LA PETITE ÉGLISE
2020 Pomerol
Lots of blackberries and blueberries with crushed stone and cement aromas and flavors. Medium- to full-bodied with polished tannins that are lightly chewy and tensioned. Long and flavorful. Needs four to five years to soften. Best after 2027. Rating: 96 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 La Petite Eglise is another stellar wine in this range from the Durantou family. A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, the Petite Eglise offers all the signatures of the Grand Vin, but in a more accessible style, never a bad thing. Crushed flowers, red berry fruit, mint, blood orange, spice and pomegranate infuse the 2020 with layers of complexity and dimension. Deep and yet light on its feet, the 2020 is so expressive today. Bright saline notes extend the sculpted, dynamic finish. Terrific Drinking range: 2025 - 2035 Rating: 94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
This is powerful and complex, fleshy damson and black cherry fruits, austere in all the right places, with amazing depth, better than many first wines in Pomerol and is an absolute buy. Jagged edges of crushed rocks, star-bright, luscious as it opens, unleashing waves of violet and peony. A shame just to taste this wine, hopefully you will be luckier and can enjoy a whole bottle. 50% new oak, harvest September 9 to 16. Noemie Durantou winemaker alongside Olivier Gautrat. Drinking range: 2024 - 2038 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (Feb 2023)
The 2020 La Petite Eglise has opened up on the nose, more accessible than I envisaged, with brambly red fruit, brown spices, touches of shucked oyster shell in the background. There is a floral component that becomes more accentuated with aeration. The palate is voluptuous on the entry with saturated tannins that frame the pure black cherry and boysenberry fruit. Its opulence counterbalanced by quite potent salinity that defines the finish. This is very impressive and it will probably age more slowly than other vintages. Drinking range: 2025 - 2040 Rating: 92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
This is a slightly more angular and slightly less juicy version of the Grand Vin with a lighter fruit feel throughout and a tangier finish. The length is still prodigious and the oak seems a little more prominent, so I would give it at least seven or eight years before uncorking a bottle for a peep at the contents, but I am sure that this will be remembered as a stunning second wine in 2020. Rating: 17.5 Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Jun 2021)
La Petite Eglise is once again fabulous in 2020. Elegant, silky and wonderfully nuanced, the 2020 hits all the right notes. This is the first vintage that includes fruit from a recently replanted plot near the winery. All the elements are impeccably balanced from start to finish. Quite frankly, La Petite Eglise is better than many top wines in Pomerol. Pretty floral and spice notes add delicacy to the perfumed finish. Drinking range: 2028 - 2040 Rating: 92-94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2021)
The 2020 La Petite Eglise is noticeably deep in color. It has a tightly wound bouquet, broody at first, unfurling to reveal blackberry, briar, touches of seaweed and light oyster shell aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, a fine line of acidity and a silky-smooth, utterly harmonious finish. This is a sensual La Petite Eglise, pure and refined, almost pixelated. Outstanding. Drinking range: 2024 - 2040 Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2021)
The second wine of Château L'Eglise Client, the 2020 La Petite Eglise tastes like a mini–Grand Vin with its lively black cherry and cassis fruit as well as notes of tobacco, leafy herbs, and damp earth. Medium to full-bodied, fresh, and focused, with a solid spine of acidity, it’s a terrific second wine to enjoy over the coming 10-15 years. Rating: 91-93 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2021)
Noémie and Constance Durantou now in charge, with Noémie winemaker alongside Olivier Gautrat. This is rich and ripe led by raspberry fruits on the nose, a little subdued through the mid palate, plenty of weight to the tannins, but it still shows the precision that has been built up over many years of this wine. A yield of 42hl/ha, harvest from September 8. Drinking range: 2023 - 2040 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2021)
Very fresh, perfumed aromas of blackberries, black olives and some white pepper. The palate is full and extremely polished with lovely depth and length. Lovely second wine. Serious. Rating: 95-96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2021)
Château L'Église Clinet
In a region of modest architecture, the high-spired church in Pomerol tends to dominate the sky-line. Gathered around it, a trio of estates trumpet their proximity with their name – Domaine de l’Eglise, Clos l’Eglise and Château l’Eglise Clinet. Infact, Clos l’Eglise Clinet and l’Eglise Clinet, separated only by a narrow lane, used to form a single estate until they were divided in inheritance in the latter half of the 19th Century. Initially, confusingly, called Clos de l’Eglise, the estate appended the lieu dit name and became Clos de l’Eglise Clinet, before finally settling on l’Eglise Clinet. The château, such as it is, is quite modest – the château proper being left with the Clos l’Eglise portion when the estate divided. The Château l’Eglise Clinet story really begins when Denis Durantou took over in 1983 and turned a traditional if unexciting property into one of Pomerol’s superstars. New equipment in a small new chai were installed and meticulous attention has been paid to the vineyard. There are 6ha of vines given over to 85% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc with the last 1% being a plot of very old Malbec vines. Denis Durantou also owns Château les Cruzelles in Lalande-de-Pomerol, Saintayme in Saint Emilion and Chateau Montlandrie in the Côtes de Castillon.
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 2023 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.