Château Prieuré-Lichine Vertical
This super-premium pack of top-shelf Bordeaux brilliance offers a vertical lineup of vintages, ripe for exploration by any die-hard wine lover. Ok, when I say ripe, take it with a pinch of salt. These stunning wines give a damn fine showing any day you open them, but their life-changing best is still years in the future. Treat future you to three exquisite experiences after a decade or so of careful cellaring, or give the gift of a lifetime to any young wine afficionado who has time on their side.
Each case contains one of each of the following:
Red
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- Cabernet Blend
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- Bordeaux
- Cabernet Blend
- Bordeaux
I guess you’re reading this to find out all about this wine. Right, well I’ll cut you a deal. I’ll clue you in if you promise not to open it any time soon. We’re talking premium Bordeaux here. The 1% of the wine world. The culmination of hundreds of years of tradition, innovation and know-how. The very apex of cellarable heirloom wines. You don’t want to waste something this good by drinking it any time soon. It’s classic Margaux, through and through. The nose is brambly and floral, intriguing and charming, and belies the power on the palate. The palate itself is a cascade of blackcurrant, mint, cedar, tobacco, spices and mulberries. Silky smooth texture and nuance is balanced by robust tannin. My only regret in tasting this wine was having tried it now. It’s stunning, it really is. But this has a cellaring potential, stored properly and carefully, to 2045 and beyond. Invest now and treat older you to the gift of a lifetime in 25 years’ time.
Red
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- Cabernet Blend
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- Bordeaux
- Cabernet Blend
- Bordeaux
This is about as good as Bordeaux gets before we’re thoroughly into ‘remortgage’ territory. A cracking vintage combined with a chatêau on an exponential upward curve produced this firecracker. Jane Anson of Decanter calls it, “The best wine I have ever tasted from the property.” It’s aromatic and lifted on the nose, almost belying the powerhouse punch to the palate. Flavours are classic Margaux; all the hallmark notes that you want in a top-notch cabernet. It’s got the drive to cellar for ages. You want to be drinking this from 2025, we reckon, and that window will run right up to 2040 and maybe even beyond. If you do open it sooner, give it a few hours in the decanter. It definitely won’t disappoint anyway. But make sure it’s a special occasion. Not being able to wait a decade is forgivable, pairing with cheese on toast on a Tuesday night in front of the TV is not!
Red
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- Cabernet Blend
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- Bordeaux
- Cabernet Blend
- Bordeaux
Cracking Bordeaux from one of the more accessible recent vintages. If you’re after a superstar Margaux and don’t want to wait a painstaking 20 years to drink it, this is your wine. It’s all about elegant power. There’s plenty in the engine room, but not so much that it’ll be hard to appreciate in the short term. It’s an extremely poised and balanced drop. Think red stone fruit, black cherries, and blackcurrants with wafts of tobacco, herbs, sweet florals and spice. There’s loads of complexity to marvel over, but plenty to simply enjoy, too. Plus, it makes for a really lovely gift, even for someone not quite as wine-nerdy as yourself!