CHÂTEAU LAROQUE
2024 Grand Cru Classé Saint Emilion
Deep garnet-purple colored. Leaps with bold notes of fresh blackberries and kirsch, leading to suggestions of lilac bush, underbrush, and cinnamon stick. The light to medium-bodied palate is elegant and light on its feet with a lively line and fragrant finish. Drinking range: 2028 - 2045 Rating: 93-95 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent (May 2025)
In Bond
75cl bottles (wood case of 6)
* 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.
Deep plum colour, cold ash and fennel on the opening, savoury, well judged and well extracted, this is on the slim side, with the focus on cassis bud and rose petals. You probably have to be a bit of a limestone fanatic (as I am) to truly love this vintage of Laroque, because it is less gourmet than in vintages like 2022 and 2023, setting texture and minerality above fruit, but exceptionally well handled by estate director David Suire, and it should soften further ove ageing. Once again a value pick. Drinking range: 2029 - 2040 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2025)
Laroque's bouquet is subtle and multi-dimensional. It reveals nuances of ripe black fruit, earthy notes, and a hint of licorice stick. This profile of fruit and spice continues on the palate; where the wine reveals a suave side, with appreciable density, and remarkable power. The saline, mineral attack underlines the tension, whilst there is density too giving a deeper, creamy feel, and then some structure comes from tannins that are still a little angular, but will clearly round out. This is a thoughtful wine that advances cautiously, but knows where it wants to go. The aging will guide it in this direction, and once again, Laroque will be among the great successes of Saint-Émilion. This is not inevitable; it is simply logical. There is still a long way to go, and the finish must gain in expression, but the milestones are set… very well set! An elegant and bright wine that is velvety and whose finish highlights the important influence of the limestone here, for now dominating the fruit expression perhaps, but this fruit will come in time, this young wine has everything it needs for a promising future. Drinking range: 2029 - 2054 Rating: 95-97 Yves Beck, www.yvesbeck.wine (Apr 2025)
A ripe, plush merlot with lots of dark cherries, plums and berries on the nose. Quite bright on the palate, with lovely dark fruit and freshness. Fine tannins, with a medium body and a lengthy finish. 98% merlot and 2% cabernet franc. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2025)
The 2024 Laroque has satisfying concentration on the nose with blackberry, wild strawberry and light floral scents. It just needs a little more delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with much lighter tannins than recent vintages under winemaker David Suire. The 2024 is nicely balanced, displaying simple and noticeably tertiary red fruit and modest weight on the finish. Sure, it comes across a bit short compared to stellar wines in recent vintages; nevertheless, it should give up to a decade of drinking pleasure. Drinking range: 2029 - 2039 Rating: 89-91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2025)
98 M 2 CF Intense dried herbs and parma violet aromas. Quite distinctive and inviting. Juicy and round with low and supple tannins which signifies a good answer to the question of the vintage. Juicy sappy fruit and a fresh finish. Not for the very long term, but pleasant and well made. Rating: 91 Rod Smith MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2025)
The 2024 Laroque is a sleek, polished wine made mostly from the Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes plateau in this vintage. Silky and aromatic, with mid-weight structure, the 2024 is attractive. However, the challenges of the vintage are evident in the light mid-palate and soft finish. Élevage will be critical. Tasted two times. Drinking range: 2028 - 2039 Rating: 88-90 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2025)
Château Laroque (Saint Emilion)
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. Many properties specify a standard case format, and may make additional charges for six-bottle cases, for example. We offer wood cases of six bottles as standard where these are available without extra charge, but we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. If you want six-bottle cases where a 12 bottle case is offered, please check for the extra case charge. 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
- +£9.50 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.