Bordeaux pricing can be a complex beast. The question we ask ourselves is “Which wines should we recommend and why?” This is an insight into how we pick which wines to offer, and fairly useful for picking any en primeur wine.

In weaker vintages, it is straightforward: the new release should be the least expensive vintage on the market. In a very good to great vintage, and 2015 is most certainly that, it is much more difficult.

Short of writing an algorithm of monstrous complexity (and we are wine merchants after all), whether to recommend a wine, or not, must be a sum of various components. With each release of a 2015 we will therefore look at the following factors:

 

1. Absolute quality of the wine – Happily, this is still the most important factor.
2. Price increase on the 2014 release price – 2014 was good vintage, with many good wines, if only moderately successful in the market. Large increases should be questioned.
3. Market price of the 2005, 2009 and 2010 vintages – These are this vintage’s peers. 2015 should not be more expensive, as these are finished and proven wines.
4. The quantity a property aims to sell as a % of their production – This, potentially, influences supply and demand in the future.
5. Size of the property in question – linked to the previous point, scale is important, a property making 2,000 cases is a different proposition from one making 20,000.

By looking at these factors, we will be in a position to make a firm recommendation. We will make this clear from the commentary on each release.

This might all seem a little scientific. It should be remembered that buying en primeur is not only about price. It can be about following a certain property for emotional reasons, wanting a certain format (big is better?!), buying early because you just won’t do it otherwise (we’re all busy these days), or buying a wine that does not appear on the secondary market.

If there is a specific wine that you follow or that you would like us to source for you, we are happy to do so. Please just ask any of the team or sign up to our bulletin.

We all hope this will be a successful, energetic campaign, as high quality as the wines themselves.