The London fine-wine trading platform Liv-ex polls its members, 'more than 285 of the world’s biggest buyers and sellers of fine wine', every year about the latest Bordeaux vintage to be offered en primeur.
You can read a summary of the results of their findings on Bordeaux 2009 by cilcking here.
These were the key findings:
• Latour is the wine of the vintage.
• Calon-Ségur is reckoned best value (although of course no one knows what the price will be!)
• Cos d’Estournel was the most disappointing wine.
• The vintage was scored 96 (out of 100) on average.
• Release prices were expected to be up 120% on 2008 and 6% on 2005 in euros.
It's worth remembering, however, that the Liv-ex members were polled before Robert Parker pronounced on the vintage. Now that he has raved about it (though, unlike the Liv-ex members, rates it below 2005), prices may of course be even higher than the Liv-ex members predict.
The Liv-ex members are clearly more traditionalist than Parker. They rated Pavie and Cos as the two most disappointing wines of the vintage, and objected to the high alcohol levels of some of the wines.
It would be sensible, I suppose, for those wishing to buy 2009s to drink to draw up their wish lists, identifying those wines likely to offer best value, and fix a firm maximum price they are prepared to pay.
But whoever said buying en primeur was sensible?