Château Mouton Rothschild 2020 was released en primeur at €432 per bottle ex-Bordeaux this morning (24 June), according to Liv-ex.
It said UK merchants were offering the first growth for around £5,196 per 12-bottle case in bond, broadly level with the initial release prices of Château Margaux and Château Haut-Brion earlier this week.
‘[This] could go to 100 points after ageing,’ said Decanter’s Jane Anson after tasting a Mouton 2020 barrel sample. She gave a score of 98 points, but wines will be reassessed after bottling in approximately 18 months.
On an ex-Bordeaux basis, there has been a clear trend for price increases across this en primeur campaign, versus the 2019-vintage releases.
However, the market picture is mixed. Several wines have sold well and, in a number of cases, prices for 2019 wines have risen since initial release.
Decanter Premium exclusive: Bordeaux 2020 releases and prices
Mouton Rothschild 2020’s ex-Bordeaux price (€ per bottle) was 53% up on the corresponding release price of the 98-point Mouton 2019, according to Liv-ex.
But it said the 2020 was being offered by UK-based merchants at only a relatively small premium to the 2019 vintage. Its market price data also showed that Mouton 2020 was cheaper than the 2018 vintage, rated 100 points by Anson, and also the highly regarded 2016 wine.
For any buyers interested in previous vintages, Liv-ex said 2019 and 2014 ‘look compelling’.
In her tasting note on Mouton 2020, Anson wrote, ‘As the wine relaxes in the glass, it becomes more and more signature Mouton, full of exuberance, finesse and pleasure.
‘There is less sweet black cherry fruit than in a year like 2018 or 2019, more on the cassis and bilberry side. It will behave in a more classical manner in the decades to come.’
Analyst group Wine Lister said it expected the Mouton 2020 release to do well on the market, although it said ‘buyers looking for something to drink sooner might note small stocks available of the 2015 below the price of the 2019’.
Le Petit Mouton 2020 was also released en primeur this morning, scored 93 points by Anson. ‘A serious Petit Mouton, with inky depths to the colour, and plenty of tannic hold and bite,’ she wrote. It was being sold for £2,040 per 12-bottle case in bond, according to Liv-ex.
‘Amazing’ Ducru-Beaucaillou 2020 released
Ducru-Beaucaillou 2020 was also released this morning, price at around £1,920 per 12 bottles in bond, according to Liv-ex.
It quoted an ex-Bordeaux release price of €160 per bottle, up by 40% on the equivalent opening price of the 2019 vintage.
‘An amazing Ducru, one of the wines of the vintage,’ said Anson, giving 98 points to the St-Julien second growth’s grand vin.
Liv-ex said the wine was priced above the 98-point Ducru-Beaucaillou 2019, as well as many recent vintages.
Wine Lister said of the release, ‘Buyers looking for something with age might note availability of the 2010 at the same price as the latest release, which has a decade under its belt.’
Fellow St-Julien estate Léoville Poyferré also released its 2020 vintage today, with Liv-ex reporting a price of £864 per 12-bottle case in bond. Its ex-Bordeaux price was €72 per bottle, up by 46% on the corresponding debut price of the 2019 vintage.
Anson rated Léoville Poyferré 2020 at 96 points, equal to her ratings on the 2019 and 2018 wines. ‘Rich and concentrated with violet reflections and a wall of tannins,’ she wrote of the 2020 vintage, adding that ‘it will need time to soften and develop’.
It’s been a big week or so for the Bordeaux 2020 en primeur campaign.
Since Lafite Rothschild 2020 made its debut on 11 June, many other classified estates on the Left Bank have released their wines, as well as several more top names on the Right Bank.
Alongside first growths this week, Left Bank releases include Cos d’Estournel, Montrose, Palmer, Smith-Haut-Lafitte and Léoville-Las-Cases have joined the campaign.
Haut-Bailly 2020 was released yesterday afternoon (23 June), with Liv-ex quoting an ex-Bordeaux price of £1,152 per 12-bottle case in bond. That puts it ahead of the 2019 price on the market, according to Liv-ex data, but the wine has also impressed critics.
Anson gave the wine 96 points and said it has ‘strong potential for upscoring when in the bottle’. She said the vintage suited Haut-Bailly’s style.
‘Rich in texture and colour, this has clear layers and complexity, a wine that you want to take your time with, slow down and enjoy,’ she said.
NB: Latour, the 1855 first growth, no longer releases en primeur wines.
