Close Menu
News

La Place de Bordeaux: international wines to excite the Chinese market

Following a masterclass in Shanghai showcasing some of the most exciting international wines listed on La Place de Bordeaux, Patrick Schmitt MW takes us through the line-up.

La Place de Bordeaux: international wines to excite the Chinese market

If someone were asked to pick a hot topic for the Chinese wine market, you might be surprised if they decided to select Bordeaux.

While it’s the world’s pre-eminent fine wine region, its draw, particularly in the Far East, has dipped over the past decade, leaving room for other appellations to fill the gap.

Nevertheless, having been asked to address attendees of ProWine Shanghai, it was the topic of Bordeaux that db Asia chose. Not, however, the great châteaux of this famous French region, but the great wine estates from outside Bordeaux, or, to use the French term, Hors Bordeaux. And why talk about them in connection with Bordeaux? Because such properties are increasingly opting to sell through Bordeaux. That means via its distribution system, La Place de Bordeaux.

Importantly, distributing wines to the world through Bordeaux has become popular – so much so that almost every serious high-end wine label is considering Bordeaux’s system of distribution.

We thought it would be interesting to showcase a selection of these wines side by side, drawing comparisons between the great wines of the world, while highlighting the diversity of brands handled by La Place. We set about amassing a range of bottles for a masterclass at ProWine Shanghai, which has been held in the city for 11 years. The list of labels can be seen in the boxout, where you’ll notice that we included a wine from Bordeaux in the line-up, allowing attendees to see how the Hors Bordeaux brands compared with the original: in this case, a Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend from the second-growth stalwart that is Château Pichon-Baron.

Before tasting the wines, I gave a brief rundown on the nature of the distribution system, as well as its history, attractions, and limitations.

Act as intermediary

In terms of how it works, La Place is essentially a tripartite structure, comprising the producer, the trader (called négociant), and the broker (or courtier), who acts as an intermediary between the seller and trader. The reason, in the words of db’s Bordeaux correspondent Colin Hay is that, historically, the aristocracy of the châteaux did not want to deal directly with what was once deemed as the ‘grubby’ négociant.

But it is they who are key in this chain, because the négociants sell the wine throughout the world, which they have done for the producers of Bordeaux for centuries. In 1998, these traders took on their first wine from outside of Bordeaux, when Chile’s Almaviva was distributed by La Place, followed by California’s Opus One in 2004. The reason for the addition of these non-Bordeaux brands stemmed from their close connection with the French wine region – both were joint-venture wineries with Pauillac’s Château Mouton Rothschild, giving them an inside track to the French system.

For that reason, one should trace the real start for Hors Bordeaux trading to 2009, when niche, fine Frescobaldi brand Masseto joined La Place – a Tuscan wine only linked to Bordeaux by its choice of grape variety: it is made with Merlot.

Because the awareness, demand, and therefore price went up markedly for Masseto following its move to this distribution model, other fine wine brand owners were tempted to join La Place, particularly those made from Bordeaux grapes and based in Tuscany, Napa, or South America.

As opposed to a single importer-distributor for each country, the French system of traders has the capacity to bring wine to a wider potential market. Also, being sold via La Place sees labels listed alongside long-established, well-known fine wines, giving rise to a sense among those new to the system that they will grow in fame by association.

Masseto’s success saw La Place de Bordeaux develop markedly to today handle over 100 fine wines from around the world, which are released as physical, bottled products in an autumn campaign. This differs from the châteaux, which are sold in spring, and primarily en primeur, just after the harvest, and therefore before the wines have been bottled, meaning the trade or private buyer pays for them before taking delivery.

La Place: can international wines find success in China?
Masterclass host Patrick Schmitt MW takes us through the wines

But it’s not just Masseto that has caused Hors Bordeaux to expand so significantly – the real growth in the number of labels handled by the system has taken place in the past three to four years, not 15. Rather, the power of the La Place de Bordeaux distribution network was brought into light during the Covid-19 pandemic. La Place offered producers a pool of négociants with access to the restaurant sector but also wine shops, supermarkets or hotels. As they say of négociants, they have capillarity – the capacity to be able to find demand and fulfil it.

