Tasting September fine wine releases via the Bordeaux Place

September now sees almost daily releases of ‘icon’ fine wines from all corners of the globe using the historic Place de Bordeaux marketplace to launch their newest vintages.

Names already released at the time of writing include Opus One 2018, Inglenook Rubicon 2018, Seña 2019, Nicolás Catena Zapata 2018 and Clos Apalta 2018, among others. Many more will follow, from Tuscany and Champagne to Australia and California.

The Place, which has traditionally – and very successfully – been used to sell 99% of all Bordeaux fine wines via a network of roughly 300 négociants, now handles a collection of more than 70 wines from five continents.

Click to see our new score table covering notes and scores for all the September fine wine releases via the Place de Bordeaux

Notes on a selection of the top-scoring September releases 2021 are also at the bottom of the post

While Bordeaux en primeur remains the key event in the Bordelais calendar, these September releases are now an important fixture for the fine wine trade.

They not only concentrate the attention of buyers at a time when the interest in blue-chip Bordeaux is traditionally low but have also helped négociants to diversify their businesses by creating a dedicated, separate sales strategy to manage the international releases.

This trend has been growing every year since the first non-Bordeaux wine joined the Place in 1998 in the shape of Almaviva, a joint-venture between Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA (Mouton) and Chile’s Concha y Toro.

Opus One, the California joint-venture created in 1979 between the Rothschilds and California’s Mondavi family, started releasing some of its wine via the Place in 2004. The first wine not linked to Bordeaux was Italy’s Masseto, in 2009, followed by Solaia, in 2010.

They were followed by South Africa’s famous sweet wine, Vin de Constance, as well as one of the most in-demand Rhône Valley wines, Château de Beaucastel’s Hommage à Jacques Perrin, which is sold now exclusively through La Place in September.

More recently, the first Australian wines entered the system in 2020 and there are several debutants in 2021, including the first wine from the Penfolds range, a Spanish Rioja and vintage Champagne.

Released via the Bordeaux Place for the first time in 2021:

Australia

• Penfolds, Bin 169, Australia

Chile

• Santa Rita, Casa Real Reserva Especial, Maipo Alto

France

• Philipponnat, Clos des Goisses, Champagne

Italy

• CastelGiocondo, Brunello di Montalcino
• Poggio Antico, Brunello di Montalcino
• Petrolo Bòggina C Riserva, Val d’Arno di Sopra DOC
• Giordo la Quinta, Tuscany

Spain

• Telmo Rodriguez, Yjar, Rioja Alvasia

USA

• Beaux Frères, Orégon
• Peter Michael Les Pavots, Sonoma

Why do wineries want to sell via the Place de Bordeaux?

For wineries, the lure of Bordeaux’s well-honed, global distribution network offers the prospect of a higher profile and a bigger physical presence in retail, in restaurants and bars and in new markets in general.

Alongside the names listed above, the collection also features top SuperTuscan wine Ornellaia, Californian’s Inglenook, Cardinale and Promontory (Harlan), plus and Chilean fine wines Seña and Santa Rita.

This means there is, by proxy, an approved seal of quality for any new wines joining the mix.

‘The association on the Place gives a brand credit to be there, they won’t take a wine unless it has merit,’ says Sam Barry, third-generation winemaker at Jim Barry, whose second vintage of The Armagh Shiraz (2017) will be sold via the Place this month.

Accounting for only 0.5% of overall production, Barry says the amount of wine released via the Place ‘wasn’t a driver commercially’ but was more to ‘have a far greater reach and more customers being able to access Armagh.’

He adds, ‘Even the visibility of being on the Place, it opens you up to areas that prior you couldn’t.’

As well as giving wineries a bigger choice of which markets to target, producers can also exclude markets or remove airlines, cruise ships, on-trade establishments and even online retailers from the pool of potential buyers via the Place.

Many of the US wines, for instance, won’t use the Place to sell within the USA or to Mexico, Canada and Central American markets. Other wineries can remove markets where they already have a solid presence.

Masseto, for instance, has restrictions on sales in Italy, USA and Canada, as does Wynns John Riddock for Australia, New Zealand and the Scandinavian monopolies.

