Wine Spectator: La Place de Bordeaux Becomes A Major Player In International Fine Wine

The announcements came from different wine regions on different continents, but the message was the same. Last week, both Favia in Napa Valley and Allegrini in Valpolicella announced that some of their wines would now be sold and distributed around the world not by local merchants but by the French négociants of La Place de Bordeaux.

A remarkable transformation is underway on La Place. Dozens of foreign wines—which is to say, wines not produced in Bordeaux—are now being sold by négociants who work through the Bordeaux marketplace during two annual sales campaigns, one held each September and another in March. These include iconic wines like Bill Harlan’s Promontory from Napa, Jackson Family’s Vérité from Sonoma, Oregon’s Beaux Frères, Champagne Philipponnat’s Clos des Goisses, Will Berliner’s Cloudburst and Jim Barry’s The Armagh Shiraz from Australia, and super Tuscans like Colore from Bibi Graetz, Masseto, and Solaia.

This development, which began cautiously a few years ago, has gained momentum. And it puts Bordeaux at the global crossroads of fine wines. Those involved believe it’s good for winemakers, consumers, and La Place. “It’s a win-win-win situation. Or else it wouldn’t be happening,” Mathieu Chadronnier, president of CVBG, a leading négociant, tells Wine Spectator.

“To be sold by some of the most well-respected négociants opens The Armagh up to more markets around the world and gives it credibility as a great wine,” said Sam Barry, commercial manager for his family’s Aussie wine company. “Australian wine is still underrepresented on the global fine wine stage, so being on La Place is not only a breakthrough for The Armagh, it is a breakthrough for fine Australian wine.”

Chadronnier believes it’s part of a shrinking wine world. “The concentration of knowledge and experience that this enables is quite fascinating—the relationships it creates—and it contributes to making the world of fine wine ‘one.’ [It’s] interesting, exciting, and thought-provoking.” Wine Spectator has the full story.

Tagged : Wine Spectator

GET YOUR FIRST LOOK AT 2021 DATA AND 2022 PROJECTIONS FOR THE WINE AND SPIRITS INDUSTRIES. ORDER YOUR 2022 IMPACT DATABANK REPORTS. CLICK HERE.