Added to this appeal, or pull factor, has also been a push by La Place, with courtiers seeking out producers and encouraging them to come to the distribution network. But, as I warned any fine wine makers who might now be considering the system, it is designed to distribute wines, not build brands. That is still the role of the producer. Furthermore, by going on La Place, you leave yourself open to increased price transparency – which means that the success (or not) of a launch will be quickly detected.

Cabernet is king not just in fine wine terms but also in La Place, and that comes down to one simple fact. As the négociants are generally going to the buyers of Bordeaux – those from hors Bordeaux work best if they are stylistically close to Bordeaux, which is why the bedrock of new brands are made with the grapes of Bordeaux. This is changing, however, as Hors Bordeaux diversifies in line with the wider fine wine market, and négociants broaden their customer base.

And, finally, as for why Masseto opted to list on La Place in the first place, that was explained to me by the Marchese Lamberto Frescobaldi at a dinner in London. Talking about the need to “hold back a bit” of Masseto for customers, as well as tastings, Frescobaldi admitted that it’s “very difficult” to keep stock for a wine that has a level of demand that far outstrips supply.

It was the issue of a shortage of Masseto for the company’s customers that explained the move five years ago to the French system of distribution, which sees the wine disseminated worldwide by a selection of Bordeaux-based négociants, rather than having a single importer/distributor in each market.

Frescobaldi explained: “A lot of our clients didn’t understand why we offered them only three bottles, asking us, have we misbehaved?” referring to the fact that Masseto is so supply-constrained that it sells wine in three-packs – as opposed to the more normal six- or 12-bottle cases.

Indeed, he said, for instance, a restaurant might be so frustrated at not having enough Masseto to meet its requirements, so to convey its dissatisfaction it might stop ordering wines from the Frescobaldi portfolio – with the Super Tuscan formerly sold alongside other brands from this major Italian producer.

“We didn’t know how to manage this,” admitted Lamberto, adding, “We had to move and make Masseto more independent, and that’s why, some years ago, we went to La Place. And, at the end of the day, it was a win-win situation.”

Masseto has extended its global reach, gone up in price significantly, and become distanced from the rest of the Frescobaldi range of wines, which are still distributed via exclusive importers in each country.

La Place: can international wines find success in China?
Chock-a-block: trade visitors flocked to taste the wines on show

Outstanding blend

With that case study considered, it was time to start the tasting of Hors Bordeaux handled by La Place, which began with a Tuscan brand, the outstanding 50/50 blend of Sangiovese and Merlot from the historic Castello di Fonterutoli in Chianti Classico DOCG. Called Siepi, we sampled the latest commercial release from the 2022 harvest, which was the 30th-anniversary vintage – the wine was launched using grapes from the 1992 growing season. Hailing from the southern part of Chianti Classico, the vineyard for Siepi is a six-hectare plot in Castellina, featuring a mix of limestone and clay soils, known locally as alberese. Farmed organically since 2006, Siepi is a Super Tuscan, or, officially a Toscana IGT, because, containing 50% Merlot, it breaks the rules of Chianti Classico, which stipulate a minimum of 80% Sangiovese in the red blend.

Next, we sampled an exciting and novel fine wine, a Chilean red comprising as much as 90% Cabernet Franc – a grape that usually plays a supporting role in great red blends. Hailing from great Colchagua estate Viña Maquis, this expression, called Franco, was first made with grapes from the 2008 vintage at the suggestion of consultant master blender from the Medoc, Éric Boissenot. So impressed was Boissenot by the wines from Cabernet Franc, he encouraged Maquis owner and winemaker Ricardo Hurtado to bottle them separately. The intensely coloured and structured wine was from 2020, and benefits from the site specifics of Maquis – a property located between two rivers that features old, ungrafted Cabernet Franc planted on free-draining gravels over clay.

Having tried a Merlot from Italy, and a Cabernet Franc from Chile, we then moved to Australia to taste a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine was from the great Cabernet region that is Coonawarra – known for its terra rossa, a ‘red earth’ comprising red clay-rich soil overlaying limestone – made by the pioneering producer that is Wynns. Sampled in Shanghai, the brand’s top expression, called John Riddoch, was named after the Scottish man who founded the estate in 1891 (it was later bought by Samuel and David Wynn, explaining the property’s name today). The inaugural vintage of the Wynns’ flagship John Riddoch Cabernet was 1982, and it was the first Australian wine to be distributed on La Place, taking part in the September 2021 campaign.

