Recent trading activity
Château Angélus 2014 was among the top traded wines in the beginning of the week, having last changed hands at £2,654 per case, up 56.1% on its release price. The 2014 remains one of the best-value vintage opportunities on the market today, along with the estate’s 2016 and 2019 vintages. Other Bordeaux trades included Château L’Evangile 2015 and Château Margaux 2005.
Opus One 2019 led trade for the USA. Its 2014 vintage has been the most traded Californian wine by volume so far this year.
Neal Martin reviews Burgundy 2018 in bottle
Following his ‘Burgfest’ report for Vinous, Neal Martin’s highest scoring 2018 Burgundies have enjoyed increased secondary market demand.
Although the Burgundy 150 declined 0.9% in November, six Burgundies from the 2018 vintage – several of them highly rated by Martin – rose in value by 9.0% or more.
Demand for 2018 Burgundy was already high, with the vintage being the second-most traded by both value and volume this year (after the 2019s).
Following their new scores, wines including Domaine des Lambrays, Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru (97-points) hit new trading records, or saw increased trade by volume – such as Clos de Tart Grand Cru (98-points).
Clos des Lambrays 2018 trades on Liv-ex
The best-performing 2018 Burgundies in November can be seen in the table below. As well as the Clos des Lambrays and Clos de Tart, Martin rated the Domaine Armand Rousseau Chambertin 98-points, the Chambertin-Clos de Bèze 96+ points, Trapet Chambertin 98-points, and the Domaine Comtes Georges de Vogüé, Bonnes Mares 90-points.
The Mid-Price is the mid-point between the highest live bid and lowest live offer on the market. These are the firm commitments to buy and sell at that price; transactional data rather than list prices. It represents the actual trading activity of 600 of the world’s leading fine wine merchants. Because Liv-ex does not itself trade, this data is truly independent and reliable. Prices given are for 12x75cl trades, or 6x75cl converted to a 12x75cl price.
Overall, Martin ‘found more positives than anticipated’ during his in-bottle blind tasting, which was reflected in his scores. He noted that ‘2018 does not strictly adhere to the hierarchy that presupposes Grand Cru > Premier Cru > Village Cru’ yet the ‘high-fliers cluster among the Grand Cru’.
The vintage ‘was the first in the trio of unseasonably hot vintages,’ presenting ‘the steepest learning curve for vine and vigneron’.
At the time of the release of the 2018 vintage, the Burgundy 150 was the worst performing Liv-ex 1000 sub-index. So far this year, however, Burgundy prices have risen more than any other region, up 27.4% year-to-date.
For Martin, ‘such is the escalation of market prices that recommending a Burgundy vintage is a moot point’ (see the price increase for the 90-point Bonnes Mares). The best-performing 2018 wines included in the index have risen up to 50% in value year-to-date.
There are currently over 930 LIVE Burgundy 2018 opportunities on your exchange.
Burgundy 2018 opportunities
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 600 merchant members from across the globe. Together they represent the largest pool of liquidity in the world – currently £80m of bids and offers across 16,000 wines.
