Haut-Brion ’89 leads year’s trading

The 1989 vintage of first growth Haut-Brion is the leading wine traded by value on the Liv-ex Exchange so far this year.

Having recently revealed the most-searched for wines on its platform, Liv-ex has now revealed which individual wines have seen the most trade by value in 2018.

The majority of the labels are Bordeaux as one might expect and a good deal come from the 2015 vintage, again unsurprising as the wines became physical earlier this year which often leads to flurries of activity.

Haut-Brion’s 1989 has been flying high for some time now. A recipient of a 100-point score from Robert Parker who called it, “one of the greatest young Bordeaux wines of the last half-century”, with supplies diminishing as it nears 30 years old its prices are rising. Recently a case traded for £25,000, a new all-time high.

The next two wines are also first growths; Lafite and Margaux and both from the 2015 vintage. The Margaux in particular is enjoying a storming run.

Broadly considered the best wine of the vintage and released in a special commemorative bottle to mark its bicentenary and the death of technical director Paul Pontallier, the wine has effectively doubled in price since becoming physical rising from £6,600 to £12,950.

Three other wines from the 2015 vintage were also featured; Haut-Brion and two second labels: Petit Mouton and Carruades de Lafite.

Other Bordeaux wines featured are Lafite’s 2009 and 1998 Cheval Blanc, which was recently given 100-points by Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW (having been promoted by Parker to 100-points last year too) and subsequently traded at a new high of £6,120.

The only two best-traded labels not from Bordeaux are two Champagnes: 2008 Cristal and 2009 Dom Pérignon.