Haut Brion 2016
Haut Brion 2016 has been released at €420 per bottle ex-negociant, up 9.1% on 2015 (€385). It is being offered by the trade at £4,980 per 12×75. This is 17.2% higher than the offer price of the 2015 (£4,250) in sterling terms. A quarter less Haut Brion is available to merchants compared to last year.
The wine has received strong scores from a number of critics. Both James Suckling and Jean-Marc Quarin awarded it a straight 100-points, with Suckling exclaiming that, “its energy and dynamic nature grabs you by the shoulder and tells you its great”.
Neal Martin, who preferred the 2015, scored it 97-99, though he says the new release is “not far behind”.
Fair value?
As the chart below shows, prices for Haut Brion are very closely correlated with Wine Advocate scores. With a release price of £4,980 today’s release is positioned above the trend line, suggesting that other vintages might offer comparable value. The 2015, in particular, looks interesting.
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Haut Brion Blanc 2016 has also been released. It is being offered by negociants at €600 per bottle, equal to last year.
Clarence Haut Brion 2016
Clarence Haut Brion 2016 also came out today. It has been offered at a punchy €102 per bottle ex-negociant. This is an increase of 20% on last year’s release price of €85. It is expected to be offered by merchants at around £1,200 per 12×75. As with the first wine, 25% less is being made available compared to last year.
At this price, it is pitched well above all other recent vintages currently available on the market. As the chart below shows, prices for the past ten vintages of Clarence Haut Brion all fall between £730 and £970 per 12×75. The price of this new release rises above this considerably.
Neal Martin scored the wine 89-91 points. He commended its freshness but added that he, “would be seeking a little more personality and depth towards the finish”. James Suckling (94-5) was more positive, calling it “minerally and very energetic”.
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