Bordeaux 2023 market analysis: Troplong, Haut-Bailly and VCC released

Troplong Mondot, Haut-Bailly and Vieux Château Certan were the latest major names to release 2023-vintage wines en primeur, on Tuesday morning (11 June).

New releases at a glance :

Château Troplong Mondot 2023 | 97pts ( Decanter ) | €90 per bottle ex-négociant, down 11.8% versus 2022 | UK price £1,068 per 12x75cl in bond (IB) Château Haut-Bailly 2023 | 96pts | €90 per bottle, down 25% | UK price £1,080 (12x75cl IB) Vieux Château Certan 2023 | 98pts | €186 per bottle, down 32.6% | UK price £2,220 (12x75cl IB) Price data source: Liv-ex . As the campaign nears its end, early market reports and merchant feedback have continued to suggest a mixed response from consumers to Bordeaux 2023 wines in general.

Most wines have been cheaper than the 2022-vintage releases last year, but a key consideration is also the price of other well-regarded recent vintages that remain available on the market. <a class="hawk-link-parsed" href="https://www.decanter.com/premium/bordeaux-2023-our-en-primeur-verdict-and-top-scoring-wines-528628/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-hl-processed="none" data-custom-tracking-id="1305723071889545091" data-hawk-tracked="hawklinks" data-google-interstitial="false" data-label="See Decanter’s full verdict on the Bordeaux 2023 vintage, plus ratings and tasting notes on the top-scoring wines">See Decanter’s full verdict on the Bordeaux 2023 vintage, plus ratings and tasting notes on the top-scoring wines [subscriber-content] Troplong Mondot 2023 Decanter’s Bordeaux correspondent, Georgie Hindle, rated Troplong Mondot 2023 97-points after tasting it en primeur this spring.

This wine has tough acts to follow; last year, Hindle rated the 2022 vintage 98 to 100 points en primeur, and also gave 100-points to Troplong Mondot 2020 in-bottle.

‘ I love the finesse and the terroir markers,’ Hindle said of the new release. ‘It’s not a 2022 – it doesn’t have that velvetines and soft plush tannins that Troplong can do well – but this is extremely good. Straight, juicy, clean, poised, elegant and refined.’

While Troplong Mondot is considered a St-Émilion estate on the rise, however, the 2023-vintage release price was relatively high. ‘ The new release is both one of the highest-scoring and one of the most expensive vintages of the past decade,’ said Liv-ex .

Exact prices will vary by merchant, but Liv-ex’s data showed Troplong Mondot 2023 was cheaper on the market than the higher-scoring 2022 vintage, but nearly 29% more expensive than the 2020 vintage.

Haut-Bailly 2023 Hindle rated Haut-Bailly 2023 96-points , praising its pretty aromatics and fine tannins, as well as describing it as ‘juicy and plump for the vintage’. She said the wine was, ‘a real success, slightly hot on the finish and a little toasted but this has finesse and complexity with layered of flavour and texture’.

Similar to Troplong Mondot above, the new wine appeared to be at the higher end of prices for Haut-Bailly vintages available on the market, according to Liv-ex data.

At £1,080 (12x75cl IB ), it is cheaper than the 2022 vintage , which was also rated 96-points en primeur by Hindle.

However, a mong back-vintage options, both Liv-ex and consultancy group Wine Lister said Haut-Bailly 2019 (97pts, in-bottle) was available at a significant discount to the latest release.

Vieux Château Certan 2023 Wine Lister said Vieux Château Certan 2023 was released with a recommended UK price of £185 per bottle, down 33% on the corresponding release price of the 2022 vintage. The latest release was rated 98-points en primeur by Hindle, level with her en primeur rating for the 2022 wine and in-bottle score for the 2020 vintage , and putting it among the best-performing wines of the Bordeaux 2023 vintage. ‘I love it, classicism in the very best way,’ Hindle said. ‘There’s something incredible about this wine, full of life and juiciness.’ Farr Vintners offered Vieux Château Certan 2023 at £2,220 (12x75cl IB), adding that the wine was cheaper than recent vintages of the wine that are available on the market.

Hindle rated the 2019 vintage 99-points in-bottle.

Mixed feelings about Bordeaux 2023 sales While many Bordeaux 2023 wines have emerged at discounts to the 2022 vintage debuts last year, some have been released at a similar price to – or more expensive than – current prices for other well-regarded, recent vintages that remain available on the market.

Wine Lister said last week that feedback from the trade suggested a ‘lacklustre’ reception to many releases, although it also said that several top wines have found buyers.

Will Hargrove, head of fine wine at Corney & Barrow, said this week: ‘There is measured demand, but not at any price.’ He said the campaign has succeeded in showing Bordeaux that customers are there, if the release make sense.

Speaking to Decanter's Market Watch for the forthcoming print magazine issue, Matthew O’Connell, CEO of the LiveTrade platform at Bordeaux Index, said many 2023 en primeur wines have been released at more sensible prices than last year, but that hasn’t led to widespread buying during the campaign.

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