will wait until it is possible to evaluate this in 75cl format. Rating: 0 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
There is an unusual shape to this wine with ripe red and purple fruit (no black notes) and then a super-dry carapace to the flavour throughout the experience. It is not tannic per se, but it is very dry and drying! The fruit seems to be a little one-dimensional and the oak is not particularly evident, but the most interesting feature is the fruit tone and I would like to see this again to see in which direction it evolves. Rating: 17+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Jun 2021)
The 2020 Petit-Village is a gorgeous wine. In fact, it is one of the best wines I have tasted here. Inky, aromatically expressive and beautifully layered in the glass, the 2020 is compelling right out of the gate. The 2020 boasts superb energy, tension and class. Could this be a turning point for the estate? We will see. For now, the 2020 is certainly compelling. The 2020 represents about 50% of the estate's production as opposed to two-thirds, which was more the norm when Petit-Village was part of AXA. Drinking range: 2028 - 2040 Rating: 92-94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2021)
Having been acquired by the Moulin family, the 2020 Petit Village has undergone a makeover with a spanking new label and wax seal. As for the wine itself, the nose is fragrant and pure, featuring dark cherries, boysenberry, hints of marmalade and light estuarine scents. The palate is medium-bodied with a structured opening. This feels quite firm and contains that charcoal trait that I remarked upon apropos of the 2018. Fresh and full of tension, the Cabernet component drives the finish, traces of dark chocolate lingering on the aftertaste. I think the tannins here just need a little more refinement, and maybe that will come during élevage. This shows an improvement over underperforming recent vintages, but give it another 3–4 years to see what this Pomerol is really capable of. Drinking range: 2027 - 2045 Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2021)
Checking in as a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Château Petit-Village should certainly be an outstanding wine, and then some. Brought up in 60% new French oak, with the sum of the Cabernet Franc and Merlot brought up in larger barrels, it has a terrific nose of ripe black fruit, chocolate, tobacco, and graphite. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, with a dense, concentrated mid-palate, it displays a rather focused, firm mouthfeel, ripe, building tannins, and a great finish. Rating: 91-93 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2021)
Plenty of changes to keep track of here, as they look to focus the blend on the historic heart of the vineyard (around 50% of the total), and also keeping separate any young vines (meaning under eight years), and any that have viruses. Elegant, inky damson colour, a ton of density and intensity, but the tannins are supple and fragrant, they cradle rather than close in. Pulses of saltine crackers ripple through the blackberry fruit, and this has a ton of charm. Aged in 50% new oak, and using some larger sized oak casks and a few amphora as an experiment. A yield of 27hl/ha. First year in organic conversion. Harvested 8 September to 15 for the Merlot, and for the Cabernets just one day on September 23. Technical director Diana Berrouet-Garcia. Rainfall low in both July and August as everywhere in Pomerol - 2mm in July and 25mm August. New owners (the Moulin family of Galeries Lafayette, shared with neighbouring estate Beauregard). 3.8pH. You will also find a slightly lighter bottle as of this vintage, and a new label. Drinking range: 2026 - 2038 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2021)
Black core right out to the purplish rim. Very ripe black fruit – damson and black cherry – sweet-smelling, and more so with the sweetness of the oak. Firm, dry, smooth texture, like many layers of paper. Big but with such refined tannin texture – and not what I expected when it smelt so ripe. Just enough freshness and lots of dark chocolate on the finish. For those who love balanced and elegant richness. Long and promising in that style. Drinking range: 2030 - 2040 Rating: 16.5++ Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2021)
Château Petit Village
Up on the Pomerol plateau, just east of Catusseau, on ideal gravel and clay soil is Château Petit Village. A habitually complicated but unremarkable history comes to life with its purchase, in 1919 by the Ginestet family. This brought Petit Village into common ownership with Château Cos’d’Estournel and, later, Château Margaux. Despite its illustrious stable-mates, the Ginestet family’s tenure coincided with difficult times for Bordeaux estates, culminating in the disastrous frost of 1956 which wiped out vineyards across the region. In a move that seems bizarre in hindsight, much of Petit Village was replanted with Cabernet Sauvignon which made up an untypical greater portion of the vineyards until the 1970’s. Bruno Prats took control in 1971, having married into the family, and immediately set about replacing most of the Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and modernising the winery, but sold Petit Village in 1989 in order to concentrate his efforts on Cos d’Estournel. The new owners of Château Petit Village were AXA Millésimes, who own it to this day, along with Château Pichon Longueville Baron in Pauillac and Château Suduiraut in Sauternes as well as operations in Hungary and Portugal. AXA’s stewardship has seen Jean Michel Cazes (of Lynch Bages fame) and latterly Christian Seely overseeing considerable improvements at Petit Village. One of the more noticeable improvements has been the building of a starkly modern extension to the winery. The 10.5ha of vineyards sit in a single triangular block wedged between Conseillante, Vieux Château Certan, Certan de May and Beauregard. Le Pin sits near enough to be counted as a neighbour. There are 75% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Franc, with the residual 7% Cabernet Sauvignon being among the highest proportions in Pomerol. The average age of the vines in 35 years old, although one plot of Merlot remains that was planted 1947.
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.