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3 February 2026Beyond Bordeaux
The 2010 Clarets may be rather good – and much sought-after in Asia – but they are not the only wines to be thinking about this winter
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or lovers of top-class red Bordeaux, these are trying times. Fuelled by a fine wine boom in Asia and stoked by speculators around the world, the leading wines of Pauillac, Margaux and St-Emilion have skyrocketed in price to reach eye-watering levels. A trio of excellent harvests – all subtly different in style – has culminated in the 2010 vintage, yet more superlatives, and even weightier price-tags. Now wines like Château Lafite, which once cost just a few hundred pounds a case, will be priced at about £1,000 for just one bottle.
The 2010 Clarets may be rather good – and much sought-after in Asia – but they are not the only wines to be thinking about this winter
F or lovers of top-class red Bordeaux, these are trying times. Fuelled by a fine wine boom in Asia and stoked by speculators around the world, the leading wines of Pauillac, Margaux and St-Emilion have skyrocketed in price to reach eye-watering levels. A trio of excellent harvests – all subtly different in style – has culminated in the 2010 vintage, yet more superlatives, and even weightier price-tags. Now wines like Château Lafite, which once cost just a few hundred pounds a case, will be priced at about £1,000 for just one bottle.
Wine lovers – or at least those not looking to sweeten a business deal in China or net a swift return on the secondary market – are increasingly turning away from the Médoc in search of vinous gems from elsewhere. And if you want to know where to look for alternatives, who better to ask than some of London’s leading wine merchants?
It’s a view endorsed by Gleave’s rivals, from Ewan Murray at The Wine Society to Joss Fowler at Berry Bros & Rudd. And Oliver Hartley, sales director at Corney & Barrow, who says: ‘The 2010s from the Rhône have that varietal character, they have richness and ripeness, but they’re fresh – the acidity is good, and they’re not so heavy on the head.
‘If you allocate say £500 a case, you can get one of the best Châteauneuf-du-Papes and still struggle to spend that. Or go north to Cornas, Côte-Rôtie or Hermitage and you’ll be getting the equivalent of a Bordeaux 1st or 2nd growth for Cru Bourgeois money.’
Meanwhile, the cliché surrounding Burgundy is that its wines are an unreliable combination of high prices and variable quality. Like most clichés, it has a kernel of truth, but the price hikes in Bordeaux make the best of the Côte d’Or look increasingly competitive in price terms.
‘Some of the greatest wines I’ve ever tasted have come from the northern Rhône,’ says Sam Gleave, of Bordeaux Index. ‘These are wines that can age up to 50 years and, while top Hermitage might be £1,200 a case, compare that to Bordeaux at £5,000-£6,000 and rising.’
A century ago, the wines of the Rhine and Mosel were particularly well regarded, and a stunning 2010 vintage might help propel German Riesling back up the fine wine charts
‘I think Burgundy’s cheap,’ insists Fowler. ‘The 2009s are really nice, approachable and seductive. For £456 in bond, you can buy a 2009 Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale by Mugnier, one of the masters of Burgundy – and that’s £50 a bottle once you’ve paid the VAT. In terms of value and pleasure, that represents more to me than Bordeaux.’
Farr Vintners sales director Mark Ross, on the other hand, also highlights vintages such as 2000 and 2001 – ‘drinking vintages’, he says, ‘and even great years like 1999 and 2002 are now not that expensive’.
A century ago, Lafite and Latour weren’t top of every connoisseur’s wish list – that honour was reserved for the wines of the Rhine and Mosel. Times have changed, but a stunning 2010 vintage might help propel German Riesling back up the fine wine charts, Hartley believes.
Fresh from a tasting trip, Hartley is, in his own words, ‘absolutely bubbling’ about the wines of JJ Prum. ‘The 2010s might be better even than the legendary 1990,’ he adds. ‘They’re going to make very old bones indeed and with their high acidity, they’ll go beautifully with Asian cuisine.’
But if, after all, you simply have to have Claret, then the answer may be to go back in time. ‘With the high prices of recent years, it does make older vintages look a lot more attractive and affordable – 1996s and 2000s that were traditionally viewed as expensive don’t look so bad now,’ says Ross.
And Fowler agrees: ‘It’s only when you have the pleasure of fully mature Bordeaux that this stuff really becomes genuinely interesting. In terms of buying now for drinking, I think looking back is the smart thing to do. They’re flawless wines and look good value compared to their younger counterparts.’
Words: Staff
The Merchants' Top Ten
Sam Gleave, Bordeaux Index:2001 Hermitage Rouge, J-L Chave (£1,300/case duty paid)
2007 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Charvin (£550/case in bond) Ewan Murray, The Wine Society:
2000 Hermitage La Chapelle, Paul Jaboulet Aîné (£720/case duty paid)
1998 Château Langoa Barton, St-Julien (£540/case duty paid) Joss Fowler, Berry Bros & Rudd:
2009 Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale, JF Mugnier (£456/case in bond)
2000 Château Lynch-Bages, Pauillac (£2,160/case in bond) Oliver Hartley, Corney & Barrow:
2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Spéciale, Michel Tardieu (released in next few months, price not yet available)
2010 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel Joh Jos Prum (available from end September, likely to be c.£500/case) Mark Ross, Farr Vintners:
2009 Puligny-Montrachet, Sous le Puits, Verget (£275/case in bond)
2009 Vosne-Romanée, Domaine d’Eugenie (£390/case in bond; delivery due in late 2011)