Cristal top wine traded on Liv-ex in 2018

The 2008 vintage of Louis Roederer’s top cuvée Cristal was the top wine label traded by value on the Liv-ex Exchange this year.

Although Bordeaux labels (predominantly Lafite) counted for seven of the top 10 most traded, the top two were Cristal followed by the highly rated 2015 vintage from Super Tuscan Sassicaia, while the 2009 vintage of Dom Pérignon was the sixth most traded.

In third place was 2015 Margaux, which has been steadily climbing in price since its release en primeur buoyed by both its status as the wine of that particular vintage but also the commemorative bottle it comes in.

Also steaming along happily in fourth place is Haut-Brion’s 1989 which has been going gangbusters this year, leading trade and searches on various platforms thanks to its 100 Parker points and reputation as one of the great clarets of recent times.

With the exception of Dom Pérignon in sixth place, fifth to ninth is all Lafite, featuring (in descending order) the 2009, 2015, 2014 and 2005 vintages, which covers a mixture of some of the first growth’s big hits (09, 15 and 05) as well as the pretty highly rated but slightly more ‘affordable’ off vintage in the form of 2014.

Finally, Latour’s 1996 was the tenth most traded this year, again much like the 89 Haut-Brion this is a highly rated and desirable first growth from a great vintage that is likely becoming harder to find.

With the Pauillac estate having withdrawn from en primeur and ex-cellar releases tending to be a bit hit and miss, it would be no surprise if keen Latour drinkers were on higher than usual alert for back vintages that are in their drinking window.