Bordeaux 2010 primeur prices - final thoughts

[greatbxfreak]

Just looking at prices from two wine merchants in Denmark and I'm feeling very sad. How did it gone that far?

Cheval Blanc 2010 100% up on 2005

Lafite and Latour 2010 10 times more expensive than their respective 2008

L'Eglise Clinet 2010 400 Euro and a chateau owner who acts very strange when asked for a rendez-vous.

And I could countinue. I know however that Ausone, Lafleur, Le Pin and Petrus came out extremely high and in minisculous quantities.

I've been visiting Bx since 1984 and I miss the low prices during 90s

I decided to buy ZERO 2010 Bx mostly because of ridiculous prices. But I also have more than 700 bottles in my cellar and I'm in mid-sixties.

Has Bordeaux become the prisoner of its own success, have the suits/banks taken over price setting, does anybody care about world economy?

In 2001 I could buy FG for 1/6 of what a computer with monitor would costs. In 2011 I can buy two good computers for the price of Lafite/Latour.

If 2011 turns to be a very good vintage, then I think the bubble will burst, very heavily indeed, if Bx charges same price for it as for 2010.

[William P]

I gave up predicting the economics of wine long ago. I personally feel that the industry has gone nuts but it seems they can charge whatever they want and still there will be an infinite supply of buyers. All I know is, I've been priced out of the game in Bordeaux and much of Burgundy.

[Houndsong]

Well, whatever's been bought, whatever's been sold, whatever's been optioned and whatever's been held back, it can't all have been for cash. And brothers, that chicken looks about to come home to roost again soon.

[DavidG]

Cluck, cluck...

Is the sky falling?

[Houndsong]

Ask Italy.

[Comte Flaneur]

It is very sad Isaac

I have a theory as to why this is happening, and it is because all the income gains, wealth and power is being concentrated among rich elites, many of whom are criminal oligarchs. That is why sales of luxury cars are going through the roof, while sales of ordinary cars are flagging. Bordeaux has become one of the ultimate status symbols amongst the criminal/oligarchy/glitterati classes (after Picassos)...it has been exacerbated by 'quantitative easing' (aka bailing out those who behaved recklessly and irresponsibly and screw those who saved religiously and behaved responsibly...and we are about to get Qe3) and the Bordealais have figured this out early. I don't think you can blame Parker anymore because he has become a sideshow; (his taste buds were shot ten years ago so his 90-something ratings mean buggerall). But it is the stuff of revolutions. Meanwhile there are still Bordeaux bargains out there, we just have to lower our sights, or be savvy by buying unfashionable vintages at auction.