For a while now, Château Laroque has been on the up. A raft of high scores for past vintages (2018: 95 WA and 94 AG; 2019: 95-97 WA) as well as very attractive pricing, keeps increasing the demand for Laroque. Neal Martin considers the 2020 David Suire’s best Laroque to date – scoring it 93-95/100. Wine Advocate concludes their 94-96 score with, ‘gorgeous‘. It is in short supply, so we are delighted to have secured a larger allocation of the 2020 Laroque and be able to offer it more broadly today.
Under the watchful eye of David Suire, appointed in 2015, this Right Bank, St-Émilion property has undergone continuous vineyard and cellar improvements. Rigorous quality selection leads to fine, quintessential St-Émilion wines – sensual, yet fresh, refined and balanced. Critics rave about Laroque’s wines and its future prospects.
This is a great opportunity for both seasoned and first-time en-primeur buyers to cash-in on one of the rising stars of Bordeaux for a steal! St-Émilion of similar quality comfortably fetches over R6,000 per case, while the Laroque is R2,742 per case (R457 per bottle) excl. VAT and landing charges.
* All orders to be placed via email. En-primeur wines are bottled and delivered two years after the purchase (mid-2023) and VAT and shipping fees are charged on their arrival in SA.
What is Bordeaux en-primeur?
Also known as ‘wine futures’, en-primeur is the method of purchasing wines early, offering customers the opportunity to secure a wine allocation while the wines are still in barrel. Purchasing en-primeur guarantees the supply and volume of a certain wine and, in most cases, at a better price than the future release price – once the wine is released. Vintages like 2019 and 2020, for the most part, offer attractive buys as the Euro prices denote a fair discount to previous vintages.
Ultimately, your view of the Rand’s performance against major currencies will determine whether to buy or not but, in our view, 2020 is a buy! View our full list of available en-primeur wines and contact Johan for further information and wine availability.
Tasting notes:
Château Laroque, Saint-Émilion 2020
‘Possibly one of the best buys out there, the 2020 Château Laroque comes from a cooler, clay and limestone terroir on the eastern side of the appellation, and this is exactly what you wanted in this vintage. Revealing a vivid purple hue as well as stunning notes of blueberries, cassis, liquid violets, and white truffle, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a seamless, elegant texture, and gorgeous length on the finish. It plays in the more nuanced, elegant end of the spectrum yet still brings ample fruit, richness, and texture. It’s a stunning bottle of wine all about finesse and elegance.’ – Jeb Dunnuck, 95-97/100
‘The 2020 Laroque is a blend of 99% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc, aging for around 16 to 18 months in French oak barrels, 50% new. The alcohol is 14.5%. Displaying a deep purple-black color, it slowly unfurls in the glass to reveal fantastically opulent notes of Indian spices, rose oil, dark chocolate and licorice, over a core of blueberry preserves, stewed plums and mulberries, plus a hint of dried mint. The medium to full-bodied palate is packed with layers of black and blue fruits, accented by exotic spices and supported by a racy backbone and velvety tannins, finishing long and perfumed. Gorgeous.’ – Wine Advocate, 94-96/100
‘This is really focused and linear with tight, minerally tannins that are polished and energetic. It’s medium-to full-bodied with dark and blue fruit in the center palate. Long and focused.’ – James Suckling, 94-95/100
‘The 2020 Laroque was cropped at 34hl/ha, picked September 21–30. It has a very composed bouquet of blackberry, wild strawberry and crushed limestone scents, beautifully defined with very well integrated oak. You could just nose this all day. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, blueberry and a judicious pinch of black pepper. This is very harmonious and as fresh as a daisy. Possibly the best Laroque that winemaker David Suire has overseen to date.’ – Neal Martin, Vinous, 93-95/100
