SAINTAYME

2022 Grand Cru Saint Emilion

EN PRIMEUR

Intense muscular contraction to the tannins on the opening beats, the fruit gets creamy as it opens, with vivid raspberry reflections and plenty of mouthwarting salinity. This is a pretty serious Saintayme, great quality and great value. Olivier Gautrat alongside Noémie Durantou. Harvest September 17 to October 3 (extremely late for the vintage, because cool clays in a cooler part of St Etienne de Lisse, something you also see in the generous 50hl/h yields), 30% new oak. Drinking range: 2028 - 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.

Always the opener at this wonderful estate - in 2022 Saintayme is once again a brilliant wine. Crisp and firm, with some good chalky restraint. A focused, linear line to the pert red berry fruit. So measured, so contained this has real class. A great example of what can be achieved in 2022 despite the heat of the year. This is serious Saint Emilion and a real bargain. Loaded with sophisticated fruit and brimming with tension. No wonder it is one of just 7 Right Bank wines hailed by Jane Anson as a 'Great Value' option in 2022.L&S (Apr 2023)

100% Merlot. 30% new oak. 14.4% alc. 66000 bottles produced. Picked between 17 September – 3 October. Saintayme is initially extremely perfumed and pure on the nose with violets, plum flesh and exotic orange hints, and then the palate looms with firmness and structure but no excess. The palate is tart, mouth-watering, packed with energy, colour and vigour. My excitement about this wine is that, as a standalone creation, it is sublime, but as the first rung on the ladder at this sublime estate, it increases my anticipation immeasurably. Be sure to snap up a case of this wine because it is the essence of the vintage in diminutive form. Rating: 17+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2023)

100% Merlot. Cask sample. Fragrant and relatively fresh. Alcohol heightens the mid-palate sweetness. Tannins a little chewy and dry on the finish. (JL) 14.4% Drinking range: 2026 - 2032 Rating: 15.5 James Lawther MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (May 2023)

So much sea salt and crunchy fruit with berry and grape character. Some orange, too. Medium-bodied, bright and vivid. Lively finish. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2023)

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.