CHÂTEAU SAINT PIERRE
2022 4ème Cru Classé Saint Julien
The 2022 Malescot Saint Exupéry was picked from 19 September until 5 October, stopping over two weekends as it rained. Every parcel contributed fruit to the Grand Vin and there is 14.5% alcohol. Raised in 70% new oak with most of the malo done in barrel, it has a fragrant bouquet with red cherries, raspberry coulis, blueberry and violet scents. The palate has a well-defined entry with sour cherry, raspberry, blackcurrant and touches of marmalade. Not powerful, but harmonious with a silky texture, this is a precision-tooled Margaux that will give 20 to 30 years of drinking pleasure. Drinking range: 2027 - 2052 Rating: 93-95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.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.
A particular success for this estate, the 2022 Saint-Pierre offers up aromas of cassis, licorice and violets, followed by a medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy palate that's lively and sapid, with powdery structuring tannins and a penetrating finish. Its tannic weight tempers the wine's sweetness of fruit to deliver a classy, nicely balanced result. Rating: 93-94 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2023)
80 Cabernet Sauvignon, 12 Merlot, 6 Cabernet Franc, 2 Petit Verdot. 50% new oak. 14% alc. I often find Saint-Pierre a little punchy and combative during En Primeur week, and yet in 2022, this wine, while fairly structured and rigid, is a model of civility. While the gates are closed, and the shutters are down, this is an elegant creation with firm foundations and plenty of impressive flourishes. Gone is the urgency of past vintages, with 2022 introducing a newfound degree of refinement and quiet power. Give it time because the dark fruit need tempering, but this will be a delectable wine when it reaches its apogee. Rating: 18+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2023)
The 2022 Malescot Saint Exupéry is dense, powerful and voluptuous. Black cherry, mocha, espresso, licorice and chocolate are all amplified. In 2022, Malescot is quite the extrovert. These days Malescot is not as classic as it used to be, but this is a good showing, even if the alcohol comes through a touch. Drinking range: 2027 - 2047 Rating: 92-94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2023)
The wine of this esate has become considerably more refined over recent vintages and this 2022 will provide a new benchmark. The flavours are pure and well defined, although a tad strict at this stage. Yet all is cleverly balanced, showing a bright finish. Rating: 94-95 La Revue du Vin de France (May 2023)
This 2022 blend is strong on Cabernet Sauvignon, at 80% of the total, with 12% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and just 2% Petit Verdot. It has beautifully dark and fresh fruit on the nose, combining currant and rose with touches of liquorice, sage, violet and mint; aromatically, this has to be one of the most convincing wines in the entire appellation. The palate begins in a quite harmonious style, showing a supple weight and sweet polish to the dark fruit, with soot, black olive, toast, dark chocolate and slate, all laid over a nicely buried tannic grip which has such fine harmony and integration. This is a delight, dark, focused, textural and bright. A huge success for the vintage, fresh and dark and true, with a great length to it as well. Potentially a great buy in the appellation. The alcohol is 13.9%. Rating: 94-96 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (May 2023)
This shows ripe black fruit with hints of vanilla and walnuts, yet it’s fresh and crunchy at the same time. Full body with fine-grained, silky tannins. Really polished and textured with a long finish. Vivid and pure blue fruit. Violets, too. Crunchy at the end. Fresh. Rating: 95-96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2023)
Château Saint Pierre
St Julien Quatrième cru 1855 At 17ha Château Saint Pierre is the smallest classed growth estate in St Julien. The name is derived from the Baron de Saint-Pierre who owned the estate at the tail end of the 18th Century. He left Saint-Pierre to his two daughters who, after running the estate together for a while, divided Saint-Pierre in two in 1832. The Dutch company, Van den Bussche bought both bits of Saint-Pierre in 1923 and re-united the estate. In 1982, Henri Martin (the man who assembled the Château Gloria from bits of vineyard purchased from various St Julien estates, including Saint-Pierre) bought the estate and he, and his daughter and son-in law Françoise and Jean-Louis Triaudand, have done much to raise the profile of this oft over-looked château. The vineyards are planted to 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, with the wines being made at Château Gloria. Although renewed reputation has pushed the price up a little in recent years, Saint-Pierre still represents quite good value for some nicely made darkly coloured St Julien.
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.