Coonawarra’s Wynns will offer a portion of its John Riddoch 2018 via the Place de Bordeaux this month, and winemaker Sue Hodder said she has seen a marked increase in availability of the wine since launching on the Place last year.

‘There’s so many more listings for John Riddoch in different countries than there were this time last year. It’s good to be able to show our history, ageability and story that is a culmination of our endeavours.’

More about this year’s releases

Among the Napa Valley listings this year is the third release of Quintessa, the 2018 vintage, and the wine was presented in Bordeaux in person by estate director Rodrigo Soto.

‘It’s very exciting times for us, not only learning this system which is quite foreign to us but at the same it’s an honour for us to be part of the “exclusive group of producers” and trying to go international,’ he says.

California has been enjoying a strong period on the fine wine market in general, and several UK-based merchants and analysts have noted how more wineries were looking to expand their international reach.

Given the strength of the US market, Soto emphasises that it’s not a financial objective but rather a ‘long-term vision for positioning’.

‘The objective is to make this estate an international brand and replicate the work that took us 30 years in the US to do. [It’s about] growing our model a little bit, hopefully getting a few cases out of the US and diversifying our business.’

With an average production of 120,000 bottles, Bordeaux négociants will get an allocation of 600 cases, 7,000 bottles, of Quintessa 2018.

‘We feel like we’re starting from scratch this year as last year we couldn’t be in Bordeaux,’ Soto says. ‘We’re learning discipline, approach to market, comparison with other new world producers who are in a better position as they have done the work for the last 10-15 years.’

Closer to home

September is also becoming a time to watch for a handful of top Bordeaux labels. This year sees new, ex-cellar stocks of Latour 2005, while Château Palmer will release more of its 2011 vintage on 23 September. Palmer began a new ’10 years on’ strategy last year.

From the Rhône, Château de Beaucastel also has its Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2019, Coudoulet 2019, Blanc 2020 and Vieilles Vignes 2020 coming out, alongside the Hommage à Jacques Perrin 2019.

In Sauternes, Château d’Yquem has changed its release schedule. The Yquem 2019 vintage had been expected this autumn but is now set to be released in March 2022, Liv-ex said this week.

Which vintages are being released?

Unlike the single-year focus of Bordeaux en primeur, buyers will have to navigate eight different vintages from producers spread around the world.

Standout, successful vintages include Napa Valley 2018, a vintage described as ‘a winemaker’s dream’ by Trevor Durling, winemaker at Beaulieu Vineyard. Its Georges de Latour Private Reserve 2018 is launching this month.

Brunello di Montalcino’s five-star 2016 vintage is also represented in this year’s releases. Italy expert Michaela Morris recently said in her report for Decanter, ‘When a vintage like this comes along, producers rightly revel in it. And with so many impressive wines, Brunello-lovers should absolutely buy up!’.

Château Palmer 2011 is an example of a wine from a more challenging vintage in Margaux, and it was the estate’s smallest crop since 1961. But CEO Thomas Duroux said the wine should be ‘a fabulous surprise for people who have the chance to taste it now’, because it was ‘somewhat swept under the carpet’ following the renowned 2009 and 2010 vintages.

Roughly speaking, releases can be split into the following:

• Italy – Tuscany, Bolgheri and Sicily 2018 and 2019 | Brunello 2015, 2016, 2017
• Chile and Argentina – 2018 and 2019
• Australia – Coonawarra, Margaret River and Clare Valley 2017, 2018 and 2019
• USA – California’s Napa Valley 2015 and 2018 plus Paso Robles 2019 | Oregon 2018
• France – Bordeaux 2005, 2011, 2019 and 2020 | Rhône 2019 and 2020

September Releases: The full list

Argentina

Catena Zapata, Nicolás Catena Zapata, Uco Valley, 2018 (released 1st September)

Catena Zapata, Adrianna Vineyard, Mundus Bacillus Terrae, Mendoza, 2018 (not yet tasted)

Cheval des Andes, Mendoza, 2018 (not yet tasted)

Australia

Cloudburst, Chardonnay, Margaret River, 2019

Cloudburst, Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River, 2018

Cloudburst, Malbec, Margaret River, 2018

Wynns Coonawarra Estate, John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, 2018

Jim Barry, The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley, 2017

Penfolds Coonawarra Bin 169, 2018 (not yet tasted)

