A few relatively insignificant prices (Sarget de Gruaud Larose anyone?) of the new Bordeaux vintage (see my tasting notes on purple pages) had been announced by the third week of April with little signs of the sort of substantial decreases that would make them an attractive potential investment.
Christian Moueix of J P Moueix has, as has often been the case, taken an entirely reasonable lead by announcing prices for his 2001s that represent reductions of between three and eight per cent on his 2000 prices. This is not perhaps quite as high a reduction as we are hoping for from proprietors on the left bank (with the noble exception of Anthony Barton of Ch Léoville Barton who is certainly allowed to ask more for his 2001s than his relatively underpriced 2000s). But then Moueix has an admirable recent track record: their exceptional 1998s were priced identically to the overpriced 1997s; prices went down for the 1999s and, most unusually, stayed there for the 2000s.
While I wouldn't go quite as far as Moueix's UK importer, Adam Brett-Smith of Corney & Barrow, who calls this 2001 pricing policy 'inspired and heart-warming and a compelling illustration of Christian's role as a standard bearer of inspired pricing', I do admire Moueix's moderation, both in pricing and winemaking style. The Ch Latour à Pomerol offered by C&B at £283 a case in bond looks a particularly attractive buy to me.
If you want to keep tabs on opening prices for Bordeaux 2001s as they emerge over the next few weeks (most of them probably in the lee of the crucial issue of Robert Parker's Wine Advocate), you could do a lot worse than log on to www.farr-vintners.com, the web site of this important London-based fine wine trader. At this time of year they keep it regularly updated with the latest news from Bordeaux.
