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UNUSUAL SUSPECTS

S FI N E W I N

An exceptional offer of mature, large bottle claret direct from the châteaux

I am delighted to be able to offer an exceptional parcel of mature claret which I’ve sourced direct from château x in Bordeau x, w ith many v intages in double magnum (300cl) or imperial (600cl). It is ex tremely rare to f ind well-aged claret in large formats which help the w ine age more slowly, especially from some of the excellent v intages show n opposite, and par ticularly when it comes to cases which has been quietly nestling in the château’s ow n cellars. With unimpeachable provenance, each reg ular or large bottle format comes in a special, original wooden case, making per fect centrepieces for celebrations, or even better gif ts. Ver y recently at a summer barbecue I opened a majestic imperial of 1999 Château Fourcas Hosten which t welve of us drank whilst eating and listening to a playlist of music from that year (you’d be surprised at some of the ar tists!). Not only was it a special centrepiece but the w ine was perfectly mature and delicious. Star ting as far back as superb double magnums of Château Phelan Seg ur 1994 , 2011 & 2014 selected by their director & our friend, Véronique Dausse, our offer spans decades through to 2015, ensuring that all w ines in this offer are at least ten years old, w ith the oldest thir t y-one, from as little as just £210 in bond. This special offer is ver y limited in quantit y, so I urge you to snap up these ex-château x wooden cases as soon as you can. Wines will be delivered to the UK in late September

THE OFFER

Exceptional, mature claret in large formats Château Gruaud Larose, 2è me Cr u Classé, Saint-Julie n 1999 T welve bottles £1,020 all pr ice s in bond 1999 Six magnums £1,120 2000 Six bottles £1,025 2003 T welve bottles £1,080 2003 One imperial (600cl) £780 2005 T welve bottles £1,195

Château Phelan Seg ur, Cr u Bourgeois Exceptionnel, Saint-Estèphe 1994 2011 2011 2014 2014

One double magnum (300cl) One double magnum (300cl) One imperial (600cl) One double magnum (300cl) One imperial (600cl)

£280 £210 £395 £210 £395

Château Brow n, Grand Vin de Pessac-Léog nan 2000 2014 2015

One imperial (600cl) One imperial (600cl) One imperial (600cl)

£ 490 £295 £330

Château Lilian Ladouys, Cr u Bourgeois Exce ptionnel, Saint Estè phe 2015

One imperial (600cl)

£228

Read on for more details on each wine w w w.closf inew ine.com

CHÂTEAU GRUAUD LAROSE

2è me Cr u Classé, Saint-Julie n

One of the famous ‘Super Second’ Grow ths of Bordeau x from the 1855 classif ication, Gr uaud Larose consistently delivers exceptional qualit y once it has aged for at least f if teen years. Larose has 84 hectares of v ineyards located on a gravel-rich plateau just to the west of Château Beychevelle, one of the top, blue-blooded sites of the southern Médoc. Traditionally the blend is Cabernet Sauv ignon (65%), Merlot (25%), Cabernet Franc (8%) and a little Petit Verdot (2%). Vinif ication takes place in a mix ture of wooden vats and cement tanks and the w ine is aged in oak barriques (30% new) for 18 months. This special parcel of sought-af ter v intages sourced direct from the château, including the remarkable 2000 and 2005s, have been ly ing dow n in the proper t y ’s cellar since bottling and are now at peak maturation; such provenance is hard to f ind in the current market.

Château Gruaud Larose 1999 From a ge ne rous vintage, and the last of the mille nnium, the 1999s are in their peak matur it y, and this Gr uaud Larose waf ts from the glass with blackbe r r y, g raphite and liquor ice. The re is r ipe ness and dr ive n acidit y on the palate, with a se nsuous mouthfeel. Supe rb.

£1,020 12 bot tle s

£1,120 6 mag num s

Château Gruaud Larose 2000 From a br illiant vintage, aromas of blackbe r r y, bluebe r r y, dark raspbe r r y & f lecks of woodsmoke. It of fe rs extraordinar y de pth and texture for its modest alcohol and is dr inking stunningly r ight now.

£1,025 6 bot tle s

Château Gruaud Larose 2003 A ve r y good, if hot vintage, and time has allowed this Gr uaud Larose to unfurl and show its kaleidoscopic qualities, with notes of black fr uits, cof fee liqueur, mint, dr ied he rbs & roasted meat. Fine, filig ree tannins and ge ne rous mouthfeel bely this 22 year old’s age. Excelle nt.

£1,080 12 bot tle s

£780 1 impe r ial

Château Gruaud Larose 2005 From a hall-of-fame vintage, Neal Mar tin praised the breadth of aromas, with blackbe r r y, junipe r be r r ies & cedar. It shows confide nt str ucture with pleasing tannic g r ip & is dr inking well now until 2045.

£1,080 12 bot tle s

CHÂTEAU PHELAN SEGUR

Cr u Bourgeois Exce ptionnel Saint-Estè phe

A Clos Fine Wine favourite, par ticularly as an Irishman, what is now Château Phelan Seg ur was acquired by Bernard Phelan in 1805 & 1810. In Tipperar y, Ireland, an impor tant trading hub w ith Bordeau x at the end of the 18th Centur y, he was a neighbour and friend of Hugh Bar ton who established Château Léov ille-Bar ton. By his death in 1841 the estate combined to form Château Ség ur de Garamey, which passed on to his son Frank Phelan, 30 years a mayor of Saint-Estèphe. Now managed by the indomitable Véronique Dausse, Phelan Seg ur makes sumptuous claret, helped in par t by its proximit y to the Gironde estuar y which moderates temperature both in hotter years and in those threatened w ith frost. These special wooden cases of large format bottles have been ly ing in per fect conditions at the glorious estate in Saint-Estèphe since as long ago as 1994 and are drinking per fectly right now.

