En Primeur
What Is En Primeur?
En Primeur (also known as wine futures) is your chance to secure top wines before they’re bottled and released. Think of it as calling dibs on the most anticipated bottles, while they’re still aging in the producer’s cellar. By purchasing early, you often gain access to better pricing and rare allocations that may sell out once they hit the market.
How Our En Primeur Process Works:
1. Reserve Your Bottles
When you place an En Primeur order, you’re paying for the wine itself - before it’s bottled. Shipping, tariffs, and taxes will be invoiced separately once the wines are ready to ship.
2. We Secure Your Wines
Once your order is placed, we immediately reserve your allocation directly from the producer’s cellar. These wines will typically be ready to ship to the U.S. in the fall, about two years after the vintage.
3. We’ll Keep You in the Loop
As the wines prepare for shipment (usually September or October), we’ll confirm your shipping details and send a final invoice for any additional costs.
4. Delivery
Once all outstanding charges are paid, your wines will ship. Please note that we cannot release wines until final balances are settled.
What to Expect
Separate Shipping Costs: Shipping, tariffs, and taxes aren’t included in the initial price. These are billed later when the wines are ready to ship.
Estimated Delivery: Most En Primeur wines arrive in the U.S. roughly two years after the vintage.
No Cancellations: Because we secure allocations specifically for your order, we’re unable to accept cancellations once it’s placed.
Transparency and Support: We’ll stay in touch throughout the process. If any delays arise, we’ll communicate promptly and provide options if a wine becomes unavailable.
Questions?
We’re here to help. Reach out anytime at hello@heritagecellar.com, use the chat on our site, or fill out our contact form.
Frequently Asked Questions
En Primeur, also known as "futures," is the opportunity to purchase wines while they are still aging in the producer’s cellar, before they are bottled and released to the public. Buying En Primeur allows you to secure highly sought-after wines at an early stage, often at a better value than post-release pricing.
Purchase: When you purchase En Primeur wines, you are paying only for the cost of the bottles at the time of ordering. Shipping charges, applicable tariffs, and taxes will be billed separately once the wines are ready for delivery to the United States.
Securing Your Wines: Once your order is placed, we immediately work to secure your allocation.
Updates and Confirmation: As the wines prepare for shipment to the U.S., typically around September or October following the vintage release, we will reach out to confirm your shipping information and provide an invoice for any outstanding shipping and tariff fees.
Shipping: After final payment is completed, we will ship your wines to you. Please note that wines will not be shipped until all outstanding balances are paid in full.
Because En Primeur purchases are secured specifically based on your order, cancellations are not permitted after the order is placed. If you have any concerns, please contact us at hello@heritagecellar.com, through the form on our website, or via chat - we're happy to help answer any questions before you complete your order.
While we strive to provide accurate timelines, delays can sometimes occur due to factors beyond our control, such as shipping logistics or regulatory changes. We will keep you updated throughout the process. In the rare event that a wine becomes unavailable, we will offer you the choice to wait, select a substitute of similar style and value, or receive a refund for the cost of the wine.
Shipping is not included in the initial purchase price. Once the wines are ready to ship, we’ll reach out to confirm your details and send a final invoice for any shipping and tariff charges. Nothing ships until all final balances are paid. Usually ships in the fall two (2) years following the vintage.