CHÂTEAU QUINAULT L'ENCLOS
2020 Saint Emilion
This is hyper fine and polished with currants, light chocolate and hazelnut aromas and flavors. Medium body. Fresh and very long. Extremely pretty and fine. Drinkable, but better in 2026. Drinking range: 2026 - 2035 Rating: 94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 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 Quinault L'Enclos is a gorgeous, deeply pitched Saint-Émilion. Rose petal, mint, dried herbs and sweet red berry fruit all grace this wonderfully layered, nuanced Saint-Émilion. Pure and nuanced, with terrific energy, Quinault has a ton to offer. In 2020, the Cabernets (15% each Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc) are super-expressive. There is just a bit of youthful austerity that needs time to soften. Drinking range: 2025 - 2035 Rating: 93 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
Loaded with energy and grip, majoring on black pepper, damson and black cherry fruit. The tannins remain austere at this point, pretty serious and closed down, with waves of espresso and violet promising more to come over the next decade. Pierre Lurton director of this 19ha estate, Pierre-Olivier Clouet technical director. Harvest September 3 to 23, an upscore from En Primeur. Drinking range: 2024 - 2038 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (Feb 2023)
The 2020 Quinault L'Enclos, which was cropped at 20hL/ha, has a slightly muted bouquet with blackberry, bilberry and a light saline influence. The palate is medium-bodied with a little rigidity on the entry, compact with sharp acidity. For me, it is missing some charm and flesh on the finish. So-so. Drinking range: 2024 - 2032 Rating: 87 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
Managing tannins is one of the lines that needed walking in 2020, and the warmer soils of Quinault compared to Cheval needed particular care. You find some traces of the solar nature of the summer on the nose, with eucalyptus, black pepper and rosemary spice, but there is freshness on the palate, well balanced and with density to the blackberry and black cherry fruits, finishing up with again the eucalyptus that is found in the aromatics, and a generous kick of spice. This is tightly structured, it is expertly handled but I would suggest looking to the 2019. Harvest September 3 to 23. 10 days over 30°C during that time. Drinking range: 2024 - 2036 Rating: 92 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2021)
Château Quinault l'Enclos
A 19 hectare estate located in the Saint-Émilion appellation of Bordeaux. Although originating the the 17th century, the Château was not used in the production of wine until it was bought by négociant Baptiste Mons in 1930. Since then it has been brought along in leaps and bounds by Dr. Alain Raynaud until its sale in 2008 to Bernard Arnault and his associate Albert Frère, however Raynaud stayed on as a consultant at the property. The vines have a high average age of 60-70 years, and are planted on gravel, sand and clay terroir.
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.