Partner Content

At this point, we poured the benchmark fine wine that is Château Pichon Baron from Bordeaux. Located in Pauillac, the 2021 vintage combined 87% Cabernet Sauvignon with 13% Merlot to yield a wine of depth and structure, a magnificent balance of fleshy fruit and firm tannin. Despite being a Second Growth, Château Pichon Baron is often considered one of the Super Seconds, a group of seven Second Growths – half the total – that produce wines comparable in quality with the First Growths.

Château Pichon Baron was bought by AXA in 1987, and is today considered one of the world’s greatest and most long-lived Cabernet-dominant blends.

Stunning expression

Back to Chile, and returning to a varietal Cabernet, the following wine was Viña Santa Rita’s Casa Real Reserva Especial, a stunning expression of the grape from the Andean foothills of the Maipo Valley. Almost half the Cabernet hails from ungrafted vines planted in the 1970s and ’80s, with the wine blended – like Viña Maquis – with the expert help of Boissenot. Casa Real launched with a wine from the 1989 harvest, as was first listed on La Place in September 2022 with 2018 vintage.

Staying within South America, we then served another iconic label: Argentina’s Nicolás Catena Zapata from Bodega Catena Zapata – the most awarded producer in the nation. This flagship expression blends Cabernet with Malbec and Cabernet Franc to yield a complex wine with amazing colour, structure and complexity. The wine is named after Nicolás Catena, who is credited with putting Argentinian Malbec and high-altitude viticulture on the global map. The label was listed on La Place September 2018, with the 2015 vintage as part of vintner Laura Catena’s ‘100-year plan’ to “make Argentine wine stand alongside the best in the world” – something that was taking place that day in Shanghai.

Then came our first wine from the US. Proving an instant hit, this was the luscious top Cabernet-dominant blend from Morlet Family Vineyards, called Coeur de Vallée. Translating as “heart of the valley”, its source is a special site in the Oakville AVA of Napa Valley planted with fully mature vines that are 30-40 years old.

Made by Luc Morlet, who is from France, the wine is said to benefit from his experience making wine in Bordeaux and Burgundy, combined with his work in California. Typically a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, the former dominant variety provides structure, dark fruit flavours, and aging potential, while the Cabernet Franc is said to contribute aromatic complexity, floral notes, and finesse.

The test of a fine wine is not just to assess its quality in its youth, but its ability to improve with time spent ageing in bottle. Ideally, an expression should have developed greater complexity and appeal after around 10 years cellaring. With this in mind we were lucky enough to be able to sample one of Chile’s great Cabernet blends in a state of maturity – Seña from the 2011 harvest. Made by Viñedos Familia Chadwick, Viña Seña was established in 1991 as a collaborative project between Eduardo Chadwick of Viña Errázuriz and the late Robert Mondavi.

The first vintage was 1995, released in 1997, with Viña Seña modelled on the French château concept, employing grapes from its own estate in an isolated, unspoilt part of the Aconcagua Valley. Its aim was to produce a Bordeaux-style blend with a distinctively Chilean character, provided by the inclusion of the country’s emblematic Carmenere grape in the blend. The name Seña – meaning ‘sign’ – was chosen, because this brand would serve as a signal that Chile could develop world-class wines. This was something proved in 2004 at the Berlin Tasting, in which Seña 2001 bettered all its illustrious competition, including Lafite, Margaux, and Sassicaia. As for the 2011 expression we sampled, we were delighted with the quality of this biodynamically farmed Cabernet-dominant blend, which had some tertiary characters of cedar wood and tobacco, along with dried fruit, but still plenty of youthful energy – apparent in its deep colour, textural density and lively lip-smacking edge.

La Place: can international wines find success in China?

