TOURELLES DE LONGUEVILLE

2020 de Château Pichon Baron Pauillac

EN PRIMEUR

Delicious. Very sophisticated. Balance is spot on. There is the air of class here. Nicely rich, but measured and not too big. Flows well. Silky, polished tannins. Floral aromatics lead the way. So attractive, you could almost drink this now - but it is concentrated and intense too. Full of stuffing which will carry it on for years. Classic plum notes are melded with some pert, dark cherry flesh and blueberry skin rub. Very fine, but promises some indulgence too, quietly showy and full of charm.L&S (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.

Redcurrant and berries with flowers and blood orange aromas. Full- to medium-bodied with firm and racy tannins that are polished and very long and bright. Juicy at the end. Mostly merlot (64%) as well as 29% cabernet sauvignon and the rest, cabernet franc. Better after 2027. Drinking range: 2027 - 2035 Rating: 94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2023)

The 2020 Les Tourelles de Longueville is a dark, powerful wine, with tons of textural intensity, and yet it remains pretty compact, with burly tannins that have not softened much yet. The intense heat of the year is evident in the wine's concentration and burly tannins. I would give this a few years in bottle to see what happens. Drinking range: 2025 - 2030 Rating: 91 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)

The 2020 Les Tourelles de Longueville retains quite potent aromatics on the nose, iris flower and crushed rock infusing the black fruit. Fine delineation. The fresh palate is medium-bodied with crunchy black fruit (like the Pibran) and heightened salinity compared to the samples tasted from barrel a few months ago. Fresh and long on the finish. Classic in style. Drinking range: 2025 - 2035 Rating: 91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)

The 2020 Les Tourelles de Longueville is a bright, nervy wine with tons of energy driving the red berry fruit flavors, but a bit compact in this tasting. It will be interesting to see if it fills out with élevage and time. Drinking range: 2025 - 2035 Rating: 90-92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2021)

The 2020 Les Tourelles de Longueville has a perfumed, floral bouquet of iris and incense aromas infusing the black cherry and blueberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied and lightly spiced on the entry, displaying grainy tannins, good depth and an attractive, briny finish with a sprinkling of white pepper. Good potential. Tasted from test tube sample and 75cl bottle. Drinking range: 2025 - 2035 Rating: 90-92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2021)

64% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc 30% in new oak and 70% in one-year-old barrels for 12 months This wine represents 27% of the yield of the 73ha of vines There is more Merlot in this wine than found in Les Griffons and it tastes more formal and stern. Perhaps there is some older vine fruit here because there is superb balance and control from the perfume to the finish. Without the obvious flesh of Les Griffons, this is a more upright and traditionally Pauillac-shaped wine and I like it enormously because it captures the essence of the commune while polishing the body and making it a lot more forward than many of the other labels found here. I anticipate that it will blossom fully within a decade and provide much joy as well as some typical Pichon-Baron flair. Rating: 17.5 Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2021)

Beautiful black cherry and black raspberry fruits as well as some classic Pauillac graphite, lead pencil, and green tobacco notes emerge from the 2020 Les Tourelles De Longueville, and it's medium-bodied, with a beautifully textured, elegant mouthfeel, remarkable purity, and silky tannins. This gorgeous second wine is already hard to resist yet will keep for 15-20 years in cold cellars. This cuvée is always the more Merlot-dominated of the releases and is 64% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 7% Cabernet Franc that was brought up in 30% new French oak. Rating: 92-94 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2021)

64% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample. Floral and fruit-driven with crunchy fruit that has a touch of sweetness and a relatively light but fine tannic frame. Warm but digeste and accessible relatively early. Drinking range: 2025 - 2032 Rating: 16 James Lawther 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.