Haut Brion 2018 has been released at €408 per bottle ex-negociant, up 17.2% on the opening price of the 2017 (€348). It is being offered by the international trade at £4,900 (US$6,840/ HK$51,000) per 12×75, an increase of 20.9% on the 2017 release of £4,320 per case in sterling terms.
Regarding today’s release, Antonio Galloni (Vinous, 93-96) said: “The 2018 Haut-Brion is a regal wine. Creamy, soft and inviting, the 2018 is one of the more open-knit young Haut-Brions I can remember tasting”. For James Suckling (98-99), “it’s not so much the sheer power that is impressive here, rather the form, tension and exquisite form that the abundant, fine-grained tannins provide.”
Meanwhile, Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW (The Wine Advocate), who gave it 97-99+ points, praised its “epic length and depth”. She also noted that “this will take longer to come around than the La Mission, but it will be well worth the wait”.
Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider) also reviewed this year’s offering (98-100) and recognised that “it’s incredibly difficult to produce a wine with this much volume, harmony, balance, complexity and refinement”.
Prices for Haut Brion show 84% correlation to ‘Benchmark Critic’ scores. While the Grand Vin comes at a premium to the implied ‘Fair Value’ price, the relatively tight allocations will benefit the release. Buyers might also wish to consider the physical 2015, as well as the 2012 which is available at a discount.
Haut Brion Blanc was also released this morning and is being offered at £7,440 per 12×75, up 1.4% on the 2017 (£7,300).
Looking for more?
Our Bordeaux 2018 pages contain everything you need to know about this year’s En Primeur campaign, including:
- Critic scores
- Release prices
- Bordeaux 2018 analysis tool [members only]
- The conversation on social media
- Liv-ex’s fair value methodology
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