CHÂTEAU TROTTEVIEILLE
2020 Grand Cru Classé Saint Emilion
Blackcurrants and blueberries with some chocolate and hazelnut. Bark and mushroom undertones. Salt. Full-bodied with very fine tannins. Very structured. Muscular yet polished. The tannins go on and on. 50% cabernet franc, 49% merlot and 1% cabernet sauvignon. This needs lots of time because of the super tannin structure. Needs five or six years to soften. Try after 2029. Rating: 98 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 Trotte Vieille is fabulous. Rich, inky and explosive, the 2020 offers up an exotic mélange of jammy dark fruit, espresso, bittersweet chocolate, cloves and incense. Sumptuous and flamboyant to the core, Trotte Vieille has a ton of personality. Big chocolaty tannins frame the sumptuous finish. This has come together very well. Drinking range: 2027 - 2045 Rating: 95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
Always one of the latest to harvest, as this is located directly on the limestone plateau, with 12ha of vines. Intense and focused, showing sculpted blueberry and black cherry fruit, grilled cocoa bean and tar, the tannins close in pretty tightly through the palate, and it needs plenty of time in the glass to reveal the gunsmoke and violet edges. Great ageing potential here, this is living up to En Primeur potential. Drinking range: 2027 - 2042 Rating: 96 Jane Anson, Decanter (Feb 2023)
The 2020 TrotteVieille has a backward nose that gradually opens, with layers of blackberry and raspberry, freshly rolled tobacco, clean and precise. This is classy. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, beautifully balanced and finely structured. A dash of black pepper toward the persistent finish. This is living up to its full potential and should develop with class in bottle. Drinking range: 2028 - 2055 Rating: 94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
There is an unfortunate green streak running through this wine from the shy nose to the grainy tannins on the finish. Slightly unripe and slightly too sour, it is hard to shake these flavours and so this wine is, unfortunately, out of balance. Rating: 15+? Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Jun 2021)
The 2020 Trotte Vieille is laced with inky, jammy dark fruit, licorice and bittersweet chocolate. This heady, potent Saint-Émilion is not exactly subtle, but it does offer tons of intensity in an opulent, heady style. The only thing missing is a bit of midpalate pliancy and overall persistence. Drinking range: 2030 - 2050 Rating: 92-94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2021)
The 2020 TrotteVieille is quite broody and backward on the nose at first, demanding 15–20 minutes to open. It then reveals blackberry, sea spray/marine scents and hints of crushed chalk and pencil box. The palate is medium-bodied with quite a firm structure, indicating that this is a Saint-Émilion that should be cellared for several years. There is a lovely touch of white pepper and allspice toward the finish. I suspect this is a TrotteVieille that will reward the patient. Drinking range: 2028 - 2055 Rating: 92-94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2021)
The 2020 Château Trotte Vieille is an exotic, incredibly perfumed Saint-Emilion that comes from a cooler terroir on the upper plateau. Vivid purple-hued, with a crazy nose of blue fruits, violets, flowers, and graphite, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a pretty, focused texture, ample tannins, and a great finish. I love its elegance and purity on the palate, and it’s a beautiful wine in the making. Rating: 92-94 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2021)
Excellent grip and tension through the palate, a well-judged and well-balanced Trottevieille, doing exactly as well as expected in a vintage that favours clay and limestone soils that keep freshness and focus. Elegant and sleek, plenty of tight blackberry fruit and a mouthwatering finish. Expands through the mid palate and then closes in on the finish, a confident wine where you feel the terroir is pulling the strings not the winemaker. Tasted twice, loved both times. Drinking range: 2028 - 2044 Rating: 96 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2021)
Fantastic texture and structure to this wine with firm, silky tannins that go on and on. Love the crushed blackberries, blueberries and salt. Floral and mineral character, too. Full and tight with great length. Chewy at the very end, indicating real structure. All about structure and length. 50% cabernet sauvignon, 49% merlot, and 1% cabernet sauvignon. Rating: 98-99 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2021)
50% Cabernet Franc, 49% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. Dark purple. On the nose there is no hint of such high alcohol. Very supple texture and a lot of flattering fruit that pretty much distracts from the medium charge of tannin. Much less obvious tannin than most of its peers. A certain appetising savour and energy. 15% Drinking range: 2026 - 2040 Rating: 16.5 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.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 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.