Château Berliquet 2020, rated 93 points by Jane Anson and produced by the team behind Canon and Rauzan-Ségla, was among the first releases in the Bordeaux 2020 en primeur campaign this week.
Fine & Rare was offering six bottles in bond for £218.
Analyst group Wine Lister noted that Berliquet has been overseen by Nicolas Audebert of St-Emilion’s Canon and Margaux’s Rauzan-Ségla since being acquired by the owners of fashion house Chanel in 2017.
‘Berliquet is becoming a true St-Émilion gem to watch,’ it said. The vintage’s quality and the estate’s trajectory could make the 2020 ‘worth snapping up’, despite it being ‘the most expensive Berliquet on the market’, the group said.
Farr Vintners listed the wine as ‘sold out’ by Wednesday morning (26 May).
Prieuré-Lichine 2020
Château Prieuré-Lichine 2020 was also released, having been rated at 93 points by Anson as part of her in-depth report on Bordeaux 2020 en primeur wines.
She described the Margaux estate as ‘one of the clear successes’. Millesima UK was selling 12 bottles for £304 in bond.
Wine Lister said the price compared favourably to many back vintages of the estate’s wines.
La Lagune 2020
Other Bordeaux 2020 en primeur releases this week have included Château La Lagune, rated 93 points by Anson, and being sold for around £324 (12x 75cl in bond).
‘This is 7% higher than the current market price of the 2019 but less than other back vintages,’ said Liv-ex.
La Lagune 2020 was released ex-Bordeaux at €26.4, up by 10% on the opening price of 2019, Liv-ex said.
Anson gave 94 points to La Lagune 2019, but Wine Lister noted this vintage’s limited availability on the market.
Three more releases
- Château Kirwan 2020, 92 points, £180 (6x 75cl in bond, Berry Bros & Rudd)
- Château Chasse-Spleen 2020, 91 points, £244 (12x 75cl in bond, quoted by Liv-ex)
- Château Marquis de Terme 2020, 93 points, £372 (12x 75cl in bond, Millesima UK)
Bordeaux 2020 sales talk
Some UK merchants felt Bordeaux 2020 en primeur has not quite kicked into gear as yet, despite a few sparks.
‘It’s still early days,’ said Thomas Parker, buyer at Farr Vintners. ‘There is good interest from customers but not at the level of 2019 at this stage.’
He added, ‘The Bartons and Batailley have sold particularly well so far but [there are] not too many releases to pick from yet.’
Matthew O’Connell, head of investment at Bordeaux Index, also noted a relatively slow start to the campaign so far, despite some successes. Things may well pick up with many more big names still to come.
Cheval Blanc 2020
Limited quantities were left at some merchants, following high critical praise and a release price of around £4,656 (12x 75cl in bond).
‘Cheval Blanc 2020 has already created demand in the secondary market,’ said Liv-ex.
Jane Anson gave the wine 99 points but will re-assess it once bottled and said the 2020 could match the perfect 100 achieved by the 2018 vintage.
Compared to 2018, the 2020 ‘was available for almost £1,000 less per dozen’, said Liv-ex.
On a separate note, there has been evidence of trade interest in back-vintages of top Bordeaux names.
Château Lafite Rothschild 2018 was the second most traded wine on Liv-ex by value in the week ended 20 May. It’s last trade price was £7,544 per 12 bottles in bond, Liv-ex said.
