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11th July 2011

Despite naive pricing from some Châteaux, the 2010 En-Primeur campaign has been successful in terms of sales however, it's very difficult to compare this year's campaign against last year. If we compare the pure, outright sales, then 2009 wins hands down however, the result was less conclusive when we analysed the like for like sales (per Château). Interestingly, seven Châteaux clearly shaped this year's campaign for us. Those being Lafite, Latour, Mouton, Margaux, Ausone, Pavie, Cheval Blanc.

We also looked at which wines ranked highest in terms of both sales per volume (12x75cl cases) and by total value. Unsurprisingly, and a long time favourite of Z&B, Château Pontet Canet romps home the clear winner as the most sold 2010 Château of the entire campaign. Pontet Canet also, and for the first time, takes the No: 1 spot for total sales value. Château Mouton Rothschild was pipped to the post by just over £1,000.00.

First Growths: It's clearly evident that the first growths will be moving away from releasing their wine to some (if not all) of the négociants in the near future. Instead, preferring to handle sales directly therefore, maximising more profits and selecting which merchants' will be offering their wine. Unfortunately, allocations this year have been brutally slashed (50% being the average) however, and despite robust pricing, the following Châteaux have sold out - Lafite Rothschild, Latour, Haut Brion, Mouton Rothschild. We refused our 2010 Margaux allocation.

Second Growths: Even with discounted prices from the négociants, Pichon Comtesse Lalande was an absolute flop however, their neighbour, Pichon Baron flew out of the door which wasn't a surprise given its high Parker score of 97-99+. Châteaux Cos d'Estournel, Leoville Las Cases, Ducru Beaucaillou and Montrose sold extremely well. The latter two selling completely out however, Leoville Poyferre surpassed them all. In fact, their 2010 was ranked No: 2 behind Pontet Canet in terms of sales per volume. Cos d'Estournel earned the No:3 position. Château Leoville Barton (a beautiful wine in 2010) also sold very well.

Third to Fifth Growths: Unquestionably, Château Palmer produced something special in 2010 however, a price tag of £2,500.00 IB per case was a step too far in our books. Lynch Bages, our fourth biggest selling wine flew out of the door following some incredible scores from the leading critics (95-97 from both Parker and Neal Martin. 98-99 Suckling). Châteaux Calon Segur, Grand Puy Lacoste, Duhart Milon and Beychevelle immediately sold out. Unfortunately, Château Lascombes unsurprisingly failed to sell @ £840.00 IB per case. We purchased 75 cases in 2009 and sold 0 in 2010!

Graves / Pessac Leognan: Château La Mission Haut Brion sold well as did Haut Bailly however, Smith Haut Lafitte 'Rouge' was another miserable failure @ £905.00 IB per case. Domaine de Chevalier 'Rouge' struggled @ £565.00 per case which we think is a shame as their 2010 is particularly good. All-in-all, sales from the entire appellation was poor due to excessive pricing.

Saint Emilion: Put simply, a blooming disaster for the appellation. Again, this was driven by incorrect pricing resulting in some Châteaux not selling at all. Pavie, Angelus and Cheval Blanc amounted to £300,000.00 in sales for us last year. We refused our entire allocations in 2010. We took half our allocation of Château Ausone - this has sold-out. Pavie Macquin got it right with pricing @ £920.00 coupled with a huge Parker score of 96-98+ (the exact same score as Cheval Blanc at close to £10,000.00!)

Pomerol: Pomerol proved far more successful with Vieux Château Certan, La Conseillante and L'Eglise Client selling out immediately. L'Evangile, Clinet and le Gay are almost on the 'sold-out' list however, we do have one case of each available.

Missed Opportunities: Inevitably, some Châteaux got lost in the stampede which is their own fault for waiting too long however, there are few which deserve another mention.

Château Moulin Saint-Georges, a small sister property of Château Ausone. The Vauthier family and winemaker Phillipe Baillarguest are putting as much effort into producing the best Château Moulin Saint-Georges as they are with Château Ausone. Moulin Saint-Georges is produced in the same way. Super-strict fruit selection and the wine is matured in 100% new French barriques from anywhere between 18 to 20 months. This is a truly fabulous property and their wine is world-class in my opinion. Therefore, we are delighted to offer both the 2009 and 2010 vintages @ £295.00 IB per case and £305.00 IB per case respectively.

Château Senejac @ £110.00 IB per case. Senejac is under the control of Alfred Tesseron of Pontet Canet (& Pontet Canet's cellar master). 2010 Senejac is fabulous (in our opinion) and is crafted with the same meticulous care and attention, which is now synonymous with Château Pontet Canet.

d'Armailhac which we can offer @ £375.00 IB per case... d'Armailhac has enjoyed a renaissance over the past few years due to being owned and run by Château Mouton Rothschild however, it still offers good value.

The respected Second Growth, Château Gruaud Larose, which has received some fabulous reviews (Parker "the finest Gruaud Larose since the 2000 and 1990" and a whopping 18.0 from Steven Spurrier) looks a super buy @ £530.00 IB per case

Château Leoville Barton @ £850.00 IB per case.

96-98 Neal Martin
"Tasted at the chateau and twice at the UGC , the Leoville-Barton is a touch more timid than the Langoa at this stage, but it opens up to reveal blackberry, cassis, violets and a touch of cedar, quite Margaux-like in profile. The palate is full-bodied with exquisite purity, insistent grippy tannins, a seamless texture like the Langoa and harmonious towards the long, refined, velvety finish. Gorgeous from head to toe"

97-98 James Suckling
"This is phenomenal, with dark fruits, with cassis and blackberries Full and super silky, with incredible fruit and ripe tannins. It goes on and on. So much depth of fruit here. Barton is on a roll again in this vintage".

And finally, we must thank you all for your continued, loyal support.

Cheers

The Z&B Team...