- Bordeaux led trade this week but the USA recorded the most significant uptick in its trade share.
- This week’s most traded wines by value and volume hailed from Bordeaux, Tuscany, Burgundy, Piedmont and Rioja.
- Liv-ex released a Market Update covering Neal Martin’s Bordeaux 2021 in-bottle scores.
What’s happening in the secondary market?
Bordeaux remained in the lead this week with 39.6% of total trade by value, down slightly from the previous week’s 41.1%. The region was buoyed by several trades of Petrus, notably the 2015, 2018 and 2019 vintages, as well as activity surrounding wines from Château Mouton Rothschild and Château Lafite Rothschild. Two Bordeaux wines also featured on the list of most-traded wines by volume – more on this below.
Burgundy followed Bordeaux, bolstered by trades of high-ticket wines from Domaines de la Romanée-Conti and Arnoux-Lachaux. Interestingly, a Burgundian wine also made the list of the most-traded wines by volume this week.
The USA recorded a considerable uptick in trade, accounting for 9.8% of total trade this week. Screaming Eagle was particularly active this week, with several vintages of both the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Sauvignon Blanc changing hands. Joseph Phelps’ Insignia 2019 was the most-traded wine by value from the region.
Tuscany’s trade share remained almost flat week-on-week, while the Rhône, Piedmont and the ‘Others’ category recorded a small uptick. Champagne, on the other hand, saw its trade share decrease from 11.1% to 6.8% week-on-week.
What were this week’s top-traded wines?
The most-traded wines by value were dominated by Bordeaux. Château Mouton Rothschild 2018 was third on the list, its last trade price 10.3% below its international release price of £5,112 per 12×75.
Château Mouton Rothschild 2018 trades on Liv-ex
However, the recently-released Sassicaia 2021 topped the league tables. The wine was released in the UK on the 8th of February at £2,500 per case and was rated 100 points by the Wine Advocate’s Monica Larner.
Looking at the most-traded wines by volume, the list was more varied with representation from Bordeaux, Piedmont, Burgundy and Spain.
The 2021 vintage in Bordeaux has been in the spotlight recently as critics including Neal Martin have been releasing their in-bottle scores.
Château Lynch-Bages 2021 was the third-most traded wine by volume this week, its last trade price of £870 per case 17.9% down on its release price. The wine was scored 94-96 points in barrel by Neal Martin (Vinous) and rescored 94 points in bottle.
Spain was represented by Torre Muga 2019 from Rioja, which was scored 95+ points from The Wine Advocate’s Luis Guttierez.
La Place’s March releases campaign is now underway, with Poggio Antico, Brunello di Montalcino 2019 released internationally at £498 per 12×75. Upcoming releases include Ornellaia 2021, Promontory 2019, Château d’Yquem 2021 and Ao Yun 2020. Liv-ex members will receive pricing analysis of the campaign’s major releases over the coming weeks.
Weekly insights recap
This week, Liv-ex released a Market Update covering Neal Martin’s top Bordeaux 2021 in-bottle scores.
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.