Chile

Clos Apalta, Casa Lapostolle, Conchagua 2018 (released 31st August) (not yet tasted)

Clos Apalta, Le Petit Clos, Apalta Valley, Conchagua 2018 (not yet tasted)

Santa Rita Casa Real, Reserva Especial, Maipo Alto 2018

Seña, Aconcagua 2019 (released 2nd September)

Seña, Vinedo Chadwick, Puente Alto 2019 (not yet tasted)

France

L’Odysée, Vin de France, Rhône, 2018

Château de Beaucastel, Hommage à Jacques Perrin, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, 2019

Château de Beaucastel, Hommage à Jacques Perrin, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, 2009

Château Palmer, Margaux 3ème Grand Cru Classé, Bordeaux, 2011

Château Latour, Pauillac 1er Grand Cru Classé, Bordeaux, 2005 (not yet tasted)

Château d’Yquem, Y d’Yquem, Bordeaux, 2020 (not yet tasted)

Philipponnat, Clos des Goisses Extra Brut 2012, Champagne

Philipponnat, Clos des Goisses Extra Brut LV 1996, Champagne

Italy

Alberelli di Giodo, Rosso, Etna 2019

Bibi Graetz, Bibi Graetz Colore, Toscana, 2019

Bibi Graetz, Testametta, Toscana, 2019

Caiarossa, Toscana, 2018

Castelgiacondo, Brunello di Montalcino, 2016

Castello di Fonterutoli, Concerto, Toscana, 2019

Castello di Fonterutoli, Siepi, Toscana, 2019

Fattoria Petrolo, Bòggina B, Toscana, Tuscany, Italy, 2019

Fattoria Petrolo, Bòggina C, Valdarno di Sopra

Fattoria Petrolo, Galatrona, Valdarno di Sopra, 2019

Giovanni Rosso, Etna Rosso, Etna 2018

Luce della Vite, Luce, Toscana, 2018

Luce della Vite, Lucente, Toscana, 2018

Luce della Vite, Brunello di Montalcino,2016

Masseto, Massetino, Toscana, 2019

Masseto, Toscana, 2018

Orma, Toscana, 2019

Ornellaia, Le Volte Dell’Ornellaia, Toscana 2019

Ornellaia, Le Serre Dell’Ornellaia, Bolgheri, 2018

Ornellaia, Poggio alle Gazze dell’Ornellaia, Toscana, 2019

Ornellaia, Bolgheri Superiore, 2018

Poggio Antico, Brunello di Montalcino, 2016

Poggio Antico, Poggio Antico Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, 2015

Podere Giodo, La Quinta, Toscana, 2019

Podere Giodo, Brunello di Montalcino, 2017

Solaia, Toscana, 2018

Tenuta Sette Ponti, Pasi di Orma, Bolgheri, 2019

South Africa

Klein Constantia, Vin de Constance, Constantia, South Africa 2018 (released 1 September)

Spain

Divisa Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles de Toloño, Yjar, Rioja Alvesa, 2017

Uruguay

Bodega Garzón, Balasto, Uruguay 2017 (not yet tasted)

USA

Beaulieu Vineyard, Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley Rutherford, 2018

Beaux Frères Vineyard, Beaux Frères, Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2019 (not yet tasted)

Dalla Valle Vineyards, Maya, Napa Valley, 2018

Dao Family Estate, Soul of a Lion, Paso Robles, 2018 (not yet tasted)

Inglenook, Rubicon, Napa Valley Rutherford, 2018

Inglenook, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, 2018

Inglenook, Blancaneaux, Napa Valley Rutherford, 2019

Joseph Phelps, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, 2018

Joseph Phelps, Insignia, Napa Valley, 2018

L’Aventure, Estate Cuvé, Paso Robles Willow Creek, California, 2019

L’Aventure, Optimus, Paso Robles, 2019

L’Aventure, Côte à Côte, Paso Robles, California, 2019

Opus One, Napa Valley Oakville, 2018

Opus One, L’Overture, Napa Valley Oakville, NV

Peter Michael, Les Pavots, Knights Valley Sonoma, 2019 (not yet tasted)

Peter Michael, Au Paradis, Oakville, 2018 (not yet tasted)

Promontory, Napa Valley, 2015

Quintessa, Napa Valley Rutherford, 2018

Vérité, La Joie, Sonoma County, California, 2018 (not yet tasted)

Vérité, La Muse, Sonoma County, California, 2018 (not yet tasted)

Vérité, Le Désir, Sonoma County, California, 2018 (not yet tasted)

Tasting the September releases in Bordeaux

A number of special pre-release tastings were held in Bordeaux in the run-up to September. Many of the wines below were tasted at Maison Joanne, under its new division, Joanne Rare Wines, dedicated solely to the new international offerings.

