Bordeaux 2010: Negociant boycotts 'ludicrous' Rauzan Segla

I stopped with the 2005/06 vintages. These prices are insane (e.g. $1,000/bottle for Margaux, Mouton and La Mission...I bought 95 Margaux and Latour for $1,100/case!).

Scouring S.A. for great wines at reasonable prices.

Mr. Kolasa is one of many Bordelais owners or directors, who thought , why not asking more in this vintage!? It's selling anyway! I hope the next 2 vintages will be really bad!!! (then we will now who the real consumers are). If he asked more for the faboulous 2009 , I should agree, but i've tasted all 2010 and many owners from Grand Cru Classé told us that 2010 is not as good as 2009!!!! , now they are changing their minds (after Bob released his personnal scores) and now they try to tell us that 2010 is better than 2009!! Where is the point?? We just ask a honest price for a honest consumer , but this is crap!Wait until you'll open it in a few years.. it's not 2009..

If chateaux take all the profit from en-primeur, doesn't that undermine the point of the process for everyone else?
Short-term gains may look rather empty if they alienate the new markets and cultures the Bordelais are trying to hook.

Well Julian if the negoc is taking a pass the owners may have the opportunity to cellar the wine and take the risk that it will sell for that down the line.

If you look at the increase in prices from Pontet Canet and Lynch Bages, from 2005 to 2009, they are much larger than the increase from Rauzan Segla. Those of us who have followed en primeur for more than ten years find the prices of the classed growths quite ludicrous and are looking elsewhere this year.
Following the lack of movement in prices of the (to my taste) better 2005s and the different 2009s, there is little point in en primeur now, especially if 2011 turns out to be another vintage of the century

I reluctantly bought a few cases of 2009 Bordeaux because 2009 is my daughter's birth year. I have no such motivation for buying the 2010s, and the continued price increases make it unlikely that I'll ever buy classified growth Bordeaux again.

Why John "HAS TO" follow the line? SOmetime it is important as a rep of the owner to show an other way than just increasing prices....

Why should Bordeaux producers keep there prices below equilibrium and let the secondary market make all of the money? 2010 RS will sell for 84 per bottle (or more) at some point down the line, why shouldn't the chateau be the beneficiaries of that. After all, they're the ones making the wine!

This is getting absurd. I love Bordeaux and have been visiting regularly. The chateaux are great and so are the people behind them, but why should everyone have this "follow suit" mentality? I mean, are prices set because of the neighbor's suit? Or is there a sense of what can sell - to the negoce of course but then to the end consumer? For me, most of the price hikes over 2009 remain baffling.

just let the Chinese to buy up all the Bdx, even their Chateaux. The drinkers had to be find other altenatives, not necessary to be Bdx, even though I'm a big Bdx's fan. So far, every 2010 invitations has been deleted from my mail box, don't even look at what's they are asking.

We have been here before. Whether after the 97's or earlier. It happens again and again and again. Remember the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Yes, the chateau owners have more money now, but what happens when even China stops paying these crazy prices. Who buys the wine at these prices then?

Blame greed and China.

In the end all bubbles burst and badly at that. I'm not buying this year.

The system is creaking at the seams. Not everyone, however, is following suit and many are aware of the dangers. Sociando Mallet actually reduced their price and others like Calon Segur, Leoville Barton and Pichon Lalande have done well to resist following their neighbours or competitors. Particularly worthy of praise are the Sauternais who have generally held prices with some reductions of up to 20%.

Boycott? It is a free world out there, communism has died. The price mechanism is the only relevant way, as the only other way is a lottery. So instead of coming out with "en primeur" prices simply auction out he wines to the resellers.

When and if the bubble burst those greedy owners will be crying their eyes out and beg customers to buy the wines, Asia and China market will crash soon!
Greed, greed, greed, shame on you Bordeaux!

I am following Barrieres also, how can we buy these wines with this prices and Euros this high! is these prices just for the Chinese Market...One day they will wake up also.

..che..all reads fine to me. simply leaves more (out of the 10,000cases produced) for us to purchase, well done & thanks keep up the press on this wine, you are doing it a promotion free-of-charge!

HI DICK,
IF I UNDERSTAND YOU SEEM HAPPY WITH THE PRICE !!!
AS YOU ARE A GENTLEMAN HOW MANY CASES DID YOU BUY FOR YOUR PRIVAT CELLAR ?
PERSONNALLY I WOULD FOCUS ON 2005@70€/B !!!

