- The Rhone’s trade share rises to 10.8%
- Latour 2009 most active
- James Suckling and James Molesworth on Bordeaux 2016 in-bottle
- Sassicaia 2016 released
In the first week of February, trade fell slightly by value but increased by volume. Bordeaux’s share dipped from 70.8% to 55%, while Burgundy and Champagne, which pulled back last week, rose to 18% and 5.1% respectively – although this is still below their January average.
Italy’s share, helped by activity from the recently released Sassicaia 2016, improved to 7%. However, it was the Rhone that stole the show this week. Its share of trade surged from 3.5% to a six-month high of 10.8%, with active trade of the recently released and highly-regarded 2015 La Las.
Latour was the most active of the First Growths and accounted for a third of their trade. Its 2009 vintage (100 RP) was the top traded wine by value, as the table above shows. The 1982 vintage – another perfect-scoring Latour from Robert Parker – ranked second.
In third place, and the Rhone’s most active wine this week, was Guigal Cote Rotie Mouline 2015. When reviewing it at the end of last year, Jeb Dunnuck awarded it a barrel range of 98-100 points and commented that it “has perfection written all over it”.
Petrus 2015 (LPB 100, NM 98) also featured in the top five, and last traded at £33,066 per 12×75, while the “aristocratic, blue-blooded” Armand Rousseau, Chambertin Clos de Beze 2016 (NM 97-98) saw trade at £31,700.
Bordeaux 2016 in-bottle
This week, James Suckling and James Molesworth released their Bordeaux 2016 in-bottle scores. Suckling awarded eight wines a perfect 100 points. Molesworth, who is famously reserved when it comes to 100-point scores, gave five wines his highest score of 98 points.
Sassicaia 2016 released
On Wednesday, Sassicaia 2016 was released in the UK at £1,270 per 12×75. That same day the wine traded at £2,700 per 12×75, a staggering 163% premium on release. Things have since calmed a little as merchants begin the tricky process of allocation, but demand is reported to be robust. The Wine Advocate’s Monica Larner gave it 100 points and called it a “wine of soaring achievement”, referencing the legendary 1985 that trades at £25,000 a case. For further price analysis, click here.
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