Corkr Fine Wines

The 2010 Bordeaux harvest has started at Chateau Carbonnieux in Pessac Leognan. Link to article - Decanter.com

As one of only 300 merchants worldwide who are able to trade on Liv-Ex, the Fine Wine Exchange market, also known as the Fine Wine Stock Market, Corkr Fine Wines Ltd are able to offer unparallel information, data and market reports to our clients who purchase Fine Wine for Investment.

With this information at our fingertips we are able to assist in informing our clients what to Buy, when to Buy, when not to Buy and when to Sell.

As a member of Liv-Ex we are also able to source wines not on our website at very competitve prices and in good quantities.

Corkr Fine Wines Ltd has recently sent out 6 monthly valuations for their client base of Investors. All investors made gains which, dependent on the risk level of wines they opted for, saw gains from 5% to 153% in the last year.

Comparative Indices.

FT All Share Average Yield +3.3%
FT 100 Index +6.0%
FT All Share Index +6.9%


We offer three Wine Portfolio's options.

Low Risk;
Wines selected from 3rd, 4th & 5th Growth Wines from Bordeaux 1855 Classification that would be described as Drinking Wines. The portfolio would contain only low risk wines that may see an increase in value over time.

Medium Risk;
Wines selected from 1st, 2nd & 3rd Growth Wines from the Bordeaux 1855 Classification and other notable wines, that would be described as Drinking with Investment value. The portfolio would contain a mixture of wines providing variations of risk level, but without due emphasis on high risk wines.

High Risk;
Wines selected from 1st & 2nd Growth Wines from the Bordeaux 1855 Classification that would all be described as Investment value with the emphasis of maximising returns.

For further information about starting a Wine Portfolio please call us.

Finally what everyone has been waiting for, Lafite Rothschild, has been released at a sensible price of 450 euros ex-chateau, less than you can purchase every other vintage. The 2005 is trading at £10,000 per case. The question is what price will the negociants offer it to the trade and what price can we the trade offer it to our clients ? Having spoken to our negociants they have stated there is no stock being traded, yet. We are expecting stock to be released in miniscule quantities and prices to rise quickly, so if interested, you will need to contact us as soon as possible to ensure Lafite Rothschild at a sensible price.

The first tranche (offering) sold out as soon as it was released. The second tranche which was trading at £870 has now also sold out. Due to supply and demand this wine is increasing rapidly due to expectations that this wine in a few years, will be trading at the same price as Carruades de Lafite, the second wine of Lafite Rothschild, around £2400. Our advice is to purchase some if you can before prices rise again. The wine was rated 94-96* points by Robert Parker and is the greatest ever and as we stated in our report on the vintage.....could quite easily be mistaken for a first growth in a blind tasting. That's how good it is.

This morning we has seen some of the better second wines released, first of all Pagodes de Cos 2009 @ £400 which we tasted and were extremely impressed with and rated 93 points at Chateau Cos D'estournel and
Sarget de Gruaud Larose 2009 @ £130 and a selection from Pessac Leognan. Prices are still showing the trend of being higher than the 2008 and on par or higher than the 2005. Most of our clients seem to be waiting for the top wines of the vintage to come out; Mouton Rothschild, Lafite Rothschild, Margaux, Montrose, Cos D'estournel etc. but are not aware that quantities of these wines are going to be miniscule and the chance to cherry pick wines which was possible with the 2008's is not going to be possible. Negociant allocations are down over 50% on the 2008 vintage and allocations of even the lesser wines from the Rothschild stable like
Duhart Milon 2009 were pathetic. One of our negociants was offered only 60 cases of Duhart Milon 2009 for their customer base of over 1000.
We have orders for over 1200 cases of Duhart Milon 2009!!

This is a vintage that we feel should be drunk as well as bought for investment, so we recommend that you look at purchasing across the board and not just first growths. In this vintage more Chateaux than ever before, have produced their finest vintage ever. Remember that this vintage is likely to go down in history as one of the greatest.


Les Pagodes de Cos 2009, Saint Estephe - £400 per case In Bond
The 2009 Les Pagodes de Cos is also a remarkable offering. Composed of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot, it tips the scales at 14.5% alcohol, and is better than most Cos d’Estournel vintages produced in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. It is a full-bodied, opulently concentrated wine of amazing richness, density, and intensity. As with the grand vin, the harvest began on September 26 and finished on October 10. This wine possesses this vintage’s classic characteristics of enormous power, massive fruit, and extraordinary freshness and precision - largely unprecedented, particularly for Cabernet-based wines in the Medoc. (Tasted once.) - Robert Parker 91-94* points


Sarget de Gruaud Larose 2009, Saint Julien - £130 per case In Bond
The second wine of Gruaud Larose, an excellent example of what Gruaud Larose can produce. Should be accessible for drinking around 3-5 years.


