2018 Bordeaux - En Primeur
A couple of interesting Châteaux to start the campaign off.

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Dear <<First Name>>,

The Bordeaux 2018 En Primeur begins ... Quickly !

The 2018 vintage will be a mixed bag with some some excellent wines but as always, only time will truly tell.

The weather for some vintners played a crucial part as April came around with some experiencing hail in amongst the heavy rains and the potential after affects of mildew was not welcome. The summer was long and warm helping with well formed concentrated berries and healthy yields.

There are a great number of excellent wines from the right bank, particularly from Saint-Émilion and Pomerol.
On the Left bank great wines can be found in most of the appellations, however, St Estephe and Paulliac in particular appear to have made the most consistent and best wines. Our advice would be to carefully select wines that will be predominately for drinking and not necessarily for investment.

A few critics (James Suckling, James Molesworth and Jane Anson) have been quick to analyse and produce some interesting initial reports, perhaps not always agreeing on the levels of quality! For the first time in many years Neal Martin will not be reviewing EP until later in the year.

Chateau Angelus (JS - 99/100 pts) was very quick off the blocks to become the 1st top flight wine to hit the inboxes last week, opening at £255 per bottle which is down on last year and broadly the same as 2015. This gives a good indication of the pricing levels we can expect in the coming weeks.

James Suckling
"2018 is an exceptional year for Bordeaux wines... and can be compared in quality to recent excellent years such as 2016 and 2015. I think it could turn out to be an all-time great, similar to 2010, 2009 and 1989 or even such classics as 1982 or 1959."

We start our 2018 EP offers with 2 interesting wines, one from the aforementioned right bank with some excellent Cabernet Franc from St. Emilion and the other, a main stay of consistency from the left bank Haut-Medoc.

Château Beaumont is one of the largest estates in Bordeaux and didn't escape the April rains however the sandy and gravely soils benefited from a long and dry summer which allowed them to gain optimum ripeness with some dehydrated berries as a counterpart.
Château Beaumont is a drinker and has a fan base that probably cares little about scores because you simply get what it says on the tin - a classic claret wine from the Medoc, at a great price!

Château Beaumont

Jutting out between the Atlantic Ocean and the estuary of the Gironde river, it is in the Médoc, originally meaning the «land in the middle», that lie the lands of Beaumont which, in the 18th century, were nothing more than moor-lands and heather, meadows and fallow land, belonging to the Duc de Duras, Marshal of France and a member of the French Academy.
In 1986, Château Beaumont started its 12th life with the arrival of the Groupe GMF, which joined together with the Japanese group Suntory to create the Société Grands Millésimes de France, also the owner of Château Beychevelle, a Saint-Julien Cru Classé and the Bordeaux wine-trading company Barrière Frères.
Today Grands Millesimes de France is owned by the Castel and Suntory Groups.

2018 Château Beaumont

45 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot

The wines of Château Beaumont are characterized by their supple; feminine structure, which is often silky. The tannins are generally mellow and rarely aggressive. All this contributes to making the wine full of charm and finesse.
It can be tasted young, except for certain vintages which absolutely must be allowed to rest for a few years in the cellar.
It highlights the dominance of Cabernet Sauvignon on this land which is reputed to be among the best for growing this varietal... It is typical of the excellent Garonne gravel ridges which make up the land of the estate and thus the treasure of Beaumont.

£108.00 per 12 x 750ml (IB)

"Château Beaumont 2018 has a very generous and complex nose, very harmonious, concentrated and with a great freshness with silky tanins.
Merlots are very ripe with fleshy and silky tanins. Cabernets Sauvignon are powerful with a long finish. Petit Verdots have a beautiful acidity and a lot of freshness."

2018 Château Fleur Cardinale

70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon

Dominique and Florence Decoster had a clear idea of the wine they wanted to make: one which mirrors their love of the Saint-Emilion region and above all one which expresses the terroir of the vineyard of Château Fleur Cardinale.
Château Fleur Cardinale has since thrilled wine lovers in every vintage, achieving that much sought-after quality of power combined with elegance.
Feminine in style, the wines have a seductive, rich mouth-feel, underpinned by elegant, silky tannins. The finish is long and harmonious, promising very long ageing potential in bottle.

£172.00 per 6 x 750ml (IB)

(James Suckling 94-95 pts and Wine Spectator 93-96 pts)

"The tasting of the first samples confirmed what the lab analyses had already indicated: well-controlled ripeness underpinned by unparalleled acidity levels.
Château Fleur Cardinale 2018 is particularly notable for its magnificent Cabernets Francs, well adapted to the climatology of the vintage. They give a very beautiful structure to the wine, in a racy style, while perpetuating the signature of Château Fleur Cardinale thanks to velvety tannins."

All prices are 'In Bond' and exclude, duty, VAT & delivery and subject to availabilty and confirmation

The wines above are subject to strict allocation on a first come first serve basis, confirmation and remaining unsold.
Different formats are available for most wines (375ml to 15L) at additional cost.
Delivery is expected to commence in spring 2021.

+44 207 536 2359

wines@finewinesforall.com

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