CHÂTEAU SANSONNET
2020 Grand Cru Saint Emilion
Notes of ripe blackberries and blueberries with black licorice, tree bark, chocolate and moist earth. Medium- to full-bodied and dense. It has layers of ultra-fine tannins wrapping up the deep core of dark fruit. Structured and velvety with a long finish. Try after 2026.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 Sansonnet is one of the best wines here in recent memory. Ample and explosive in feel, the 2020 offers up copious dark fruit, chocolate, spice and new leather notes. There's not much subtlety, but I don't think it matters much. This full-throttle, unabashedly opulent Saint-Émilion is lights out. Tasted two times. Drinking range: 2025 - 2035 Rating: 96 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
Exuberant and succulent, dark ruby in colour, with full-on but well-balanced extraction that ensures big tannins, concentrated black fruits and a gourmet edge of cocoa bean and liqourice. Marie Benedtice Lefévère owns this 7ha estate. Jean-Philippe Fort consultant, 30hl/ha yield. The Lefevre family are ones to watch in St-Emilion right now, with their recent investments into Villemaurine and Valandraud. Drinking range: 2025 - 2042 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (Feb 2023)
The 2020 Sansonnet has a powerful nose, ripe black cherries, cassis and pressed violet aromas, and touches of orange zest. It has not the delineation I was hoping for from barrel. The palate is medium-bodied but quite muscular on the entry, though the acidity is well judged, and it obtains more detail and elegance towards the citrus-driven finish. There is a bit of rigidity here that needs to become more malleable with time. Give this 4-5 years in bottle. Tasted twice with consistent notes. Drinking range: 2028 - 2050 Rating: 92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
Sansonnet is once again terrific in 2020. It offers up copious inky dark fruit, chocolate, blackberry jam, spice, mint, licorice and espresso. As always, this is a big, extroverted Saint-Émilion built on richness and texture. The oak needs time to fully integrate, but it always has in the past. Tasted two times. Drinking range: 2027 - 2040 Rating: 93-95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2021)
The 2020 Sansonnet has a tightly wound nose that opens nicely with aeration, revealing blackberry and wild hedgerow, light rose petal and iris scents and a touch of potpourri; the oak is very well assimilated. The palate is medium-bodied with a sapid entry and lightly spiced with a dash of white pepper. A classically-styled Saint-Émilion that continues a strong run of form for the estate. Excellent. Drinking range: 2028 - 2050 Rating: 93-95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2021)
Always a gem in the vintage, the 2020 Château Sansonnet is another winner offering a terrific bouquet of red, black, and blue fruits as well as tobacco, violets, and classy oak. Possessing full-bodied richness, a pure, seamless, polished texture, terrific tannins, and a great finish, this rock star of a Saint-Emilion will benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and keep for two decades or more. Rating: 94-96 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2021)
Good stuff, plenty of character, making this enjoyable right from the start. Less subdued and subtle than some but it carries it off, with brambled hawthorn-tinged fruits, with density and depth, but a limestone kick that picks things up through the finish. One to give yourself over to. A yield of 30hl/ha. The Lefevre family are also ones to watch in St-Emilion right now, with their recent investments into Villemaurine and Valandraud. Drinking range: 2027 - 2040 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2021)
A powerful and intense red with blackberry, blueberry and ultra fine chewy tannins. It’s so long and energetic. Dense center palate. Rating: 95-96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.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 call us, but see the 'practical notes' below.
Ordering
Prices are per case as listed 'in bond' (excluding duty paid and VAT).
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price sits 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.
You can register your interest via the online wishlist form, by emailing privateclients@leaandsandeman.co.uk, or by calling 020 7221 1982. All wishlist requests are subject to availability and final confirmation. Inevitably, some wines will have to be allocated but please do not let that deter you from asking. We will do our best to satisfy all requests.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are contractually binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of the confirmation date.
Invoices are raised at in bond prices. Duty and VAT invoices will be raised on request when the wines land in the UK.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We reserve the right to levy 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 in bond deliveries are free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £1,000. Orders below this total will be charged at £16.50+ VAT when the wine invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchase from this offer, not a per-case charge. Please inform us of in bond delivery addresses and account details at the time of ordering.
- If the wines are required duty paid we will issue invoices at prevailing rate of duty and VAT when the wines arrive in the UK.
- The wines will become available by the end of the year and should be shipped very early next year.