CHÂTEAU SAINT PIERRE

2020 4ème Cru Classé Saint Julien

EN PRIMEUR

Longer in oak than sibling Gloria and you can feel that at this early stage - Saint Pierre always more masculine. They say this will last forever as there is lots of everything - but all in balance. Good guts and bite. Some green leaf and tobacco notes. Lovely spice. Fruit is darker and more brooding than Gloria. Cab to the fore here and it is upright and nicely gnarly. Smart Bordeaux lines with proper grip and tannins and a ripe fruit smudge that leads to the long aromatic finish. L&S (May 2021)

* 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.

Attractive aromas of blackberries, plum skins, cloves, cardamom, dark chocolate, cedar and graphite. Some wet stones, too. Full-bodied, opulent and broad-shouldered. Structured and refined. It has a deep core of ripe black fruit covered with layers of plush and velvety tannins that linger for a long time on the palate. Really long and even. Try after 2027. Rating: 96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2023)

The 2020 Saint-Pierre (Saint-Julien) is loaded with scents of blackberry jam, dried herbs, graphite, incense, espresso and licorice. This powerful, tannic Saint-Julien is going to need years to soften, but it is incredibly impressive in the early going. From barrel, the 2020 was quite unctuous, but today it has grown into a wine that marries opulence with classicism in grand style. the intensity of the Cabernet Sauvignon really comes through. Drinking range: 2028 - 2050 Rating: 95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)

The 2020 Saint-Pierre has really blossomed during its élevage. Its dalliance with Pauillac on the nose has been dispensed. It is not much more Saint-Julien-like, perhaps showing even more fruit concentration and opulence than its sibling, Gloria, with its plush red fruit mixed with sous-bois and undergrowth. The palate is medium-bodied yet fuller and denser than the Gloria, quite powerful and more higher-toned without losing a sense of style and panache. Drinking range: 2025 - 2050 Rating: 94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)

A plush, broad, toasty style, with warmed plum sauce and steeped blackberry notes forming the core, while sweet tobacco, ganache and dark earth hints fill in behind. A lovely sanguine thread adds a mouthwatering aspect to the finish as the fruit plays out. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Drinking range: 2030 - 2038 Rating: 94 The Wine Spectator, www.winespectator.com (Dec 2022)

This is quite a structured powerful and oaky wine with some tough, skinsy flavours which don’t allow the palate to relax for a moment. I think that Saint-Pierre crosses the line of balance and takes a step into a degree of rawness and harshness in 2020 and this is solely to do with the level of extraction. It is simply just a little too coarse and the oak has grabbed onto this note and augmented the astringency further. Will it work itself back into a state of equilibrium? I think the jury is out, hence a very rare ‘?’ for this wine. Rating: 17.5+? Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Jun 2021)

The 2020 Saint-Pierre (Saint-Julien) is shaping up to be a jewel of a wine. Inky, rich and explosive, the 2020 possesses magnificent intensity from start to finish. Crème de cassis, lavender, spice, chocolate, licorice, graphite and menthol infuse the 2020 with striking depth. The 2020 is heady and unctuous, but not at all overdone. It is one of my early favorites in this vintage, within its peer group. Tasted two times. Drinking range: 2035 - 2050 Rating: 93-95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2021)

The 2020 Saint-Pierre has a distinctly Pauillac-like nose with veins of graphite and mint infusing the black fruit, focused and full of tension. This is very classy. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins that belie the structure underneath. It has good grip, and comes across quite strict and correct. If I am to quibble, and quibble I will, it maybe doesn’t finish with the fireworks that I have noticed on other recent superlative vintages. Perhaps that might develop in barrel. If so, it will warrant a higher score. Drinking range: 2025 - 2050 Rating: 92-94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2021)

The 2020 Château Saint-Pierre (Saint-Julien) looks to be beautiful, with a fresher, focused, yet still powerful style that fits nicely into the vintage. Lots of black and blue fruits, crushed stone, and graphite define the nose, and it's full-bodied, with a great mid-palate, ripe yet building tannins, and a great finish. It's going to need time to integrate its oak, but the purity of fruit, quality of the tannins, and balance are all spot on. Tasted twice with consistent notes. Rating: 94-96 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2021)

Deep purple-black in color, the 2020 Saint-Pierre bursts with baked blackberries, stewed plums and cassis, followed by hints of dried mint, chocolate box and tapenade with a waft of pencil lead. The medium-bodied palate is elegantly styled with impressive freshness and ripe, fine-grained tannins supporting the energetic black fruits, finishing on a lingering fragrant earth note. The blend is 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, aging for around 14 months in French oak barrels, 50% new. The alcohol is 13.3%. Drinking range: 2026 - 2047 Rating: 94-96 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (May 2021)

This is excellent, really the most gorgeous balance of power, with dark blueberry juicy fruits and lots of liquorice. Excellent balance and a seductive overall frame. Great stuff - the tannins are pretty fierce though, needs time, will reward ageing. Drinking range: 2028 - 2044 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2021)

79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc. Dark purplish crimson. Tobacco-leaf dry spice on the nose. Pretty flatteringly round palate entry and then some acidity and a hint of oak. Not the most intense on the palate and very unknit at present. Dry finish, not surprisingly… Sturdy rather than ethereal. 13.3% Drinking range: 2027 - 2043 Rating: 16.5 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2021)

St Julien Quatrième cru 1855 At 17ha Château Saint Pierre is the smallest classed growth estate in St Julien. The name is derived from the Baron de Saint-Pierre who owned the estate at the tail end of the 18th Century. He left Saint-Pierre to his two daughters who, after running the estate together for a while, divided Saint-Pierre in two in 1832. The Dutch company, Van den Bussche bought both bits of Saint-Pierre in 1923 and re-united the estate. In 1982, Henri Martin (the man who assembled the Château Gloria from bits of vineyard purchased from various St Julien estates, including Saint-Pierre) bought the estate and he, and his daughter and son-in law Françoise and Jean-Louis Triaudand, have done much to raise the profile of this oft over-looked château. The vineyards are planted to 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, with the wines being made at Château Gloria. Although renewed reputation has pushed the price up a little in recent years, Saint-Pierre still represents quite good value for some nicely made darkly coloured St Julien.

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.