CHÂTEAU HAUT BAGES LIBERAL
2025 5ème Cru Classé Pauillac Château Haut Bages Libéral
We had a fabulous tasting with Claire Villars-Lurton. She always has such an interesting take on the vintage - and in 2025 her Haut Bages Liberal is fantastic. It's a beautifully classic Pauillac expression, combining quiet power with real purity and precision. Already showing superbly, it carries itself with grace and composure on the palate, offering layered aromas and gently complex flavours supported by excellent acidity. There is plenty of structure here, finely milled tannins are svelte and the wine remains remarkably approachable and open-knit even at this early stage. Sourced equally from her vines on the gravelly soils bordering Lynch-Bages and from the limestone parcels shared with Château Latour, the blend captures both energy and finesse. Pure, vibrant and effortlessly poised, this is a wine of real charm and balance. Once again, it represents exceptional value — highly recommended.L&S (Apr 2026)
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.
The 2025 Haut-Bages Libéral was picked at 32 hl/ha between September 8 and 18 and matured in 35% new oak with 30% in concrete ovoid tanks. What distinguishes this property is that half the vines lie on limestone soils, which is unusual in Pauillac. This has clearly the most beguiling aromatics among the three wines that I tasted with Claire Villars-Lurton, with pure black cherries, cassis and violet scents that burst from the glass. Wonderful delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, a silver thread of acidity and, crucially, that tingle from the limestone soils that defines the finish. What a superb and distinctive Pauillac this is. Drinking range: 2031 - 2055 Rating: 93-95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2026)
Bright and vivid on the nose and palate, with blackberries, black currants, raspberries and violets. It's medium-bodied with firm and racy tannins and a salty undertone in the finish, Such real energy. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Rating: 96-97 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2026)
The 2025 Haut-Bages Libéral is a powerful, tightly wound wine. Bright acids and beams of tannin are front and center. In this tasting, it is driven and also very shut down. The saline-drenched finish reverberates with tension. Intense red-toned fruit, chalk, mint, white pepper and blood orange fill out the layers. Drinking range: 2035 - 2065 Rating: 93-96 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2026)
One of the best Haut-Bages Libérals I've tasted from barreel. Perfumed blackcurrants, quite dark and true to form with a gorgeous perfume. Aromatics are great. Juicy and crisp, sleek and svelte, definitely quite streamlined but with such soft, velvety tannins that give grip but support the vibrant fruit so well. I love this. Really very classic, muscular but gentle with purity and focus. Hard to explain but this is great, maybe quite light and not layered enough, but there’s such complex flavours and aromas. And the acidity is excellent. A very friendly wine that will be easy to approach. Half gravelly soil, half limestone with 50% chalk on Cabernet – really rare for a cru classé. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.56pH. A yield of 32hl/ha. Drinking range: 2033 - 2050 Rating: 96 Georgie Hindle - Decanter (Apr 2026)
Château Haut Bages Libéral
Pauillac Cinquième cru 1855 Château Haut Bages Libéral sits nearly atop the hill to the south of the hamlet of Bages - hence the name, Haut Bages - seperated by a country lane from Château Latour. The estate was owned by the Libéral family during the 18th Century, hence the last part of the name. Despite being surrounded by illustious neighbours - aside from Latour to the immediate south, Haut Bages Libéral can also count the two Pichons as "next door" - achieving 5th Growth status in 1855 seems to have been a bit of a high point as a century of typically Bordelais decline followed. In 1960 the Cruse family took control and, apart from cleaving off a portion of vineyards and handing them over to Château Pontet-Canet, the fortunes of Haut Bages Libéral began to improve. The Cruse family were forced to sell in 1982 and Château Haut Bages Libéral became part of the Merlaut family's Taillan Group, which includes Chasse Spleen and Gruaud Larose. The 28ha of vineyard are planted to 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. The wine is fermented in stainless steel before spending 16 months in wood (40% new). Whilst not living up to the greatest heights of its neighbour Latour, Haut Bages Libéral offers some very good value for a really well-made Pauillac.
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 £17.50+ 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 2025 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2028. 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:-
- +£20.00 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)
- +£10.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£50.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£70.00 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 2028. 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 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.