2015 Was a Very Good Year For Bordeaux, Prices Explode to the Upside

I remember when the 2005 vintage came out and was praised as the best since 1982, possibly the best ever. Then the 2009-2010 vintages topped that and everyone thought Bordeaux wine, of the first growth category, would continue to surge forever, until it didn’t. The years after 2010 were ruinous for asshole wine brokers, people who buy and sell large quantities of wine futures and never take delivery of the damned thing.

But 2015 promises to, perhaps, match the glory days of 2005, 2009 and 2010, thanks to perfect weather, a very hot June and July followed by a rainy August.

Bordeaux first-growth wine estates on the left bank of the Gironde announced prices 60 percent higher this week for their critically acclaimed 2015 wines as the pace of increases accelerated across the region, according to Liv-ex data.

Chateau Margaux in the Margaux appellation and Chateau Mouton Rothschild in Pauillac both priced their 2015 wine at 384 euros ($433) a bottle, up 60 percent from the previous year, according to the London-based Liv-ex market. Chateau Haut Brion in Pessac Leognan, on the southern edge of the city, pushed its 2015 price up 60.4 percent to 385 euros, while Chateau La Mission Haut Brion, under the same ownership, more than doubled in price to 300 euros.

Gains in top-classed estates exceed those of more than 40 percent for many leading growers the previous week, advances of 32 percent in early June for other classed growths in the region and price boosts of 19 percent for those selling in late May. The release of the 2015 wines has drawn selective demand for the higher-rated estates from collectors while also sparking interest in cheaper, older vintages in the secondary market.

“It was an active week for Bordeaux, with the region’s market share by value rising above 85 percent for the first time since December,” Liv-ex said in its blog.

“Buyers seeking value away from the new vintage frequently opted for the 2012, which accounted for almost a third of all Bordeaux trade.”

If you’ve never had a Chateau Margaux, Latour (the Chinese are crazy for this shit) or Rothschild, you should do so at least once in your lifetime. There is a discernible difference in the quality of the utter shit you buy at Trader Joe’s and a first growth from the left bank.