Bordeaux 2013: Calon, Cantemerle and Canon

Calon-Ségur, Cantemerle, Haut Bailly, Canon and Doisy-Daëne were the big names out this morning representing the Left Bank, Right Bank and Sauternes.

Pessac-Léognan estate Haut Bailly (above) dropped 6% on its 2012 price (€42 per bottle) to €39.60 p/b ex-négociant, which was also the price of its 2008.

Liv-ex was quick to point out however that at £440 a case, it was more expensive than the 2012 (£425), 2007 (£370), 2006 (£420) and 2004 (£420).

Fellow Left Bank properties, Lagrange Saint Julien, released with a 5% drop to €22.80 p/b while Cantemerle in Haut-Médoc also dropped 5% to €16.90 p/b.

The other big release on the Left Bank today was Calon-Ségur, the Saint-Estèphe estate dipped just 3% (like last year) to €37.30 p/b. It was listed in Liv-ex’s potential best value wines of the vintage and is broadly considered one of the better wines in 2013.

Will it succeed at that price though? It is cheaper than Haut Bailly, Beychevelle and Smith Haut Lafitte – just – and much cheaper than Pichon-Baron, Cos d’Estournel, Montrose or Lynch Bages.

Under £500 a case and one of the stars of the vintage, maybe it will? Not as an impulse buy but as one of the more appealing wines when everything else is taken into consideration.

Over on the Right Bank, Saint Emilion estate Canon offered a 10% dip and released at €33 p/b.

In Barsac, Doisy-Daëne didn’t drop at all on last year’s price – it also being one of the few estates in Sauternes to make any wine in 2012 – and released at €26.40 p/b.

Unlike château in other appellations however, merchants are less likely to begrudge a lack of price cuts in Sauternes due to: the strength of the white wines this year and the fact that over the years pricing has remained rather more consistent than elsewhere in Bordeaux and the appellation is seen as still offering good value for money.

Indeed, Lafaurie Peyraguey, a first growth Sauternes, released with a 42% increase in price ex-négoce although that took it to €35 p/b.

Yesterday’s releases included Cos d’Estournel at just over €80 p/b (“little incentive” commented Liv-ex), while there are rumours that a first growth may still release this week.