Headed by general manager Jean-Quentin Prats, this is designed to be a ‘dedicated and handcrafted service’ for wines from other, non-Bordeaux regions around the world.

‘We’re brand building and we want wineries to trust the négociants to sell their wines,’ Prats says. ‘Also, if you work with Bordeaux négociants you have access to a global network of clients and we can give transparency on where the wine goes.’

Maison Joanne alone has more than 1,000 clients around the world, including 300 in mainland China. With the other négociants, the Place counts more than 10,000 business-to-business clients and an unrivalled sales reach.

The benefits of consolidated shipments for orders of multiple wines, and a trusted logistics process, has given extra clout to the system – particularly amid the recent uncertainty surrounding shipping due to Brexit, Covid and government restrictions.

‘We are trying more and more to establish September as a key moment for the release of great wines of the world,’ says Prats.

‘More than ever our wish is to give comfortable access to large collections of fine wines to distributors around the world in the best conditions possible’.

Stand out wines include:

• Jim Barry, The Armagh Shiraz 2017
• Bibi Graetz, Colore 2019
• PoggioAntico 2016
• Masseto 2018
• Promontory 2015
• Cloudburst Chardonnay 2019
• Klein Constantia, Vin de Constance 2018

And two of the new releases:

• Yjar 2017
• Clos des Goisses, LV 1996

Yjar, the new wine by oenologist-winemaker Telmo Rodriguez, was definitely one of the wines of the tasting.

Brand new to the Place, and the first Rioja, it is a 3.8-hectare single-vineyard cuvée from the foothills of the Sierra de Toloño in Rioja Alavesa, and made from a massal selection of Tempranillo, Graciano, Garnacha, Granegro and Rojal.

The inaugural vintage will consist of just over 7,000 bottles, with a recommended retail price of approximately €120.

Philipponnat has also become the first Champagne house on the Place this year, and is releasing two acclaimed vintages of Clos des Goisses: the 2012 and 1996.

The ’96 is part of the house’s strategy to release a 25-year-old wine each year, a policy that began three years ago with the 1992 and 1993 vintages.

Given the limited production of fewer than 50,000 bottles annually from the 5.38-hectare vineyard, the move is not to ‘fix a problem with sales’ but to ‘have more people looking after it’, says Thomas Jorez, export director Champagne Philipponnat.

‘We thought working with the Place would make a great partnership, to have the wines more finely distributed and spread more evenly around the world giving each bottle more visibility,’ Jorez says.

He says ‘it’s a complimentary way of working’ and a ‘next step’, also emphasising that allocations with existing partners would remain.

On the horizon for 2022

It’s expected that Philipponnat’s Clos des Goisses Juste Rosé and Les Cintres, a single-bottling made from a plot within the Clos des Goisses vineyard, will also enter the Place next year.

There is also set to be a new Jim Barry wine, The James, which is a Cabernet/Malbec blend named in honour of the estate’s founder.

In some ways, the growing roster of labels sold via the Place is also being guided by a fine wine market that continues to broaden.

Importers are looking to purchase wines from smaller regions or lesser-known producers while still using the system.

‘We’re looking for wines that are already known or wines from the categories where there is demand,’ says Prats. Thirst for Italian wines has seen Sicily, Brunello di Montalcino and Piedmont find representation alongside SuperTuscans in recent years, for instance.

Tasting notes and scores on the September releases 2021:

A selection of top-scoring white, red and sparkling wine tasting notes are below. See all tasting notes in the September releases score table.

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Bordeaux 2005: How does this top vintage taste now? 

Bordeaux 2020: Our en primeur verdict

Behind the label: Château Palmer 2011 release 

Behind the label: Wynns John Riddoch 2018 release