Finally, we had an even older wine. Standing tall and prominent in magnums, our concluding brand was a statement in look and style, not forgetting state. Coming from the 2007 vintage, it was the unique, collectible Cardinale Cabernet-dominant brand from Jackson Family Wines, now in a state of relative maturity. A single flagship wine, it is a limited-production wine made primarily of Cabernet Sauvignon blended with small amounts of Merlot. It is crafted from grapes sourced from several of Napa Valley’s top sub-regions, including Mount Veeder, Howell Mountain, Spring Mountain, and Stags Leap District. Such top-end, high-altitude sites yield smaller grapes with thicker skins, resulting in wines with deep colour, intense flavours, and firm tannins. Complementing this fruit character is the winemaking, which is done by the hugely-talented Chris Carpenter – db’s Master Winemaker of the Year 2024 – who lets the wine rest for 22 months in 90% new French oak barrels before bottling.

What a way to round off a remarkable tasting, with this outstanding wine proving the power, balance and quality as well as agreeability of top Napa Cabernet – had the wine been served blind, few would have suspected this intense blend was 17 years old. For many, this sample was not only a favourite, but a revelation for the age-worthiness of so-called New World wines.

Overall, the tasting highlighted the diversity of wines now handled by Bordeaux’s traders. It also drew attendees’ attention to the style and quality of great red wines coming from a range of sources. Most importantly, it proved that the world of fine wine is not limited to the classic French regions of the world, although our sole Bordeaux – Château Pichon Baron – proved a worthy benchmark for our distant relations.

In short, vinous greatness may only be achieved in certain specific pockets on the world wine map, but, following this tasting, I hoped that our Chinese audience would not be afraid to look widely to find them.

Thankfully, La Place de Bordeaux, with its comprehensive distribution network, is proving highly-effective at helping such collectors find fine wines from a broad array of sources.

The Wines (in order tasted):

Castello di Fonterutoli, Siepi, 2022
Blend: 50% Sangiovese, 50% Merlot
Ageing: 18 months in French oak barrels (70% new): Barriques (Merlot), Tonneaux (Sangiovese)
Alcohol: 14.5%
Retail Price: CNY1,000

Maquis, Franco, 2020
Blend: 90% Cabernet Franc, 6% Carmenere and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon
Ageing: 24 months in French oak barrels
Alcohol: 14%
Retail Price: Approx CNY900

Wynns Coonawarra Estate, John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon, 2021
Blend: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Ageing: Matured for 16 months in French oak barrels of which 48% were hogsheads and 52% were barriques (23% new, 45% one-year-old and 32% two years old.)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Retail Price: CNY1,020

Château Pichon Baron, 2019
Blend: 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot
Ageing: 80% in new barrels, 20% from barrels of one vintage, for 18 months
Alcohol: 14.5%
Retail Price: CNY1,900

Viña Santa Rita, Casa Real Reserva Especial, 2021
Blend: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Ageing: 20 months (82% new French barrels)
Alcohol: 13.9%
Retail Price: CNY770

Catena Zapata, Nicolás Catena Zapata, 2021
Blend: 46% Cabernet Sauvignon (1,400m Adrianna vineyard in Gualtallary), 44% Malbec, 10% Cabernet Franc
Ageing: 18 months in French oak barrels
Alcohol: 13.5%
Retail Price: CNY835

Morlet Family Vineyards, Coeur de Vallée, 2021
Blend: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc
Ageing: 16 months in French oak barrels from selected artisan Coopers
Alcohol: 15.7%
Retail Price: CNY3,214

Viñedos Familia Chadwick, Seña, 2011

Blend: 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Carmenere, 15% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc
Ageing: 22 months in French oak barrels (75% new French barrels)
Alcohol: 14%
Retail Price: CNY1,430

Jackson Family Wines, Cardinale, 2007
Blend: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot
Ageing: 22 months in 100% French oak barrels (90% new French barrels)
Alcohol: 14.8%
Retail Price: Inquire for price (latest release, 2019, is CNY3,245)

To find more in-depth tasting notes on all of the wines from the masterclass, click here.

Related news

Monocépage Merlot from the Médoc – how good can it be?

Where is the fine wine market heading in 2025?

Fells makes three additions to its portfolio

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

It looks like you're in Asia, would you like to be redirected to the Drinks Business Asia edition?

Yes, take me to the Asia edition No