CÔTES DU RHÔNE

2020 Lieu-Dit Clavin Blanc Domaine de la Vieille Julienne

EN PRIMEUR

Vieille Julienne's much under appreciated and under the radar white Cotes du Rhone Lieu-Dit Clavin hails from a tiny 1.5ha plot on the very north of the vineyard and from the steepest plot, mixing marlstone and limestone soils which are very much evident in the wines. A blend of different classic Rhone varities that average some 65 years, 40% Grenache 30% Clairette 15% Bourblenc and the balance made up of Marsanne, Rossanne & Viognier. The 2020 has more texture than the 2019, a slightly longer cold soak perhaps, but has a lovely feel to it, stainless steel fermentation brings fresh bright notes, hawthhorn blossom, zippy fresh citrus notes and kept in play by just enough acidity to bring the minerality into balance, this puts many leading white Chateauneufs into context when you consider the price quality ratio and will give white Rhone lovers a real smile. L&S (Sept 2021)

In Bond

75cl bottles (case of 12)

* 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.

Based largely on Marsanne, with some Viognier as well, the 2020 Côtes Du Rhône Clavin Blanc comes from vines around the estate, just across the road from Châteauneuf du Pape. White peach, tangerine, and spice notes give way to a medium-bodied, clean, balanced white that brings solid richness and depth while staying fresh and lively. Rating: 91 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Nov 2021)

Under the guidance of Jean-Paul Daumen, this estate on the very northern borders of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation is now considered to be one of the leading domaines. One of the first estates to convert to biodynamic practises when Jean-Paul took over from his father in 1990, the 22 hectares of vineyards are nearly all north facing, giving relieve from the hot summer days and lending the wines the all-important freshness. Attention to detail is everything here, with some very old plots of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault & Carignan and a wine making style more at home in Burgundy, it is clear to see why it is held in such high regard by journalists, Rhône enthusiasts, sommeliers and restaurateurs around the world.

Trois Sources is from sand-based vineyards on the lower banks of the estate and are the more approachable when young, whilst the Les Hauts Lieux come from the limestone dominated higher vineyards on the northern boundary of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and need more time to come around. In great years a Reserve wine is made in miniscule quantities from ancient Grenache vineyards. Our visit in July to taste the 2019’s justifiably confirmed our excitement to be working with and shipping from Vieille Julienne; these are deeply coloured, pure and aromatic but with incredible freshness - you can buy these confident that they will richly reward patience over the next 8-15 years. They also produce an utterly brilliant Côtes du Rhône called Lieu-dit Clavin, possible the best value Côtes du Rhône in the entire Rhône Valley.

ORDERING VIA OUR WEBSITE:

  • Click on the 'ORDER' button to add cases to your Wishlist order form. The Wishlist appears in both the sidebar and header (separately from the main basket).
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  • Submit your Wishlist order form with your details and please indicate any special requirements in the notes, including whether you would like the wines duty paid.
  • We will respond as quickly as possible with confirmation of your order and your invoice.

Please note that certain wines are on very tight allocations and will first be offered to customers who buy across the range. If you have any queries, please email our primeurs team or speak to your usual L&S contact.

ORDERING VIA EMAIL:

Please feel free to email us your Wishlist at any time. This list can include wines listed as available on the website, as well as those marked 'To Be Advised'. We will reply as soon as possible with confirmation of what we can offer.

STORAGE OPTIONS:

Wines bought en primeur are scheduled to arrive in the UK over the course of the next eighteen months. If you do not wish to take home delivery, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. 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 primeurs team for more information.

While helpful, we do not require a firm commitment on delivery destination to process your primeur order at this stage. Our team will be in contact with you when your wines arrive in the UK to confirm the necessary delivery details.

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RHÔNE PRIMEUR FAQ

OFFER: All wines are offered subject to availability and final confirmation.

PRICING: All prices are quoted IN BOND ex-VAT, by the case size stated. Please double check that the desired case size does match what is being offered as wines are variously listed in threes, sixes, dozens, halves and larger formats.

DELIVERY - TIMING: This is a primeur offer so the wines are not yet physically available for delivery. They will be shipped to the UK over the next eighteen months. Generally wines are shipped to your nominated location once the whole order has landed in our London City Bond account. If you require wines to be delivered by a certain date, please advise us at the time of ordering.

DELIVERY - FEES: In bond delivery to an Elephant Storage account (for more information see 'Storage Options' opposite) is free of charge. Transfer of wines to any third party bond (i.e. not Elephant Storage) will incur an administration charge of £16.50 + VAT for all orders under £500. If you require wines duty paid, please indicate this in your Wishlist order form. A duty & VAT invoice will be raised once all the wines on your order are available for shipment. Once the relevant duty & VAT has been settled, we will ship the wines to your nominated address as per our normal duty paid Delivery Terms.

PAYMENT: All orders will be invoiced for immediate payment by cheque, cash, debit card or cleared funds to our account. We regret that we cannot accept credit cards for primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.