CLOS PUY ARNAUD
2020 Côtes de Castillon
Some sour cherries and bruised fruit with some wet leaves. Slightly edgy on the fleshy palate, full of sweet-and-sour berry fruit and firm, fine-grained tannins. 70% merlot, 25% cabernet franc and 5% cabernet sauvignon. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Try again in 2025. Rating: 88 Zekun Shuai 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 Clos Puy Arnaud is one of the great wines of this vintage. Rich, deep and exquisitely layered, Clos Puy Arnaud shows how compelling Côtes de Castillon can be. Inky red fruit, blood orange, spice and mocha all race across the palate. Silky tannins wrap around the plush inviting finish. The saline energy and precision here is just unreal. The 2020 was aged in a combination of barrels of different sizes and 1/3rd amphora. This is a wine of tremendous character and personality. Drinking range: 2025 - 2040 Rating: 95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
The 2020 Clos Puy Arnaud is quite understated on the nose, but don't dismiss this because it unfolds wonderfully with aeration, quite classic in style. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, very supple, nicely detailed with a terroir-driven, rather refined and tensile finish, a hint of graphite on the aftertaste. Excellent. Drinking range: 2024 - 2040 Rating: 91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
The 2020 Clos Puy Arnaud is fabulous. Inky, deep and structured, the 2020 captures all the best qualities of the vintage. Intense mineral and savory Cabernet notes wrap around a core of inky dark fruit. The tannins are pretty potent, too. Ultimately it will be interesting to see how the 2020 comes together, but it is a hugely promising wine endowed with tremendous pedigree. A stand out. Drinking range: 2026 - 2040 Rating: 92-94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2021)
The 2020 Clos Puy Arnaud has a light blackberry, raspberry and rose petal nose, plus a hint of elderflower in the background. The oak is nicely integrated, although it needs more vigor. The palate is medium-bodied with a sweet candied entry, bitter red fruit infused with orange peel, modest depth, and a slightly savory/dried blood finish where the Cabernet Franc (25%) makes its presence felt. This should age with style. Drinking range: 2024 - 2040 Rating: 90-92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2021)
A firm red with some attractive tannins at this stage, but it lacks a little center palate and depth. Let’s see how it develops. From biodynamically grown grapes. Rating: 88-89 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2021)
A burst of ripe berry fruit on the nose, this has the most gorgeous depth of expression. More tannic than in many years, but not bitter or tight. An excellent wine, walking the line of power and sappy juice. Purity of fruit expression is clear. 3.32pH. Certified biodynamic.10% new oak the rest in large sized oak vats and amphora. Unfiltered and unfined. Drinking range: 2023 - 2036 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 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 2024 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.