This week has seen a tranche of new releases from top labels, all of which have been well-received by critics.
Two tranches of Masseto 2015 were released on Tuesday. The first, which accounts for around 80% of the stock, is priced at €345 per bottle ex-negociant. This is 16.9% higher than the opening price of the 2014 (€295) last year. The second has been released at €365 per bottle ex-negociant.
Antonio Galloni is the only critic to have scored the wine so far. Nonetheless, he called it ‘simply extraordinary’ and awarded it 99 points. Liv-ex suggests buyers will find value in the release.
Clos Apalta 2015 – dubbed a ‘monumental wine for Chile’ by James Suckling – has been released at €65 per bottle ex-negociant, up 10.1% on the 2014 release (€59). Suckling gave the wine a perfect 100-point score, which will make it particularly appealing to private collectors and followers of the esteemed critic.
Almaviva 2016 has been released at €87 per bottle ex-negociant, up 11.5% on the 2015 release price (€78). Suckling awarded it 97 points, describing it as ‘fine and elegant’. According to Liv-ex, the 2016 is priced at a similar level to other recent vintages in the market. The 2008 and 2009 offer bottle age at the same price point, while ratings-conscious buyers might alternatively look to the 2015.
Finally, Beaucastel, Hommage J Perrin 2016 has been released at €270 per bottle ex-negociant, up 14.9% on the 2015 release price (€235). Jeb Dunnuck praised it as ‘a heavenly wine that is going to live for 30-50 years’, and awarded it 100 points. The Wine Advocate’s Joe Czerwinski awarded the wine 99+ points.
According to Live-ex, at this opening price, Beaucastel, Hommage J Perrin 2016 is slightly above the price implied by Liv-ex’s fair value methodology, based solely on the Wine Advocate scores. Followers of Jeb Dunnuck may disagree and see the value in collecting a potentially 100-point wine. Had his rating been applied to the chart above, the 2016 would fall below the fair value line, making it an even more attractive vintage for score-conscious buyers.
