Château Lafleur 2020 has entered the Bordeaux 2020 en primeur campaign with a price equivalent to £6,320 per 12-bottle case in bond, as quoted by Liv-ex.
Decanter’s Jane Anson rated Lafleur 2020 at 98 points. Despite a dry summer potentially affecting vines on gravel soils, ‘Lafleur has taken the vintage in its stride’, Anson said.
The price is up by around 9% on last year’s primeur release, according to Liv-ex, but its data shows the Lafleur 2020 is significantly cheaper than the 2019, 2018, 2016 and 2015 vintages.
‘The 2020 release, therefore, looks extremely good value versus recent releases.’
Analyst group Wine Lister added, ‘This is likely to fly so fast that many could miss it.’
Demand for the tiny volumes produced means that several vintages have become more expensive following release.
Lafleur 2020 en primeur in context
Lafleur 2019, 99 points (Anson) | current Liv-ex price: £12,000 ($16,968) 12x 75cl in bond
Lafleur 2018, 97 points | current price: £14,000 ($19,796)
Lafleur 2017, 95 points | current price: £6,400 ($9,050)
Lafleur 2016, 100 points | current price: £10,400 ($14,706)
New St-Emilion releases
Big-name St-Emilion wines have set the early pace in the Bordeaux 2020 en primeur campaign, and this morning saw two more of the appellation’s well-known wines emerge: La Mondotte and Canon-la-Gaffelière.
Anson scored Canon-la-Gaffelière 2020 94 points (2019: 95 pts, 2018: 95 pts) , describing it as excellent and ‘concentrated and intense, with juicy liquorice and blackberry flavours dominant on the attack’.
Bordeaux Index was selling the 2020 vintage en primeur for £653 (12x 75cl in bond), with Fine & Rare also selling six bottles for £326 in bond. It was €54 per bottle ex-Bordeaux, according to Liv-ex, up by around 10% on the 2019 release price.
Anson previously highlighted the 94-point mark as an area to watch for potential ‘best buys’.
Wine Lister said Canon-la-Gaffelière 2020 was slightly up on current 2019 price but more than 15% cheaper than the 2018 vintage.
La Mondotte 2020, produced by Canon-la-Gaffelière, was also rated 94 points, equal to the 2019 score and one point up on La Mondotte 2018.
Bordeaux Index was selling it for £1,596 (12x 75cl in bond), with Fine & Rare offering six-bottle cases for £798.
Wine Lister said it was around 10% up on the current price of the 2019, which had limited quantities available.
Left Bank: Châteaux Beychevelle and d’Armailhac
Château Beychevelle 2020 has been released at €57.6 per bottle ex-Bordeaux, up by around 9% on the 2019 release price.
It was being offered for £695 (12x 75cl in bond), according to Liv-ex, which said both the 2020 and 2019 appeared to offer ‘good value for money’ versus earlier, more expensive vintages.
Anson rated Beychevelle 2020 94 points, adding that ‘it sits well within the successful run of vintages at Beychevelle’. That’s equal to her 2019 score, and one up on 2018.
Wine Lister noted its relative value versus back-vintages and also Beychevelle’s ‘strong post-release track record’ of price increases.
In Pauillac, Château d’Armailhac 2020 from the Baron Philippe de Rothschild (Mouton) stable was released on Tuesday 1 June.
D’Armailhac 2020 was rated 93 points by Jane Anson, who said the wine was a little austere at first before then showing its character. ‘I really like this, it has a floral edge, a juice and freshness and sense of elegance,’ she said.
Liv-ex said the 2020 was £396 (12x 75cl in bond), up by around 6% on the current price of 2019, also rated 93 points by Anson. On an ex-Bordeaux basis, the 2020 was €32.4 per bottle, up by around 12% on the 2019 release.
