CHÂTEAU FOMBRAUGE
2021 Grand Cru Classé Saint Emilion
Spiced berries, cassis, roasted capsicum and a hint of dried strawberries. Abundant, lightly chewy tannins on the palate with juicy fruit and a tight finish. Better in a year or two. Rating: 91 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Dec 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.
Bright plum and raspberry puree flavours, this is a little tart in its acidities, but there are serious tannins alongside, and skilful construction by estate director Anthony Defives, with everything in place to soften further over ageing, and an attractive curl of woodsmoke on the close of play. Harvest September 30 to October 18, 35% new oak. Tasted three times. Drinking range: 2025 - 2038 Rating: 90 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2022)
Perfumed and fresh with flowers, such as lavender and violets. Medium-bodied with fine tannins that are layered and refined in texture. Rating: 92-93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2022)
Aromas of sweet cherries, berry preserves and Black Forest cake, framed by a lavish application of creamy new oak, introduce the 2021 Fombrauge, a medium to full-bodied, broad and textural wine that's supple and fleshy, with a rich core of sweet fruit and lively balancing acids. As usual, this is a generous, front-loaded, somewhat confectionary Saint-Émilion from Bernard Magrez, though it's well made in its style. Rating: 87-89 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2022)
Château Fombrauge
Chateau Fombrauge is the largest St. Emilion vineyard with over 128 acres. The Bordeaux wine vineyard is planted to 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The vines average 30 years of age and are planted to a density of 5,600 vines per hectare. Owned by Bernard Magrez and consulted by Michel Rolland, this Right Bank property strives to produce the best Bordeaux wine possible. Cold macerations, 4-5 week fermentations in small wood vats are some of the techniques employed by the property. Close to 14,000 cases are produced in most vintages. The estate has a second wine, Le Cadran de Fombrauge which produces over 100,000 bottles of this Bordeaux wine per year.
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.