Bordeaux 2024: Les Carmes Haut-Brion ‘an obvious buy’ as price drops

Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion has been considered a rising star in recent years and its 2024 vintage was released in the Bordeaux en primeur campaign at €61.2 per bottle ex-négociant.

At £708 (12x75cl in bond) in the UK – with some merchants offering six-bottle cases – it is one of the estate's cheapest available vintages, suggested analysis by Liv-ex , a global marketplace for the trade.

Decanter’s Bordeaux correspondent, Georgie Hindle, named the wine as a stand-out success in the Bordeaux 2024 vintage .

Château Pichon Baron was another major release on Wednesday morning (14 May), alongside Domaine de Chevalier, following the arrival of first growth Mouton Rothschild and also Château Beychevelle yesterday.

To follow all of Decanter’s comprehensive en primeur coverage, subscribe to Premium today with the code BORDEAUX24 for 20% off an annual subscription [subscriber-content] Analysis: Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2024 Can Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2024 inject a bit of pace into a Bordeaux en primeur campaign that has seen some welcome price cuts but has so far brought reports of subdued buying activity?

Consultancy group Wine Lister said: ‘Given the buzz around the estate and entry nicely below all available back vintages, this is an obvious buy.’

Liv-ex data suggested the estate’s 2024 en primeur wine was roughly in the same price arena as the 2021 and 2017 vintages, in pound sterling terms. The wine continued a trend for discounts in this year's en primeur campaign, dropping 22.4% on the 2023-vintage's debut price.

Liv-ex also noted that Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2024 barrel samples have received relatively strong quality scores from critics and that production was down approximately 50% versus the 2023 vintage.

Decanter’s Georgie Hindle named the wine as one of the stand-out success stories in her full Bordeaux 2024 vintage report , published exclusively this week for Decanter Premium subscribers .

‘This really embodies Les Carmes’ chiselled character,’ wrote Hindle, rating the wine 96 points and describing it as, ‘complex, structured and profound'.

Pichon Baron 2024 follows trend for discounts Pauillac’s Pichon Baron 2024 was also a major release this morning, and another wine receiving a 96-point score from Hindle.

‘One of my favourites [in the vintage]’ she said, noting that yields here were lower than usual, at 20 hectolitres per hectare.

At €81.6 per bottle ex-négociant, this top second growth estate joined a group of châteaux that have returned to release pricing not seen for around a decade.

It was released in the UK at £978 (12x75cl IB), according to Liv-ex, which said the price was down nearly 21% on the 2023 vintage release last year. That makes it one of the cheapest available vintages of Pichon Baron on the market.

Wine Lister said: ‘The latest release enters the market below all previous back vintages bar the 2021.’

But, it noted that the 2021 vintage had received some higher scores and had spent time in-bottle, meaning it ‘might prove more attractive to buyers’.

Other releases: Domaine de Chevalier and Beychevelle [caption id="attachment_556836" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Tasting Château Beychevelle 2024 en primeur...Credit: Luke Carver for Decanter.[/caption] Domaine de Chevalier 2024 was also released, alongside the estate's white wine, on Wednesday. The red was €32.1 per bottle ex-négociant, translating to a UK offer of £384 (12x75cl IB), said Liv-ex.

UK merchant Farr Vintners said of the red wine: ‘The Bernard family have made a big effort on price this year and Domaine de Chevalier Rouge is offered below our bottom estimate at £192 [6x75cl IB].'

Wine Lister said: 'Domaine de Chevalier Rouge 2024 sits below all previous vintages the market and looks attractive as a result. The only sticking point on this release is the similarly-priced 2018 vintage.' St-Julien's Beychevelle 2024 (92pts, Decanter ) emerged late afternoon on Tuesday (13 May). It was released at €57 per bottle ex-négociant.

Liv-ex said this was the cheapest release price since the 2019 vintage, although a UK offer price of £708 (12x75cl IB) was just 1.7% down on the debut price of the 2023 vintage.

It said the 2024 wine was, ‘one of the less expensive vintages on the market’, although much may depend on how the wine is scored by critics when it is reassessed in-bottle.

This echoes reports from some merchants that buyers have appeared in no rush to dive in for many Bordeaux 2024 en primeur wines so far – notwithstanding demand for some top names.

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