Last week, futures buying of the Bordeaux 2009 vintage accelerated when even more chateaux announced release prices.
The industry is aware that Bordeaux 2009 is an exceptional vintage, which could account for why some of the wines that rated well at the April en primeur tastings have already sold out. For example, the popular New York retailer Sherry-Lehmann Wine & Spirits has already sold out of La Fleur-Petrus at $135 per bottle, chateaux d’Angludet at $30 per bottle and Duhart-Milon Rothschild at $60 per bottle.
Also of note, many wine industry experts are predicting that the biggest names will announce the highest prices ever when they are released. This is due to the fact that most of the labels this year have show between a 5 and 70 percent increase over the previous, much-loved 2005 vintage. Although many of these wines have been able to garner attention despite their high prices, some experts feel that a portion of these wines could be overpriced.
Economic woes have also been a major concern throughout the industry, but many UK buyers do not seem to be affected. In fact, London merchant Berry Bros & Rudd reportedly received so many orders for Chateau du Tertre at $384 a case that its computer system malfunctioned, and ultimately sold out 700 cases in just one hour.
While the US market has been decidedly lukewarm so far, many Asian parties are getting into futures with the 2009 vintage. This has prompted some London merchants to offer translations of tasting notes in Chinese, and some estimates are predicting that Asian orders will account for up to one third of the total futures’ sales. Although this number is high, it still wouldn’t be enough to carry the vintage if other countries avoid purchasing due to price – a simple fact that could provide a cap of sorts to the price of Bordeaux 2009
Tags: Berry Bros & Rudd, Bordeaux, Chateaux d’Angludet, Duhart-Milon Rothschild, La Fleur Pétrus