I understand the reaction of Barrière. But I'm curious to see what they (and all of the other merchants) will do when Palmer, Cos, and all of the super seconds and first will come out with prices above 50% of 2009.. Will they refuse to buy too??? Aren't they responsable for all fo the "speculation market"??? The other are just following wahte the superseconds and first started, why shouldn't they be hit on??

By Chateaux releasing at such sustained high, often ridiculous price levels that are un-sellable onward to the trade, they are putting dangerous levels of pressure on well established negoc's balance sheets and could push some of them to the wall with debt mountains, endangering the delivery of 2009s in some cases. The Negoc tell me they are buckling under the debt as they have plenty of 2009 to sell still and they have to take up 2010 allocations or risk losing out in future vintages. Barrieres have obviously decided to err on the side of caution and preserve their cash-flow for more sellable releases to come (not necessarily cheaper releases mind you). I can only applaud their bravery as so many just tow the line! More should have done the same for SHL 2010!

Great move of Barriere Freres! These prices are downright insane. Bordeaux is losing new and alienating old customers. Maybe if all us price-sensible customers would boycot this vintage, sensible pricing will return.

At last someone who has the sanity to put their thoughts into action... Perhaps now that someone has had the courage to point out that 'the Emperor is naked', more buyers and negociants will think twice about believing everything that the Chateaux tell them about the value of their wines..

If we customers accept everything the managers, shareholders or insurance-company that own most of the chateaux are doing, it is the fault of each consumer not to split on strike. 2009 had partly ridiculous pricing. Still many wines were sold out at first tranche (e.g. Pontet Canet). Since 2005 most bordeaux are not made for drinking but for speculation. Greed, Greed! What a pity and on the other hand what a chance to try other regions. Why want a Ferrari when Ferrari does not want you to drive one?!

You can get the 2009 £300 cheaper. lol

Another to cross off my limited shopping list of 2010s.
I fear the worst of this campaign is yet to come.

We , in Belgium, have always been good buyers for Bordeaux and have a lot of collectors.
Now i see many taking the opportunity to sell their cellars and refuse to buy at the new prices. That is the line which we follow in Belgium

What the chateaux owners doesn't understand that the quality doesn't really matter at these price levels. The people drinking can find hundreds of better wines at less than half price and the people investing aen't that stupid. The price will fall and everyone in the wine trade knows that. Prices like this give a bad reputation to Bordeaux and will make the bubble burst.

I thought that truly intelligent people stopped buying Bordeaux years ago.

In many ways this isn't the vintage that the Bordealais have misjudged. The quality is very high. It's just that some of the price increases for the 2009s left them with no scope should a vintage of the quality of 2010 come along.

I was planning to buy it this year... very good price for such a good wine if it had still the same price (or little bit higher) than last year... but when I saw that it raised 40%, I just said bye bye Rauzan Segla!

When i saw the price i feel out of my chair. What a total joke when you can most vintage from the Chateau alot cheaper. Bordeaux has gone made.

A great BRAVO to you, Morgan! Finally, one Négociant who has the guts to refuse these ridiculous prices. I hope that more Négociants will follow.
the owners are shooting in their own feet with setting prices way to high. (Hello Florence, did you hear me!?)
Well done.

Wait 'til Lagerfeld does the labelling!!!

I'm following 100% Barriere Freres.
I think most of the negociant should follow the boycott. Chateaux owner have to stop this stupid game, the market and especially China can't accept this crazy prices!!!!
This is a shame because this vintage was fantastic and a great opportunity for Bordeaux to secure its leadership.....
The coming month will be difficult. Thank you Bordeaux

I'm 100% following Barriere Freres

Do not buy Bordeaux 2010 now!

You will get cheaper prices in the after-market when in 5 years they will find the market will not support the prices that they offer now!

2010 is NOT better than 2009.. if anything, buy 2009 or even better 2005.. it is WAY cheaper and can be drunk sooner!

Negociants should have been doing this all along. What took so long?

What's all the fuss about? The Rauzan 09 is already trading for around the same price as they are asking for the 2010. If any business was selling a product for x amount, only for it to be sold on at a higher price shortly after, it would be ludicrous for the business to gift the profits to others.