New ex-cellar stocks of Château Latour 2005 have joined the wave of September fine wine releases via the Place de Bordeaux.
Latour 2005 is regarded as one of the best wines from a five-star Bordeaux vintage.
Earlier this year, a spokesperson for the first growth told Decanter magazine’s Market Watch that very small quantities would be released in September and that this would mark ‘the last commercial release of this wine’.
Matthew O’Connell, head of investment at Bordeaux Index, said the new ex-cellar stock was priced at around £8,900 ($12,269) per 12-bottle case in bond. Farr Vintners was selling the wine for £9,000 per case, while Fine & Rare was offering three-bottle cases for £2,220.
It’s common for ex-cellar releases to command a premium versus existing stocks on the market.
O’Connell said of the Latour 2005 release, ‘While we think that 2005 Latour is underpriced in the market…the release reflects an ex-château premium towards the higher end of what we might expect to see for this age of wine.
‘There will be UK buyers but perhaps the appetite will be highest in Asia and the US where there is less immediate access to previously released Latour 2005 in pristine condition.’
Its release also comes as Bordeaux in general enjoys a resurgence on the fine wine market, with rising prices for first growth wines, in particular.
Coming this week: Full report with tasting notes on the September releases
September is now a busy period for releases via the Place de Bordeaux, although predominantly for non-Bordeaux wines.
Big names that have released so far include Opus One 2018 and Inglenook Rubicon 2018, Seña 2019, Nicolás Catena Zapata 2018 and Clos Apalta 2018 – with more to follow.
Beyond the Place, Dom Pérignon 2012 has also been released in Champagne this week.
Champagne has been an area to watch on the fine wine market in the past couple of years, driven by strong demand for 2008 and 2012-vintage releases in particular.
Dom Pérignon was released at £1,320 per 12-bottle case in bond, according to Liv-ex, which said the wine looked ‘good value versus back vintages’.