Château Lafleur 2022 was released en primeur this morning (19 May) at €610 ex-négociant, up 8.9% on the debut price of the 2021 vintage in last year’s campaign, according to Liv-ex, which quoted a recommended onward selling price in the UK of £7,440 per case (12x75cl in bond).
There has been an early trend for price rises on Bordeaux 2022 en primeur releases, partly reflecting the higher quality of the wines versus the 2021 vintage, although the scale of price increases has varied significantly so far – and market context is also key.
Analyst group Wine Lister said of Lafleur 2022, ‘As ever, this will be one of the best buys of the campaign, for those lucky enough to get their hands on it.’
UK merchant Justerini & Brooks was offering three-bottle cases of Lafleur 2022 for £1,860, alongside other releases from the Guinaudeau family portfolio.
Decanter’s Georgie Hindle rated Lafleur 2022 at 98 (98-100) points, placing it among the best vintages of recent years at this early stage of its evolution.
‘A sublime wine from Lafleur in 2022 that delivers a vibrant, electric and incredibly charming wine with subtle power,’ she wrote in her en primeur tasting note on the still-in-barrel wine – a blend of 51% Cabernet Franc and 49% Merlot.
Bordeaux 2022: Our en primeur verdict and top-scoring wines
High buyer demand for the relatively limited amount of Lafleur available means that this top Pomerol name has developed a strong reputation for price rises following en primeur release.
Liv-ex said, ‘In the release, it was noted that the Château’s aim is to be transparent and give the market confidence with a stable pricing model. As such, the release is one of the best value wines on the market today.’
Lister said, ‘The latest release enters the market comfortably below all vintages going back to 2014, and notably, 23% and 52% below current market prices of the 2021 and 2020 vintages.’
Alongside Lafleur, Justerini & Brooks was also offering the estate’s second wine, ‘Les Pensées’, en primeur at £411 per three-bottle case. Hindle rated Les Pensées de Lafleur 2022 at 96 points.
Lafleur tops chart for post-release performance
Château Lafleur was named as the top performer in terms of average price rises in the immediate years following en primeur release in Wine Lister’s recent Bordeaux study.
The group analysed release prices and current market prices across five vintages, from 2017 to 2021, prior to this year’s en primeur campaign.
Lafleur showed the highest average returns. The next four, best-performing wines were: Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Carruades de Lafite, Beychevelle, and Lafite Rothschild.
There is a long way to go for Bordeaux’s top wines from these vintages, of course, and each estate has its own market context and strategy.