Bordeaux 2013: Buying En Primeur
As with last year, I have included some words below on the wisdom of buying en primeur. The intention is really to guide and protect newcomers to the system. Nevertheless, in a vintage such as 2013, the point of buying en primeur seems very questionable. I do not believe any of the wines will be worth the early expenditure. I anticipate the release prices, perhaps influenced by better-than-expected quality (i.e. lean and light rather than undrinkable) and low yields (meaning less bottles to sell), to be over-confident. As such the wisest action in this vintage is undoubtedly to wait it out, and see which wines really perform once they are in bottle. This will remove any doubt about the barrel sample reports, and the prices in two years time will be lower in real terms, and perhaps also lower in absolute terms.
Even if you simply must have some 2013s in the cellar – either you have a vertical collection to maintain, or maybe a birth in the family you wish to commemorate (bear in mind my thoughts on the weak aging ability of these wines if the latter is the case) – there is still no need to buy now; the wines will be available in two years time. All the same, I present this advice for those who wish to go against my own feelings about the wisdom of buying in order to take the plunge.
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