Latest Wine Investment Market News June 12th 2017

12th June 2017 2009 vintage Dom Pérignon to be released before 2008 How harsh or mild the seasons are throughout the year very much affect the quality of the fruit that is harvested. 2009 was a warm year compared to the cooler 2008 and this has made both vintages differ in the maturity and the time […]

12th June 2017

2009 vintage Dom Pérignon to be released before 2008 How harsh or mild the seasons are throughout the year very much affect the quality of the fruit that is harvested. 2009 was a warm year compared to the cooler 2008 and this has made both vintages differ in the maturity and the time needed for the wine to be ready for released.

Dom Pérignon 2009 would be the first vintage of this prestige cuvée to be released out of chronological sequence. Louise Roederer also released its Cristal 2009 ahead of the 2008.

Due to a warm harvest picked in ideal conditions from September, it gave the 2009 Champagne vintage a fantastically mature fruit, with a viscous and silky texture and salinity.

Since 2003, there had been a series of hot vintages and the experience since then in making the wines had been put to good use in making the 2009 vintage what it is.

Frost hit Bordeaux hard

Frost and wine just do not go hand in hand. This year,

Bordeaux was hit by the worse frost ever and put many growers into a spot with at least 50% loss on harvest. It is reported that there are some farms that had 100% loss on harvest this year due to it.

In the map below, it shows the frost damage in Bordeaux and an estimation of loss to the growers. The scenery this year driving through Bordeaux gives a realisation that is very real of what frost could do. Instead of lush greenery of vineyards, it is now being greeted with barren and wasted stumps of what is left of the crops.

It is estimated that at least 50%-70% of vineyards in Bordeaux have been hit. However, the top names of wines that are prominently in the ‘en primeur’ or ‘futures’ sales campaign comes from the appellations of Pauillac, St. Julien, St. Estèphe, Margaux, Pessac-Léognan and Sauternes located on the Left Bank, and Saint Emilion and Pomerol on the Right Bank. The first 3 appellations are spared from the frost, while the rest are badly hit by it. In the majority of the top 150 chateaux, they were unaffected due to the location of their hallowed ground.

Overall Losses

It is estimated that there will be a drop in production from an average of 540 million litres to around 300 million litres for Bordeaux in 2017. This is a huge contrast to the previous years where harvest was plentiful.

Ready to invest in fine wine?