CHÂTEAU LE BOSCQ
2022 Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel Saint Estèphe
A powerful wine from the soils of St Estèphe, slate, graphite, very Left Bank, this is a brilliant Le Boscq that is serious, well structured, big black pepper finish. Mouthwatering levels of freshness also, this is a great value choice. 50% of the crop was lost to hail in June, giving 25hl/h yield overall. Drinking range: 2025 - 2036 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.
47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc. 37% new oak for 12 months and 4 batches in amphora. This is a sensational Le Boscq with tremendously expressive fruit and superb length. The tannins are fascinating, drying, firm, juicy and also super-fine. They underpin the entire structure of the wine allowing the deep, dark blackberry and cherry fruit to shine. This is a triumph in 2022. Rating: 17.5+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2023)
The wine from this Vignobles Dourthe property has been made with pre-fermentation cold maceration and the élevage includes amphorae alongside the barrels. I like the perfumed aromatics, the nose dominated by fragrant rose petals, dark chocolate, violet cream and white peach. The palate is just as dark and perfumed, supported by a rich grip of tannins, tight-knit and polished; this structure tightly clamps the palate, from the middle onwards, but happily the tannins feel integrated and correct, with a sense of tight-knit ripeness, so on the whole this works. It will just need a long time to come around, for my palate anyway. Rating: 90-92 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (May 2023)
The 2022 Le Boscq is super-concentrated and yet also vibrant. Dark red/purplish fruit, cigar box, lavender, rose petal, licorice and pomegranate infuse the 2022 with notable depth. Yields were just 25 hectoliters per hectare after hail in June reduced the potential crop dramatically. This has real potential. Drinking range: 2025 - 2042 Rating: 90-93 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2023)
Solid fruit here with spices like cardamon and cloves. Medium-bodied with a pretty core of fruit in the center palate and chewy tannins. Typical for the appellation. Rating: 92-93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2023)
Château Le Boscq
Château le Boscq sits at the far northern end of Saint Estèphe with it’s fine late 19th Century mansion commanding fine views over the River Gironde, and the southern portions of the vineyard gazing across the Chenal de Calon at Calon-Ségur. Unusually for this part of the Haut-Médoc, the majority of Le Boscq’s vineyard – 60% - is planted with Merlot which accounts for a rounder fleshier style to the wine.
Of note, historically, is that the Barton family owned Château le Boscq before they moved south to Léoville and Langoa in Saint Julien. Since 1995, le Boscq has been in the ownership of Bordeaux négociant and merchant Dourthe.
It was classified ‘Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel’, in the 2020 Cru Bourgeois Classification for Médoc wines. The property has already been awarded HVE level 3 (High Environmental Value), and is working toward organic certification.
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.