Bordeaux 2022 Primeurs get off to a flying start with increases of 20 to 30%

couple of weeks after En Primeur tasting week in Bordeaux, the first major release of the 2022 vintage sent shock waves around the Place de Bordeaux on May 9. After years of only marginal increases, Château Cheval Blanc changed tack and displayed a price tag of €470 for negociants. According to UK platform Liv-Ex, that’s an increase of 21% on 2021, which came out at €390. After choosing to leave the Saint-Emilion classification system, the former Grand Cru Classé A offered a token of faith in the quality of its 2022 vintage and the resilience of the global economy.

In a letter to marketing companies, its owner, the LVMH group, explained that considering current market prices for the 2015, 2016 and 2019 vintages of Cheval Blanc, raising prices for the 2022 Primeurs was the only option.

After following Cheval Blanc, and Ausone’s exit from the ten-yearly classification, Château Angélus also replicated the position taken by its fellow Right Bank producer by releasing its 2022 vintage on May 9 for €350, which is a 32% increase on the 2021 vintage (released at €265). “The 2022 release is also the most expensive of the last 22 vintages, with the 2016s ranking second highest at €294”, points out Liv-Ex. The Bordeaux Grands Crus are banking on an appetite for the 2022 vintage among affluent consumers around the world. One thing is patently obvious, however – they are on a completely different planet to other Bordeaux wines where stalling consumption of reds has been worsened by spiralling prices.