Ten rising stars as predicted by the trade

Which producers will see the largest gain in brand recognition in the next two years? As part of our recent Bordeaux Market Study, we asked Wine Lister’s Founding Members – c.50 key members of the trade from the world’s largest merchants, top international wine auctioneers and several high-end retailers, together representing well over one third of global fine wine revenues.

While Burgundy achieved the largest number of producers mentioned at least once (50), all 10 of the most-cited producers hail from Bordeaux.

With the en primeur campaign finally in full swing, below are Bordeaux’s biggest rising stars: the region’s top 10 brands expected by Wine Lister Founding Members to see increased recognition in the next two years.

Château Canon received the highest number of votes for the brand likely to see most increased brand recognition over the coming two years, and is therefore the number one rising star in this year’s Bordeaux Study. Canon also achieves the joint-highest confidence rating from the trade (see last week’s blog for details), and appears in the top 10 wines for price performance after en primeur release .

In a show of strength by owner Chanel, another of its properties, Rauzan-Ségla, receives the second-highest number of votes, alongside Les Carmes Haut-Brion.

Haut-Batailley, recently acquired by the Cazes family – and having released no wine in 2016 – is seen as a brand with a bright future (and the new owners clearly think so too – it was released at a very ambitious price of £43 at the end of April).

Other Bordeaux wines voted likely to see the largest gains in brand recognition over the next two years are: Brane-Cantenac, Pavie, Calon SégurFigeac, Lafleur, and Pichon Comtesse.

Visit Wine Lister’s Analysis page to read the full report (available in both English and French). Go to p.24 to see how many votes each of the above wines received.


Burgundy tomorrow – trends according to the trade

Our Burgundian blog series continues, bringing you new snippets from our recently published Burgundy market study. Included in the study are findings from a survey answered by Wine Lister’s Founding Members – 52 CEOs, MDs and department heads from companies representing over one third of global fine wine revenues.

The most-cited trend was one that we have already explored in our latest blog on Burgundy price performance, namely untrammelled price increases. However our panel of merchants, retailers and auction houses also identified trends such as new styles of winemaking, as well as pinpointing some of the region’s rising stars.

The new generation of Burgundian winemaker seems as committed to quality as ever, while maintaining a more open outlook than their predecessors. This often means a strong focus on terroir transparency and a light touch in the cellar.

According to the trade, many Burgundy winemakers of today seek lower extraction levels , less sulphur, and less oak influence, concentrating on purity of fruit, sometimes by means of whole bunch fermentation.

Buying trends on the consumer side match this freedom of expression, with merchants citing the lesser-known villages, such as Saint-Aubin and Fixin, as up and coming.

This being said, our Founding Members’ consensus on the new domaines to watch for quality and acclaim remained very much among Burgundy’s upper crust, with the likes of Comte Liger-Belair, Vougeraie and Roulot.

You can read about more trends in the full Burgundy market study by subscribing here. Alternatively, a preview of the first 15 pages is available here.