What’s happening in the market?
Trade since last Friday was dominated by California, which has accounted for 26.1% of trade by value. Screaming Eagle 2021 was the most traded wine by value, and wines from Scarecrow and Opus One also changed hands.
Bordeaux narrowly remained in the lead with 29.5%, and Champagne pipped Burgundy for third place with 12.7% of trade, buoyed by trades of Bollinger R.D. 2008, Dom Pérignon 2013 and Dom Pérignon Rosé 2006.
Tuscany also had a strong week. The 2020 vintages of Sassicaia and Tignanello were among the most traded wines by value since last Friday.
Today’s deep-dive: E. Guigal Côte Rôtie 2020 releases
E. Guigal recently released its 2020 ‘LaLas’ on to the market. The wines have been released for €212 per bottle ex-domaine.
While the wines have not yet been released internationally, if they were released at the same level as the 2019s (£3,200 per 12×75), they would be among the most expensive of recent vintages. More pricing analysis below.
The ‘LaLas’ refers to the three vineyards from the Côte Rôtie estate – La Landonne, La Mouline and La Turque (Decanter reported that a fourth wine, La Reynard, would be launched with the 2022 vintage).
Although the wines trade separately on Liv-ex, cases are often tied to one another when offered by the trade.
La Landonne
E. Guigal La Landonne 2020 was awarded a barrel range of 98-100 by Joe Czerwinski (The Wine Advocate). In his tasting note, he called the wine ‘the undisputed star of the cellar this vintage (at least at this stage)’, calling it ‘not only unbelievably complex on the nose—with an awesome stew of vegetal-herbal nuances blended with cassis and smoked meat—but full-bodied, concentrated, velvety-textured and remarkably long and tannic’.
Jeb Dunnuck also awarded the wine a barrel range of 98-100 points. In his tasting note, he agreed with Czerwinski that the wine is ‘the clear star of the show in 2020, at least at this point’.
La Turque
Czerwinski awarded La Turque 2020 a score of 94-96 points. In his tasting notes, he mentions the wine is ‘full-bodied, with ample concentration and length, but it seems to lack a bit of depth compared to other recent vintages’.
Jeb Dunnuck scored La Turque slightly higher than Czerwinski, at 97-99 points. He notes ‘the 2020 Côte Rôtie La Turque reminds me of the 2018 with its pure, seamless, full-bodied, and elegant profile’.
La Mouline
The 2020 La Mouline was awarded a slightly lower range of 93-95 points by Czerwinski, who noted that the wine is ‘missing the vineyard’s normally expressive floral aromas on this occasion’.
Meanwhile, Jeb Dunnuck saw more potential in the wine, awarding it a barrel range of 96-98 points, saying ‘I’m not sure the 2020 Côte Rôtie La Mouline will match the 2019, but it’s still early to be making any final conclusions, as these wines have an uncanny ability to gain in richness and depth over their élevage’.
E. Guigal Côte Rôtie 2020 releases pricing analysis
For followers of The Wine Advocate, the 2017 vintage of La Landonne looks attractive. The wine was scored 99 points and is the most affordable out of the 2016-2019 vintages, with a Market Price of £2,537 per 12×75. The 100-point 2012 vintage could also be a good option, with a Market Price lower than its other 100-point counterparts.
Buyers looking for value could consider the 2019 vintage of La Turque. The wine was scored 99 points by The Wine Advocate and has a Market Price of £2,707 per 12×75. The 98-point 2012 and 2014 vintages of the wine also look attractive, boasting Market Prices of £2,200 and £2,134 per case respectively.
As for La Mouline, the 2011 vintage was scored 98 points and has a Market Price of £2,380 per case, making it one of the more affordable and higher-scored options on the market.
There are currently 414 LIVE bids and offers for E. Guigal Côte Rôtie wines on Liv-ex. Log in to the exchange to view them and trade.
In case you missed it
Here’s what we’ve been reading:
- Liv-ex: The Liv-ex Fine Wine 100 recods milder decline in January 2024
- The drinks business: Domaine de la Romanee-Conti 2021: elegance in the face of adversity
- Financial Times: Stocks and bonds diverge as investors worry less about inflation
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 20,000 wines.