Chateau Latour Martillac Rouge 2009, Pessac Leognan - £200 per case In Bond
The best wine I have ever tasted from this estate, the oak seems to have been subdued, or maybe it is just that the fruit level is kicked up so high that the oak is not noticeable. That is certainly a characteristic of 2009. Dense purple in color, with hints of graphite, cigar box, creme de cassis, and subtle barbecue smoke, the wine is loaded, rich, opulent, medium to full-bodied, and a beautiful model of a wine that makes a few concessions to the modern style of Bordeaux but retains its Graves personality totally intact. It should drink well for 20-25 years. (Tasted two times.)- Robert Parker 90-92+ points


Chateau Latour Martillac Blanc 2009, Pessac Leognan - £220 per case In Bond
This wine remains among the world’s most underrated world-class dry white wines......
Robert Parkers comments about this wine.


Note: scores with (*) mean that Robert Parker is likely to uprate the wine to this score.

Finally we are beginning to see the better known wines released. Last week we had Tronquoy Lalande 2009 at £240 which we recommended having tasted it at Chateau Montrose and today we have had Cantemerle 2009 at £240 and few others. Prices of todays wines are higher than 2008 release prices which was expected, but most are less than you can purchase the 2005, therefore these 2009's are looking good value.

Chateau Cantemerle 2009, Haut Medoc - £240 per case In Bond
This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with the Cabernet dominating, looks to be the best they have ever produced, even eclipsing the 2005. Dense purple in color, with extraordinarily elegant floral notes intermixed with raspberry, black currant, cherry, and spice box, it is medium to full-bodied, not massive, but again, very seamless, with beautiful precision, sweet tannins, and an endearing fleshiness and depth of flavor that are neither heavy nor fatiguing. This wine will be relatively approachable in 3-5 years and drink well for 25-30. (Tasted two times.) - Robert Parker 92-94* points

Chateau Potensac 2009, Haut Medoc - £180 per case In Bond
A sleeper of the vintage, the 2009 is probably the finest Potensac ever made, eclipsing even the stunning 1982. This blend, dominated by both Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, hit 13.9% alcohol, but the pH is a normal 3.58. Dense, rich, and full-bodied with lots of freshness, the wine reveals abundant red and black currant fruit, a distinctive minerality, and a plush, full-bodied mouthfeel. It should drink well for 10-15+ years. (Tasted once.)
Robert Parker 89-91* points

Chateau Sociando Mallet 2009, Haut Medoc - £310 per case In Bond
Ferocious tannins are not unusual for Sociando Mallet, but I was surprised that in a vintage that produced exceptionally tannic, but ripe wines, the Sociando Mallet tannins were atypically austere. Nevertheless, the wine boasts huge concentration along with an inky/purple color, a full-bodied, powerful palate, and a long finish. Excellent purity, density, and minerality are present in this cuvee, and it is capable of lasting 30-40 years. This estate is situated on some of the finest terroir of the Haut-Medoc, near Calon-Segur in St.-Estephe. (Tasted two times.) - Robert Parker 90-92+ points

Chateau Haut Batailley 2009, Pauillac - £275 per case In Bond
Even though Haut-Batailley is usually a finesse-styled Pauillac, the 2009 is somewhat light for the vintage. However, it exhibits lovely, round, berry fruit, a hint of loamy soil, medium body, soft tannins, and a pretty, elegant style. It should drink nicely for 15+ years. (Tasted two times.) - Robert Parker 88-90 points

Note: scores with (*) mean that Robert Parker is likely to uprate the wine to this score.

Our ethics at Corkr Fine Wines are about educating our clients through information and unbiased advice so the client can make a decision before purchasing.

We tell our clients when to buy and when not to buy and advise accordingly depending on their needs.

We look at clients long term with the emphasis on building a relationship and working together. We believe that the client comes first and a sale comes second. When a client trusts your judgement, a sale is forthcoming.

Last week was quiet with no En Primeur releases due to the trade, negociants and Chateaux being camped at Vinexpo in Hong Kong, the largest wine fair in Asia.

It is widely believed that the week after Vinexpo the main Chateaux will start releasing their 2009 En Primeur wines to the trade.

The fair this year has been very popular with record numbers attending it due to the 2009 vintage. Demand from Asia for Bordeaux wines of all vintages has been increasing every year and they are now beginning to purchase a more varied selection of growth wines, not just Lafite Rothschild and its second wine Carruades de Lafite. This is good news for the wine trade as this should push up prices across the board.

Tronquoy Lalande 2009 released, rated by Corkr Fine Wines with 94 points available for £240 a case. Comes from the same stable as Montrose. We tasted this at Chateau Montrose. This is a wine that is very close in quality to Montrose, but without the price tag. Montrose we are expecting to be released 3 to 4 times the price.

Our tasting notes:

"Cool, masses of fruit, plums, blackcurrants, blackberries. Really impressive. Beautifully balanced with fine, silky tannins. Can be drunk early but has the tannins to age gracefully for 10 + years. A wine I have not rated or recommended before, but would definitely of the 2009" - Corkr Fine Wines 94 points.