Archive for the
‘En Primeur’

Château Duhart-Milon 2022 was released this morning. It is being offered by the international trade for £756 per 12×75. This is a 12.5% increase on the 2021 vintage – The smallest price hike of the big gun releases so far. Prices for the 2022 vintage across Bordeaux are generally up due to low yields and high quality wines.

Kelley (Wine Advocate) scored the wine 91-93 points, noting that it had a ‘velvety palate’ and concluded ‘with a youthfully firm finish’.

James Suckling gave it a barrel range of 95-96 points, calling it ‘full-bodied yet compacted’, with ‘fine and intense tannins’.

Jean-Marc Quarin also awarded the wine 95 points, praising its ‘very aromatic, fine, fruity, subtle nose’.

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Carruades de Lafite was released this morning. It is being offered by the international trade for £2,256 per 12×75, an 13.9% increase on the 2021’s opening price (£1,980 a case). This looks like great value as it is the cheapest vintage on the market. According to the fine wine trading platform, Liv-Ex, Carruades de Lafite is 94% correlated with age – 2022 En Primeur offering the best value.

Neal Martin (Vinous) is yet to score the wine. Although his Bordeaux report and scores are due later this afternoon.

Antonio Galloni (Vinous) scored it 92-94 and deemed it a ‘real showstopper.’

James Suckling gave it a barrel range of 96-97, describing it as ‘nervy’ with an ‘intense center palate.’

William Kelley (Wine Advocate) awarded it a barrel range of 91-93 points and described it as ‘bright and velvety’.

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Château Beychevelle 2022 has been released and it is being offered by the international trade for £836 per 12×75, up 18.4% on the 2021’s opening price (£706 per 12×75). This release price is lower than the current market price of all vintages of the last 10 years bar 2021.

Interestingly Beychevelle is correlated more strongly with age than score, making younger vintages and en primeur potentially good buying options.

Neal Martin (Vinous) is yet to score the wine. However, William Kelley (Wine Advocate) awarded the wine a barrel range of 92-94 points. He noted that it was ‘unusually suave and polished tannins in the context of recent vintages at this address’.

James Suckling awarded it a slightly higher score of 94-95 points. He also noted that ‘the tannins are very well-integrated’ and commented on the ‘lovely bright fruit of currants and blackberries’.

Jean-Marc Quarin scored the wine 95 points and said that it had a ‘nice finish giving way to perfume rather than tannin. What charm!’

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The price for Langoa Barton 2022 was released earlier today. It is being offered by the international trade for £428 per 12×75, a 20.9% increase on the 2021’s opening price (£354 per case). Production at the estate was down 30% compared to the previous year. We consider this to be a fair price, especially when one takes into account that it is still lower than the 2016 release price.

William Kelley (Wine Advocate) has scored the wine a barrel range of 93-95+ points, calling it ‘polished and penetrating’. The critic also predicted it ‘should match or even surpass the 2019 and 2016 vintages’ and says it is ‘one of the most intelligent purchases of the en primeur campaign’.

James Suckling gave it a barrel range of 96-97 points, calling it a ‘big wine’ with ‘depth and structure’.

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The next Bordeaux En Primeur release is Chateau Leoville Barton 2022. It is being offered by the international trade for £780 per 12×75, which is a 16.7% increase on the 2021’s opening price.

Critics have highly praised the vintage’s wine, with James Suckling giving it a barrel range of 95-96 points. He called it ‘very polished and poised’, adding that it was ‘harmonious for the vintage’.

William Kelley (Wine Advocate) scoring it 96-97+ points, calling it “one of the stars of the Médoc and a wine likely to equal or surpass its 2019 and 2016 counterparts.”

Pleasingly, the release price has come out under the 2016 and 2019 vintages. We will be taking our full allocation.

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Kicking off the big gun releases for the 2022 campaign is Chateau Cheval Blanc. It is being offered by the international trade for £5,760 per 12×75, a 21.5% increase on the 2021 (£4,740). An important point to get excited about for buyers is that it is available at a 15% discount to the acclaimed 2016 vintage in a vintage where yields are down across the region.

It being very early doors, all the scores aren’t in yet (notably Neal Martin) however critics have highly praised this vintage’s wine.

James Suckling giving it a barrel range of 99-100 points and said that the wine ‘soars to new heights with its brightness and weightlessness’ and questioned if it might be the ‘wine of the vintage?’

Jean-Marc Quarin awarding it a perfect 100-points.

William Kelley (Wine Advocate) gave it a slightly lower score of (97-99)+ points but still considered it ‘one of the stars of the vintage.’

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