Château Phelan Seg ur 1994 A real treat, with g inge r y, s weet oak, black raspbe r r y, damson, black che r r y & spice on the nose with f lecks of dr ied mint. Hugely expressive, e ve n at 31 thanks to the ve r y r ipe me rlot, the re is pe rsiste nt le ng th and it silke n on the palate. A fabulous wine which is at its peak matur it y.

£280 1 double mag num

Château Phelan Seg ur 2011 A lovely, mint y balsamic note leads the way on the nose, followed by black che r r y, blackcur rant, dr ied he rbs, cedar and spices. The tannins give way to a mine ral str ucture which impart f reshness to balance the opule nce of the f r uit. The large for mats of this will be wonde rful.

£210 1 double mag num

£395 1 impe r ial

£210

Château Phelan Seg ur 2014 An e nticing nose of cr ushed stone, brambly black fr uit, liquor ice & blood orange. The 2014 s are dr inking well already and vastly unde r valued, especially at these pr ices for large for mats. A s pe rfect for a summe r barbecue as for a Sunday roast or celebrator y gathe r ing. w w w.closf inew ine.com

1 double mag num

£395 1 impe r ial

CHÂTEAU BROWN Grand Vin de Pessac-Léog nan Château Brow n is named af ter a wealthy Scottish w ine merchant, John Lew is Brow n, who bought the estate in 1795. Located at the gates of Bordeau x, in the hear t of the renow ned Pessac-Léognan appellation, Château Brow n is one of the few so-called “peri-urban” v ineyards. A tr ue natural gem in the cit y, the 60 -hectare estate, of which only 31 hectares are v ineyards, is situated on the oldest terroirs of the Bordeau x v ineyard: the Graves du Nord. Proximit y to the cit y and to surrounding forests means a slightly higher average temperature, creating Pessac reds of real f inesse and longev it y. These magnif icent imperials, including the staggeringly good 2000 v intage, come in magnif icent, original wooden cases and are a total bargain compared to similar format v intages from neighbouring proper ties like Haut Brion and Carbonnieu x.

Château Brow n 2000 £ 490 for an impe r ial of 2000 claret is pe rhaps the bargain of the year and this excelle nt Pessac-Léog nan delive rs, with supre me freshness, e ve n at 25 years old. A sumptuous mouthfeel of r ipe dark be r r y fr uit, cedar, woodsmoke and spices. A ge nuine vinous find.

£ 490 1 impe r ial

Château Brow n 2014 In the words of Antonio Galloni, this is a “dark, explosive wine, which hits the palate with tons of inte nsit y and breadth”. Black fr uits, mint, smoke, tobacco & leathe r inte r mingle; this 2014 stag ge rs with its pe rfectly balanced freshness a& de pth. £295 is outrageous value.

£295 1 impe r ial

Château Brow n 2015 A wonde r ful vintage which is laced with black che r r y, plum, mocha, game & cedar. The fr uit is so r ipe and delicious but is well balanced with pe rsiste nt acidit y and supple, filig ree tannins. The re is a pleasing creaminess to this 2015, showing that Château Brown continues its upward trajector y. w w w.closf inew ine.com

£330 1 impe r ial

CHÂTEAU LILIAN LADOUYS

Cr u Bourgeois Exce ptionnel Saint-Estè phe

In the south-west of the Saint-Estèphe appellation, just a stone’s throw from Château Cos d’Estournel and Château Laf ite-Rothschild, lies the elegant char treuse residence of Lilian Ladouys. In 2008, the Lorenzetti family instantly fell in love w ith this histor y-seeped sleeping beaut y of a house, ensuring that v ineyards and cellars have since been f ully restr uctured. Like Phelan Seg ur, this is a hidden gem of one of the most famous appellations in the world and makes juicy reds w ith unerring str ucture. I tasted several v intages of Lilian Ladouys and the 2015 was by far the most impressive, and I am in f ull agreement w ith A ntonio Galloni who w rote “the 2015 Lilian Ladouys of fers ter r if ic depth and nuance within the context of this special vintage”. With reg ular bottles in their peak drinking w indow now, these imperials w ill drink well for at least another f if teen years.

Château Lilian Ladouys 2015 Antonio Galloni was bowled ove r by this 2015 Lilian Ladouys, wr iting that it “of fe rs te r r ific de pth & nuance within the context of the vintage, with s weet he rbs, tobacco, mint, liquor ice, and black che r r y notes abound”. Already dr inking well, this steal of an impe r ial at just £228 for eight bottles wor th will last for anothe r t we nt y years, if you can resist ope ning it r ight away and wowing your g uests.

w w w.closf inew ine.com

£228 1 impe r ial

The Clos Fine Wine buying exper ience A ll of the w ines contained in this mature, large format claret offer are sourced directly from four special château x in Bordeau x, where the wooden cases have been ly ing since bottling. A ll w ines w ill be shipped directly to London Cit y Bond at the end of September to be stored under bond on your behalf, or you may request that the w ines are delivered to you, which we can arrange at cost. W hen a w ine is removed from bonded storage, dut y and VAT w ill be payable on the value of the w ine and w ill be billed to you. We w ill only ever offer w ines to our clients which we would buy for ourselves. Wines must represent excellent value for money (considering the prevailing market). In our opinion, this offer represents exceptional value for money, securing sought-af ter v intages of mature claret in impressive large format bottles, making per fect centrepieces or gif ts.