CHÂTEAU CHASSE SPLEEN

2022 Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel Moulis-en-Médoc

EN PRIMEUR

Beautifully poised and well delivered black fruits here, and this is excellent quality, unusual spices of sweet cinnamon, vanilla bean, turmeric, gourmet edging, with depth and tannic grip. Great stuff, flashes of heat, but a ton of personality, and serious architecture that promises to age well. 40% new oak barrels for ageing. Now contains part of the vines from newly-purchased Château Brillette, with good quality Cabernet Sauvignon from gravel terroir, in place as of this 2022 blend vintage. Drinking range: 2027 - 2040 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.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.

54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc. 40% new oak. 13.5% alc. Classy, youthful and punchy on the palate with masses of fruit and also an embarrassing amount of tannin – but it works. This is a solid and strongly built wine with a lovely texture and, most importantly, an enticing nose. The tannins might be firm, but they perfectly balance the fruit. Rating: 17+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2023)

54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample. Blackcurrant and blackcurrant-leaf nose. Supple attack. Lovely mid-palate fruit. Tannins plentiful and ripe. Sufficient freshness. Generous and structured. Should age. GV? (JL) 13.5% Drinking range: 2028 - 2042James Lawther MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (May 2023)

This classic for its appellation has not missed the cut. It is as charming as usual with its palate showing a savoury, precise profile. The tannins are fine and elegant. Rating: 90-94 La Revue du Vin de France (May 2023)

Firm and linear with medium to full body and chalky, slightly tight tannins. Hints of walnuts and dark berries at the end. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2023)

The 2022 Chasse-Spleen is a huge, dense wine. Blackberry jam, chocolate, licorice, dark spice and leather are all dialed up in this opulent, decadently rich Moulis. Drinking range: 2026 - 2042 Rating: 89-91 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2023)

The 2022 Chasse-Spleen was picked from 9 September to 2 October. It is delineated on the nose, with black fruit entwined with loam and tobacco. It's a bit backward at the moment but is nicely focused. The palate is medium-bodied with a fresh and saline entry. Lively and energetic, there is impressive weight and structure on the finish. As it coheres, this could turn into a seriously fine Moulis. One for the cellar. Drinking range: 2032 - 2070 Rating: 92-94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2023)

The 2022 Chasse-Spleen was showing especially well, bursting with aromas of cassis and plums mingled with licorice and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy, with levels of texture and mid-palate amplitude unusual at this address in recent years, this supple, charming Moulis should offer a broad drinking window. Rating: 90-92 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2023)

Remarkable Chasse-Spleen has always produced high quality wines, which, for the last thirty years, have been worthy of a Third Growth Grand Cru. The English translation of the name of this Cru Bourgeois property is ‘chasing the blues away’, making it one of the most poetic of all names in the Médoc. Owned by Claire Villars, Chasse-Spleen is the leading estate of the little known Moulis appellation, and the wines are of excellent quality. Taking a look around the property (and if you are lucky, being guided round by Jean Pierre Foubet, Claire’s highly entertaining husband) gives you a good idea why they are so well admired. A large estate, although not all plots are next to the château itself; the cellars are impeccably clean, and there is a beautiful tasting room overlooking the barrel cellar and vines.

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.