Bordeaux 2024: Pichon Comtesse, Canon drop 20% in price
Decanter’s Georgie Hindle rated châteaux Pichon Comtesse and Canon among her top performers in Bordeaux’s tricky 2024 vintage, and both estates have joined Pomerol's Clinet in releasing late in the en primeur campaign.
Pauillac’s Château Pichon Comtesse de Lalande, St-Emilion’s Château Canon and Pomerol’s Château Clinet continued a trend for price cuts in the Bordeaux 2024 en primeur campaign, following on from first growth Château Margaux 24 hours earlier.
Pichon Comtesse 2024 debuted this morning (3 June) at €90 per bottle ex-négociant, which marks a return to release pricing last seen on the estate’s 2017 vintage, according to Liv-ex, a global marketplace for the trade.
UK merchants offered the wine at around £531 per six bottles in bond, which is around 20% lower than the debut price of the 2023 vintage. Below, see more analysis of the latest releases.
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Pichon Comtesse 2024 analysis
Pichon Comtesse 2024 received 96 points from Decanter’s Bordeaux correspondent, Georgie Hindle, who highlighted it as one of the standout success stories in a challenging Bordeaux growing season.
‘Mouthwatering acidity and precise balance showcase [winemaker / CEO] Nicolas Glumineau’s skill, creating a svelte, energetic wine with a lot going on,’ wrote Hindle.
At £1,062 per 12-bottle case IB in the UK, the 2024 vintage is around 19.5% below last year’s release price for the 2023 vintage.
Analyst group Wine Lister said the wine is nearly 50% below the en primeur price for highly regarded Pichon Comtesse 2022. It also noted that production in 2024 was around half of the usual level.
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Yet, it said remaining stocks of the 2021 and 2017 vintages were available on the market for less, and that some critics have previously scored these wines higher than the new release.
Pichon Comtesse is considered to have been on a strong, upward quality trajectory in the past decade or so. Liv-ex also noted that Pichon Comtesse 2014 may be of interest to buyers looking through this estate’s back catalogue.
The estate’s second wine, Reserve de la Comtesse 2024 (92pts, Decanter), was offered in the UK at around £340 (12x75cl IB).
Château Canon 2024 – one to watch
Canon is another estate that has been on the rise in the last decade and its 2024 vintage was also deemed by Hindle to constitute a highlight of recent en primeur tastings.
She gave 96pts to Canon 2024, making it one of her top-scoring wines of the vintage.
‘Such a great wine and one where you really can’t taste the difficulties of the year in the glass,’ Hindle said. ‘Crystalline and pure, elegant and super charming.’
Canon 2024 was released at €72 per bottle ex-négociant, the cheapest release price since the 2019 vintage debuted five years ago.
In the UK, the wine was offered at £852 (12x75cl IB), down by nearly 21% on the opening price of the 2023 vintage, according to Liv-ex.
UK merchant Farr Vintners said: ‘This excellent château consistently receives scores that are as high as those of the other top names of the appellation, but it is priced well below its neighbours. That is true again this year with a release price of £426 per case of six bottles (IB).’
Liv-ex, though, said some recent vintages of Canon were available on the market for less, including the 2021 and 2017.
Clinet 2024 ‘a good buy’
In Pomerol, Clinet 2024 emerged en primeur at €44 per bottle ex-négociant, joining a group of estates that have returned to release pricing last seen for the 2014 vintage.
At £528 per 12-bottle case IB – and offered by many merchants at £264 per six-pack – the wine is one of the cheapest iterations of Clinet available on the market.
Hindle gave 93 points to Client 2024, describing it as ‘totally moreish’. She said, ‘Sleek and really well made with energy and focus.’
Wine Lister said: ‘Coming onto the market at a significant discount on all recent back vintages, Clinet 2024 looks like a good buy.’
Prices drop across the campaign
Wine Lister data showed how prices have fallen across the board in this year’s campaign.
It said: ‘On the wines we’ve covered so far in the 2024 campaign, ex-négociant prices are down 16% on the 2023 and down 33% on the 2022, while average recommended UK onward selling prices are down 21% on the 2023 and down 39% on the 2022.’
While some buyers have shown healthy interest in several big names, initial merchant reports suggest the campaign overall has lacked a spark.
Bordeaux’s 2024 vintage has entered a particularly challenging fine wine market. Some buyers may also be waiting to see how the vintage looks once reassessed in-bottle, around 18 months from now.
Click here for more scores from the vintage
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Chris Mercer is a Bristol-based freelance editor and journalist who spent nearly four years as digital editor of Decanter.com, having previously been Decanter’s news editor across online and print.
He has written about, and reported on, the wine and food sectors for more than 10 years for both consumer and trade media.
Chris first became interested in the wine world while living in Languedoc-Roussillon after completing a journalism Masters in the UK. These days, his love of wine commonly tests his budgeting skills.
Beyond wine, Chris also has an MSc in food policy and has a particular interest in sustainability issues. He has also been a food judge at the UK’s Great Taste Awards.