Archive for the
‘2019 Campaign’

First out this morning is very popular Chateau Giscours from Margaux with their 2019 offering.

The wine is being offered at £211 per 6×75, a 22.7% decrease from the 2018 release of £273 a case.

Well supported by the critics;

96-97 Points, James Suckling – “Lots of deep blue fruit with blackberries and grape skins, as well as tar and asphalt. Lead, too. It’s full-bodied, yet very tight with powerful, defined tannins, surrounded by attractive ripe fruit. Serious. Reminds me of the excellent 1975. A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot.”

94 Points, Jane Anson, Decanter – “This is a serious Giscours, with medium intensity violet-edged ruby colour. High aromatics on the nose with cumin and cloves, followed by black cherry and cassis fruits that do a good job of filling the palate, and a cooling menthol finish as the tannins close in. Enjoyable overall, succulent yet with precision. Harvest lasted for an entire month, from September 11 to October 12, the longest ever at the estate and a reflection of more precise plot-by-plot work, with vines separated according to age and terroir. Thomas Duclos is consultant here as of the 2019 vintage. A yield of 44hl/ha.”

95-97 Points, Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider – the wine “has richness and depth, while focusing on its purity and freshness. The long finish, with its fabulous lift and sweetness in the fruit keeps on going, long after the wine has left the glass. This is the best vintage produced in the long history of Chateau Giscours”. He also revealed that this was the longest harvest in the history of the Chateau.

If you are interested in finding out more about investment wine – please contact charles@waudinvestmentwines.com

A great released this morning from First Growth Haut Brion in Pessac Leognan.

Released at an enticing price point of £295 per bottle, a decrease of 27.8% on the 2018 release of £408 per bottle in sterling terms.
It is also released at a closer price to the 2014 release of £193, that is performing well 5 years on from release with a market value circa 50% up.

We have taken our full allocation here.

Recent releases (per bottle)

2019 – £295
2018 – £408
2017 – £338
2016 – £415
2015 – £354
2014 – £193

Great scores and feedback from the critics:

The Wine Advocate’s Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW released her assessment of the 2019 Haut Brion this morning. She awarded the wine (97-99)+ points, and said that “this is one of the most finely structured, tightly knit wines of the vintage. Given time, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it goes atomic and eventually takes top place for the vintage”. She revealed that “the estimated label alcohol degree is 14.5%”.

James Suckling (99-100pts) was also full of praise for the First Growth. He described it as “full-bodied with great, tight fruit, subtle and complex”, with “great length, going on and on for minutes”.

If you are interested in finding out more about investment wine – please contact charles@waudinvestmentwines.com

Another positive release in the 2019 campaign today with UK favourite Lynch Bages released into the market.

Pleasingly, over 20% down on their 2018 release – and being 10% below the 2015 release, this looks like an excellent option for us.

This wine is coming out at £395 per case of 6.

Well supported by the critics as well – this bodes well.

97 points, Jane Anson, Decanter – This takes hold from the first moment and powers along, delivering a ton of black brambly fruit, liquorice, grilled cedar and Pauillac confidence. The tannins are pretty chewy, really closing in on the end of play, giving no doubt that this is going to age slowly and for many decades, but there is a creaminess to the overall structure that is already evident.

96-97 points, James Suckling – A tight and very focused young red with redcurrant, tile and blackberry undertones. Lead pencil, too. It’s full-bodied with very polished, creamy tannins and lots of intense dark fruit. Compact fruit and tannins. Structured.

If you are interested in finding out more about investment wine – please contact charles@waudinvestmentwines.com

 

 

Exciting news this morning with the Mouton Rothschild release. This 2019 vintage is released at £299 per bottle, 30% below the 2018 release at £426.

This first growth is very highly rated by the critics –

98-100 points from Lisa Perrotti-Brown
99-100 points from James Suckling
98 points from Jane Anson
97-99 points from Jeff Leve

This wine clearly comes highly recommended – with the significant 30% price drop and 20% down in volume available, this makes it a very exciting investment prospect indeed.

Petit Mouton 2019

This is the second wine at Mouton Rothschild and was also released today and is being offered at £1,764 per 12×75, down 16.9% on the 2018 (£2,124).

Released at this price level, this is the most affordable Petit Mouton; other vintages cost over £2,000 per case. As seen in the chart below, prices for Mouton’s Second Wine rise over time.

 

If you are interested in finding out more about investment wine – please contact charles@waudinvestmentwines.com

Armailhac 2019 was released this morning at £372 per 12×75, down 11.4% on the 2018 release of £420 per case.

Armailhac is part of the Mouton stable and is a wine that is not overly influenced by critic scores – instead are influenced by age. As you can see from the graph below – many of the older vintages command a price of over £600 per case.

James Suckling scored the 2019 d’Armailhac 92-93 points, and described it as “full-bodied, round and ripe. Crisp and fresh at the end. Juicy and delicious already”.

Jean-Marc Quarin awarded it 93 points, while Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider) a similar range of 92-94.

