Parker re-rates Top Bordeaux 2009

2012-03-04

Around 9am on Friday 2nd March 2012 my inbox lit up with wave after wave of 2009 Bordeaux offers from wine merchants. (Congratulations to Flint Wines for refreshingly focusing on an up-and-coming Burgundian grower.) In the weeks leading up to last Friday, merchants had taken the opportunity to inform private customers that RP's new scores were imminent, and that now was a good time to pick over market prices, many of which had fallen from their release price and 2011 highs.

I'd already done all my 2009 'business' during 2010/11 so stood by and watched. Parker duly came out with his new 2009 scores and a glowing recommendation - like 1982 (on which he made his reputation) but better thanks to advances in wine making, a return to traditional vineyard husbandry, and greater de-classification of parcels into second and third wines (in fairness common arguments trotted out regularly by the regisseurs and chateau owners in Bordeaux). What surprised everyone was how many high points he awarded his favourite wines - 18 wines getting 100 points; in comparison to just 6 wines in each of the two great vintages of 2000 and 1982.

Here are the final 100 pointers thanks to Ditton Wine Traders

wine	bottle	barrel
Beausejour Duffau Lagarosse	100	96-98
Bellevue Mondot	100	95-100
Clinet	100	97-100
Clos Fourtet	100	95-98
Cos d'Estournel	100	98-100
Ducru Beaucaillou	100	96-98
L'Evangile	100	96-100
Haut Brion	100	96-100
La Mission Haut Brion	100	98-100
La Mondotte	100	95-98
Latour	100	98-100
Le Pin	100	95-98
Leoville Poyferre	100	97-100
Montrose	100	96-100
Pavie	100	96-100
Petrus	100	96-100
Pontet Canet	100	97-100
Smith Haut Lafitte	100	96-98

And Friday's price increases vs the previous day's prices ranked from high to low

Wine	prior	after	% change
Beausejour Duffau Lagarosse	£1,000	£2,400	140%
Clos Fourtet	£750	£1,800	140%
Smith Haut Lafitte	£680	£1,600	135%
Clinet	£1,500	£2,200	47%
Le Pin	£18,000	£25,000	39%
Montrose	£1,900	£2,550	34%
Leoville Poyferre	£1,350	£1,800	33%
Pontet Canet	£1,350	£1,800	33%
L'Evangile	£2,300	£2,750	20%
La Mondotte	£2,550	£3,000	18%
Petrus	£25,000	£29,000	16%
Cos d'Estournel	£2,800	£3,200	14%
Pavie	£2,200	£2,500	14%
Ducru Beaucaillou	£2,000	£2,200	10%
Haut Brion	£7,400	£8,000	8%
Bellevue Mondotte	£2,550	£2,750	8%
La Mission Haut Brion	£5,600	£6,000	7%
Latour	£11,700	£11,800	1%