Bordeaux 2022 releases: Château Cantemerle and the return of Guiraud

The slow trickle of releases in the first week of Bordeaux en primeur campaign continues today, with the release of Château Cantemerle in the Haut Medoc and Château Guiraud in Sauternes, following Château Coutet yesterday.

Château Cantemerle 2022 has been released at €20.75 per bottle ex-négociant – a rise of 15.3% on last year’s opening price of €18 per bottle – although this is likely to be the result of a 50% fall in production on last year’s previous vintage. It is being offered to the international trade for £266 per case of 12, a premium of around 23.1% on last year’s release price. Although scores are not yet in from our own Bordeaux correspondent Colin Hay, or Neal Martin, James Suckling gave it a barrel range of 93-94 points. However, Liv-ex noted that  buyers looking for value could consider the 2019 vintage, which received a score of 94 – higher than those in both 2020 and 2021 – but which currently has a market price of £190 per dozen, nearly a third (28.6%) less than today’s release, according to Liv-ex’s data.

Sauternes and Barsac

Château Guiraud, one of the largest estates in Sauternes and one of only two Premier Cru Classé in the village itself, also released the 2022 vintage this morning at €38.50 per bottle ex-négociant. It has an RRP of €46.50 per bottle, equivalent to around £485 per case of 12 bottles. This marks a welcome return of the estate after last year’s disastrous vintage, in which no Guiraud was released due to the combination of horrendous climatic challenges and pestilence that dogged this corner of Bordeaux. 2018 had also seen no wine from the chateaux – which is perhaps why the new release comes at a significantly higher price than in earlier years. The 2016, for example, is around 38% cheaper than today’s release, and comes with a slightly higher score, of 95 points from Neal Martin (Vinous), Liv-ex said, compared to the 94-95 points from James Suckling, who called it ‘a refined and pretty Sauternes’ with an ‘intense finish at the end’.

Meanwhile, Château Coutet in Barsac was also released yesterday, at €28.20 per bottle ex-négociant, down 9.6% from 2021’s opening price.