CHÂTEAU ROUGET

2020 Pomerol

EN PRIMEUR

Lots of black olive with dark fruit and sandalwood on the nose. Full-bodied with layers of velvety and soft tannins, yet they stay vibrant and focused. Very integrated palate. Flavorful at the end. Drink after 2026. Rating: 96 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 Rouget is a potent, opulent Pomerol. Espresso, bittersweet chocolate, licorice, leather, incense, tobacco and blackberry jam race across the palate. This sumptuous, unabashedly opulent Pomerol has a ton to offer, but it is very much on the large side. Drinking range: 2026 - 2040 Rating: 94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)

Sinew and muscle to the tannins, this has character, depth through the mid palate, good aromatics, damson and raspberry fruits, a real Pomerol success with oyster shell salinity on the finish. Labruyère family, first year of organic converstion. Harvest September 15 to 30, 30% new oak Drinking range: 2026 - 2044 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (Feb 2023)

The 2020 Rouget is tasted from a half-bottle that showed some oxidation, so I called for a second. I'm glad I did because it tallies far more to the barrel sample. Clearly showing signs of an earlier-picked, fresher style, this offers very attractive blackberry and cedar aromas, just a faint savory note in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, fine acidity, just a little bitterness to address on the finish, but with fine length. Give it 4-5 years in bottle. Drinking range: 2026 - 2040 Rating: 92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)

Lots of black olive with dark fruit and sandalwood on the nose. Full-bodied with layers of velvety and soft tannins, yet they stay vibrant and focused. Very integrated palate. Flavorful at the end. Drink after 2026. Rating: 96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Dec 2022)

Well made, a little dark and toasty, but there is plenty of ripe, black fruit here and I think that it will go well, assuming the higher toasty notes manage to be subsumed by the fruit. Rating: 17+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Jun 2021)

The 2020 Rouget is laced with lavish, inky fruit, cedar, tobacco, menthol, licorice, cedar and tobacco. Rich, sumptuous and alluring, Rouget is all about immediacy. Plush and silky, with soft contours and exceptional balance, Rouget delivers the goods, and then some. The forward, lush style is hugely appealing. Drinking range: 2026 - 2040 Rating: 92-94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2021)

The 2020 Rouget was tasted from two half-bottles. Deep in color, it has an intense bouquet of black currant, tobacco and truffle shavings and an increasingly pronounced undergrowth scent. Compared to recent vintages that I have found a bit trop, this is much more focused and controlled. The palate is medium-bodied with quite firm tannins and well-judged acidity, touches of dark chocolate infusing the black fruit. This is well balanced and fresh and though there is some new oak to be assimilated toward the finish, this is very promising Rouget that deserves 4–6 years in bottle. Drinking range: 2027 - 2045 Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2021)

A rich, voluptuous Pomerol that does a lot right, the 2020 Château Rouget offers ample black cherry and currant fruit as well as notes of tobacco and chocolate. Rich, mouth-filling, and medium to full-bodied, it offers supple tannins, solid mid-palate depth, and a great finish. It’s worth pointing out that 30% of this wine was fermented with stems. Rating: 91-93 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2021)

Powerful, as Rouget often is, with a skilful push and pull between power and finesse. Big-shouldered and intense, with plenty of chocolate and liquorice, excellent quality. Conversion to organic farming begun in 2020. Harvest September 15 to 30. 30% new oak. Drinking range: 2027 - 2044 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2021)

Perhaps a relatively new name in the upper echelons of the Pomerol world, Château Rouget lays claim to origins in the last years of the Roman Empire, it was certainly known for its vineyard as far back as 1700 making it one of the oldest wine estates in Pomerol. Rouget had some fame for its wines in the 19th Century, but when Jean-Pierre Labruyère bought Rouget in 1992 most of the production was being sold off in bulk, and it is the Labruyères who have put Château Rouget on the map. The family are originally Beaujolais producers from Moulin-a-Vent, and now also own Domaine Jacques Prieur in Burgundy. Since 1992, the vineyards have been renovated and replanted as necessary, with all of the Cabernet Sauvignon being taken out. They have purchased new vineyards, taking the size up to 18ha, one of the largest in Pomerol. The winery has been completely renewed. Rouget sits in the north of the Pomerol appellation, just north of the various Eglise châteaux, overlooking the Barbonne stream that separates Pomerol from Néac. The vineyards are planted with 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, with an average age of 28 years. Once a little off the radar, the focus of the Labruyère family on making Château Rouget one of the better wines of Pomerol is paying dividends and the wines are certainly worth seeking out and still remain relatively good value.

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.