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Bordeaux 2012: Bartons and Comtesse
Bordeaux en primeur releases continued this morning with Léoville and Langoa Barton and Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande – but the cuts are still minimal.
Having mirrored its Pauillac neighbour, Pichon Baron, in price for a number of years, this time Pichon Comtesse took a 20% cut from €72 per bottle ex-négociant to €57.60 p/b.
More generous than Baron’s 10% cut yesterday but still nearly 50% above the 2008 price of €39.
Smaller cuts were in evidence from the Barton’s Saint Julien stable, with third growth Langoa dropping 4% from €31.20 p/b to €30 p/b and second growth Léoville Barton dropping just 2% from €45 to €44 – still 63% up on its 2008 release price (€27).
Out a little later yesterday was Saint-Emilion estate Clos Fourtet, dropping 10% from €50 p/b to €45 p/b, with a market price of £490 a case according to Liv-ex, it is more expensive than the 2008, 2007, 2006, 2004 and 2002 – it may have a good score from critic Robert Parker (93-95 points) but that seems unlikely to inspire buyers this campaign.
Similarly, for the Barton estates such meagre drops are unlikely to generate much interest – particularly Langoa which received a relatively disappointing 86-88 points from Parker and at £335 a case is some way above vintages such as 2006, 2004 and 2008.
In all, too many châteaux still appear to be ambitious in their pricing hopes for this campaign.