Recent trading activity
Bordeaux has been leading trade so far this week, but only by a small margin compared to Burgundy. The regions accounted for 38.3% and 36.4% of trade by value respectively. Italy has also traded well this week, coming in at 9.8% of total trade by value.
Scarecrow Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 was among the most active wines, along with Chateau Mouton Rothschild 2008 and Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2008. Champagne has accounted for 8.1% of total trade by value this week so far.
James Suckling’s top scoring Bordeaux 2022 wines
- James Suckling has published his Bordeaux 2022 scores and tasting notes.
- His nine top-scoring wines all received 99-100 points, with Chateau Cheval Blanc topping the list.
- Suckling called the vintage ‘astonishing’ and expects it to set a new benchmark for the region.
James Suckling had nothing but good things to say about his 40th En Primeur tastings.
The critic described the vintage as ‘a new benchmark for Bordeaux’, praising the ‘resilient and adaptive nature’ of the vines in the light of challenging climatic conditions experienced last summer.
Although 2022 was ‘one of the hottest and driest growing seasons in the history of France’s most famous wine region’, Suckling was impressed to find that the wines produced were ‘opulent and structured but still fresh and balanced’.
He gave his top score, a barrel range of 99-100, to a total of nine wines, as shown in the table below. Chateau Cheval Blanc St Emilion topped the list thanks to its ‘brightness and weightlessness’, and according to Suckling might well be the ‘wine of the vintage’.
It is followed by Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey Sauternes and Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey Sauternes Crème Du Tete. Interestingly, Suckling chose Lafaurie-Peyraguey as his favourite from the Bordeaux 2021 En Primeur campaign, describing it as ‘perhaps the greatest sweet wine produced in 100 years at the property’.
Among the other top scorers are Chateau Lafite Rothschild Pauillac, Le Pin Pomerol and Chateau Leoville Las Cases St Julien.
Suckling’s only concern was about the wines’ capacity to age. The critic felt ‘a sense of fragility’ in this year’s red wines and urged winemakers to not ‘overdo the aging with too much new wood or oxidative processes’. He also predicts release prices will be high, which does not bode well for the campaign’s popularity, no matter how great the vintage is said to be.
For those looking to find opportunities in back vintages, there are plenty of options.
Indeed, there are currently over 4,064 LIVE Bordeaux opportunities on Liv-ex.
Liv-ex Bordeaux 2022 En Primeur coverage
Liv-ex will be publishing release posts for a range of tools and insights surrounding the En Primeur campaign. Our Bordeaux 2022 pages contains links to key prices, critic scores, and reports and release blogs.
You can sign up to receive email alerts whenever analysis is published to avoid missing out.
Liv-ex analysis is drawn from the world’s most comprehensive database of fine wine prices. The data reflects the real time activity of Liv-ex’s 620 merchant members from across the globe. Together they represent the largest pool of liquidity in the world – currently £100m of bids and offers across 16,000 wines.
