How do I buy a Grand Cru?

As an individual, there are 2 main ways of buying a fine wine directly: either through a wine merchant or wine merchant, or through an auction.

Tax rules

In the case of a purchase from a French merchant, as is the case on our website

- If you are a French or European resident, you pay for your wines inclusive of all taxes according to the tax rate in force in your country (20% in France).

- If you live outside the European Union, there are 2 possibilities:

o You pay for your wines tax-free if you decide to have them delivered to your home outside the EU.

o You pay for your wines with the French VAT advance (20%) if you decide to collect your wines directly from our cellar, or if you decide to have them delivered within Europe. We will draw up a CERFA customs document for you to validate with customs on leaving the European Union so that you can be reimbursed 75% of the VAT (the remaining 25% is set aside for administrative costs).

- Please note that if you live outside the European Union, customs duties may apply depending on the laws in force in your country, which you will have to pay when the goods arrive in your country.

If you buy an item at auction, you pay the hammer price plus the auctioneer's costs (including VAT). These costs are generally between 24% and 30% inclusive of tax. It is very difficult to buy directly from estates and châteaux, given that the grands crus we are talking about are generally sold in whole or in part to major merchants on the Bordeaux marketplace in the case of Bordeaux grands crus, or exclusively on allocation by the prestigious estates of Burgundy.

What's more, if you buy direct from the châteaux or estates, you will only be able to buy the most recent vintage available on the market, and it is more difficult to buy older vintages because they are rarer.