- Château Lafleur 2022 has been released at a recommended retail price of £7,440 per 12×75.
- ‘This an intellectual and delicious Lafleur,’ said Neal Martin who rated it 97-99 points.
- Buyers have several options among back vintages for those unable to secure an allocation.
As part of this year’s Bordeaux En Primeur campaign, Château Lafleur 2022 has been released at €610 per bottle ex-négociant, up 8.9% on the 2021 release (€560).
It is coming to market with a recommended retail price of £7,440 per 12×75, an 14.3% increase on the 2021’s opening price (£6,508 a case).
In the release, it was noted that the Château’s aim is to be transparent and give the market confidence with a stable pricing model. As such, the release is one of the best value wines on the market today. See more pricing analysis below.
Critics’ scores
Neal Martin (Vinous) awarded it a barrel range of 97-99, praising the ‘beautifully defined’ profile and calling it ‘more sensual than recent vintages.’ In his words: ‘among the best that Baptiste and Julie Guinaudeau have conjured in recent years and that’s a very impressive canon of work.’
William Kelley (Wine Advocate) also scored it at 97-99, lauding the ‘pure and seamless’ 2022 Lafleur as ‘one of the most characterful as well as most consistent wines produced in contemporary Bordeaux.’
‘A welcome sense of continuity in a vintage’ said Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux), who rated the wine at a range of 98-100. She highlights its ‘density and serious character,’ and concludes that ‘Guinaudeau so often sets the conversation in a vintage, and he is doing so again here.’
Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Wine Independent) echoed other critics in offering the wine a score of 96-98+, adding the caveat that Lafleur 2022 ‘will need a lot of time’ to reach its full potential.
Fair Value analysis
Using Liv-ex’s ‘Fair Value’ methodology, prices for Château Lafleur are 89% correlated to Neal Martin scores.
Looking at the chart below, today’s release is coming to the market well below the regression line – offering excellent value for those lucky enough to secure an allocation.
For those unable to get their hands on today’s release, there are several other options among back vintages.
The 97-point 2017 vintage falls below the ‘Fair Value’ line and is available for a small premium to today’s release. The 95-point 2012 vintage also falls below the line and is available at a 35.5% discount to today’s release. Aside from the 2013 vintage, it is the cheapest recent vintage on the market today.
The 2015, 2016 and 2020 vintages are also interesting options, each holding a score of 98 and available at premiums of 75.3%, 74.7% and 81.5% respectively.
Other releases
Château Lafleur’s second label, Pensées de Lafleur 2022, has also been released at €130 per bottle ex-négociant. According to Lafleur, the 2022 Pensées will not be released to the trade this year due to small crops.
Other releases include Les Perrieres 2022 at €51.50 per bottle ex-négociant, as well as Château Grand Village 2022 at €13 per bottle ex-négociant.
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 630+ 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.
