CLOS MANOU
2021 Médoc
Always a favourite of ours - Stéphane Dief has pulled it out of the bag again this year - despite the struggles of the vintage. This is such a classy and complete wine, deep black berried fruit and just a whiff of good savour too. Sleek, but with just enough structure and grip. Fully ripe - but with good fresh lines - this is a real success. One of the wines that defies the vintage completely and illustrates the power of hard work in the vineyard. 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc.L&S (May 2022)
* 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.
An exceptionally reliable name, and a skilful winemaker in the shape of Stéphane Dief who is really proving his worth here. Silky tannins, luscious black fruit that is structured and savoury but feels supple and fully ripe. A trace of bitterness on the finish gives a hint of the 2021 vintage, but this is easily one of the wines of the vintage in this appellation, and is one to look out for. Harvest September 29 to October 16. 60% new oak, with the rest in the mix of amhora and concrete eggs. Unfined, and only lightly filtered. 52% of overall production in this wine. Hand harvested. Drinking range: 2025 - 2036 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (Apr 2022)
The 2021 Clos Manou, matured in 60% new oak after some micro-oxygenation in barrel, has a well-defined nose, a mixture of red and black fruit with traces of iris flower. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, very good concentration and a bit of hardness on the finish, but that will soften, and there is certainly more energy here than in many other Médoc wines. Worth seeking out. Drinking range: 2025 - 2032 Rating: 89-91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2022)
The 2021 Clos Manou is supple, racy and super-expressive. A burst of red/purplish fruit, rose petal, mint, spice and lavender lend quite a bit of up front intensity. Clos Manou is beautifully done in 2021. It is sure to find many fans. Drinking range: 2026 - 2036 Rating: 90-92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2022)
The 2021 Clos Manou is a brilliant performance for this small northern Médoc estate. Offering up aromas of cassis, wild blueberries, loamy soil, violets and cigar wrapper, it's medium to full-bodied, velvety and seamless, with lively acids, ripe tannins and a long, penetrating finish. It's a blend of fully 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, harvested through to October 17, with 17% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Tasted twice, once at the estate. Rating: 89-91 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (May 2022)
Clos Manou
"We turned our garage into a makeshift wine cellar and made our first wine in 1998.” Françoise and Stéphane Dief. Which sounds impossibly idyllic! In a region of grand estates with long complicated histories the arrivistes of Clos Manou are a refreshing change. Starting with just .12ha of vines, the Diefs have patiently spent 15 years building their holding up to 18ha, along the way absorbing the obscure Cru Bourgeois of Château Cantegrive. The estate may be 'new' but amongst their holdings are Bordeaux’s oldest vines – they have a small pre-phylloxera parcel from the 1850’s. The estate is centred on the village of Saint-Christoly de Médoc in the increasingly popular area of the Haut-Médoc to the north of Saint Estèphe. All of Clos Manou’s vineyards are high-density plantings – some 10 000 vines per hectare – and all are converted to organic farming as soon as is practical. Grape variety proportions are 45% each Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with 6% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. The first wine is aged in 100% new wood. The second wine is called Petit Manou.
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 2027. 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 2027. 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.