En primeurs 2018 enter an undecided market

Apr 9, 2019 | Business, Fine Wine

It was En Primeurs 2018 last week in Bordeaux and we were present to “taste the w(ine)ater”.

As always, the feeling to be in Bordeaux, wandering around Châteaux and tasting amazing wine is very pleasant and exciting, mostly when the event holds the en primeurs 2018 campaign.

But, contrary to some old en primeurs campaigns, this year the market is far from its peak and the current situation is the result of several circumstances.

First of all, Brexit and a depressed Chinese market made the 2018s anything but a sure market. In addition to this, 2018 was a complicated year concerning weather conditions. A very wet spring and its mildew affected a lot of properties causing the loss of berries and also loss of quality. Besides this, the very hot and dry summer months made the berries over ripe, meaning lots of sugar and alchol percentage.

Effects of this mix of uncertainties is an undecided market which shows a very good vintage in some occasions and a bit less good than expected in some others. A number of wines showed especially well in tasting as, for example, Château Haut-Brion, Château Leoville Las Cases, Château Cos d’Estournel etc.

At the moment, regarding a market point of view, for the 2018 vintage, buyers should focus on some wineries more than others and keep on finding the 2015 and 2016 vintage very appealing for both price and quality.