The pace of EP releases eased during the week of 24-28 May with just a handful of new wines hitting the market and most of the big names still waiting in the wings. Still, some excellent wines emerged, and we continued to find relative value opportunities through our analytical approach.
"The quieter week gave us a chance to look closely at the very intriguing new releases that included a couple producers in our QPR (Quality Price Ratio) category whose 2020 wines could be among their best ever!” - Olivier Staub, Cult Wines’ Investment Director.
Château Berliquet released its well-reviewed 2020 wine on Tuesday (25 May) at £435 ex-London (12x75cl). Although this marks a rise of roughly 8% versus the 2019 release price, the 2020 looks like one of the best Berliquet wines yet and a good long-term opportunity. Wine Advocate (WA) scored it 94-96 points, its highest ever score, which is evidence of the significant step up in quality under new ownership in 2017 and winemaker Nicolas Audebert.
La Lagune announced its new wine on Wednesday. This QPR category wine was a hit from our EP tastings, displaying pure raspberry and floral aromas leading to a palate with light cassis with subtle toasted notes. “Their 2020 is case study of bold finesse. Confidently refined and happy to take its time,” said Sam Mudie, Cult Wines’ Director of Southeast Asia.
La Lagune’s ex-London RRP came at £324 (12x75cl), which marked an 8% jump from last year’s release. However, this still sits well below our analysis of fair value (as shown below) for this wine, which received a 92-94-point WA score, one of its highest ever. We think this release offers considerable performance potential.
Pricing data from Liv-ex, analysis by Cult Wines Ltd
Péby Faugères was another notable release last week. From our Right Bank Super Second producer category, this is a wine ‘for the hedonists’, according to WA’s Lisa Perrotti-Brown, who awarded it 94-96+ points.
As the calendar flips to June, the next couple weeks should see the pace heat up. We anxiously await the Left Bank First Growth releases as these top terroirs performed very well in 2020.
