CROIX CANON

2020 Grand Cru Saint Emilion

EN PRIMEUR

This is an excellent second (from a separate plot) wine, bright, poised and delicious. Fruit ripeness is just at the point where it is teetering on the brink between deep, spicy and textured while still remaining fresh and juicy. Great stuff. Mildew made an impact but not drought, so ended up with 40hl/ha yields. Harvest September 4 to 23, 30% new oak. 3.53pH. Drinking range: 2023 - 2036 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (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.

A fantastic second wine with a dense center palate of tight, racy tannins and dark fruit. Spicy and almost salty. It’s full, yet very compact with excellent structure and length. Very serious. Rating: 95-96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2021)

The 2020 Croix Canon is a blend of 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc, aging for 18 months in French oak, 30% new. It weighs in with 14.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.53. Deep garnet-purple colored, it drifts out of the glass with alluring scents of plum preserves, blueberry pie and mulberries, plus touches of potpourri, Chinese five spice and fallen leaves. The medium to full-bodied palate is chock-full of juicy black and blue fruits, supported by plush tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing long and spicy. Drinking range: 2024 - 2037 Rating: 90-92 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Jun 2021)

Blackberry, rose bush, and orange peel aromas follow through to a medium body, with silky tannins and a fresh finish. Attractive texture and linear focus to this. Very typical and high class. Try after 2026. Rating: 94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2023)

The 2020 Croix Canon is a ridiculously great second wine. Bright and explosive, with tremendous depth, Croix Canon is outrageously beautiful. Mildew wiped out a good bit of the Merlot, so in 2020 Croix Canon has more Cabernet Franc than usual, and that adds so much character. The 2020 is phenomenal. That's all there is to it. Drinking range: 2026 - 2040 Rating: 94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)

The 2020 Croix Canon is bright and perfumed right out of the bottle. There's not a ton of structure here, but then again, this is a second wine. Crushed red berries, mint, rose petal, cedar and a touch of blood orange give the 2020 lovely complexity. This is very nicely done. I expect it will be a lovely mid-term drinker. Rating: 89-91 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (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 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.