This is a wine we like to have in our portfolios – as typically performs well. We have taken our full allocations of this wine.

If you are interested in finding out more about investment wine – please contact charles@waudinvestmentwines.com

Cheval Blanc 2019 has been released at £375 per bottle, down 31.7% on the 2018 at £549 per bottle. The Chateau has also released 30% less onto the market – which makes it an interesting release option.

Cheval Blanc 2019 was among Jean-Marc Quarin’s top three wines, with a score of 98 points. Other critics are expected to release their assessments in the coming days.

Scoring a huge 98pts, Jane Anson from Decanter puts this among the finest vintages of Cheval Blanc.

If you are interested in finding out more about investment wine – please contact charles@waudinvestmentwines.com

Angelus 2019 has been released at £237 per bottle, down 7% on the 2018 release of £255 per bottle.

James Suckling scored the wine 98-99 points. In his tasting note he said it was “an extremely refined and sharpened Angelus” and added that it was “supple and minerally”.

Jean-Marc Quarin also scored the wine favourably, awarding it 97 points.

Today’s release is coming to the market above a number of physical vintages already available – so we are not sure this a great opportunity for investment.

If you are interested in finding out more about investment wine – please contact charles@waudinvestmentwines.com

A busy Primeur week lies ahead as numerous releases are expected.

Releasing nearly 10% down on what was already a generous 2018 release price, Beychevelle is in the class of superb St. Julien wines that offer great value for money.

At this price level, today’s release is the cheapest Beychevelle offered on the market. All other recent vintages are trading above £700. 

Beychevelle 2019 received 95-97 points from Jeff Leve and 94 points from Jane Anson (Decanter). James Suckling scored it 93-94 and described it as a “rich, layered red with lots of ripe fruit and creamy, round tannins”. He added that it is “equal to the 2018 in quality. 

However, prices for Beychevelle show little correlation to scores. As you can see in the chart below, older vintages tend to command higher prices.  

 

If you are interested in finding out more about investment wine – please contact charles@waudinvestmentwines.com

This morning was the exciting release of the wines from the Lafite Rothschild stable. It is the first of the First Growths to come out this year. They are however 50% down in volume on last year – so allocations are incredibly tight.

Lafite Rothschild 2019

2019 is released at £426 per bottle, that is 14.8% down in sterling terms on the 2018 wine that was released at £500 per bottle. As we would expect from Lafite, it gets very good scores from the critics. 99-100 points from James Suckling and 97-99 from Lisa Perrotti-Brown.

Lafite is the most traded wine on Liv-ex (other than Mouton in 2003) – so is a wine that we will take our full allocation of. Today’s release looks very good value indeed.

Carruades de Lafite 2019

The second wines of the big names have proven to have been some of the best investments – and Carruades is no different with a cult following and top performer on the secondary market.

Released at £158 per bottle, down 15% from 2018 that opened at £187.

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW (Wine Advocate) scored the wine a barrel range of 92-94 points. In her tasting note she said that “it comes skipping out of the glass with bright, fresh notions of wild blueberries, ripe plums and redcurrant jelly”. She added: “in a word: Yum!”

James Suckling awarded the wine a slightly higher 95-96 points. He noted that “the purity of fruit is so enticing here with strawberries, flowers, lavender and currants” and added that it is “full-bodied with firm, fine tannins”.

Allocations of this wine are frustratingly limited, but we will take the allocations we can get hold of.

Duhart Milon 2019

Another wine released this morning from Lafite, offered at £52 per bottle, down 4.7% on the 2018 wine @ £54.58. This is probably the smallest percentage drop in price during the 2019 campaign – but still a good wine to have in your portfolio.

For James Suckling (95-96), this is a “very balanced, refined Duhart with ever so fine tannins and currant, tobacco and cedar aromas and flavors”. Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider) also tasted today’s release and gave it 93-95 points, noting that “the wine straddles between classic and modern Pauillac”.

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW (Wine Advocate) scored the 2019 Duhart Milon a barrel range of 92-94. She said in her tasting note: “Medium-bodied, the palate is spritely and refreshing, with bags of juicy, mint-laced black fruits and an approachable, plush texture, finishing long and lively”.

If you are interested in finding out more about investment wine – please contact charles@waudinvestmentwines.com

Another fine release first up this morning from Cos D’Estournel in Saint-Estephe. Cos D’Estournel is one of the Bordeaux power houses and rolls out great wines year on year.

2019 is no exception and this year’s blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot.

Today sees the 2019 vintage released at £684 per six bottles in bond, a 23% reduction in release price against the 2018.

Highly regarded by the critics so far – with James Suckling describing the wine as “a classic… with historical grip and power. Real Bordeaux. Sophisticated and provocative”, awarding it 98-99 points.

Lisa Perrotti-Brown commented – it’s a vinous masterpiece in the making”, awarding it 97-99+ points.

Jean-Marc Quarin – 96 points

If you are interested in finding out more about investment wine – please contact charles@waudinvestmentwines.com