Bordeaux 2008 at half the price

Château Latour was the first of the Bordeaux First Growths to release its 2008 vintage at €110 per bottle, almost half the 2007 price. Following hot on their heels Chateau Mouton Rothschild released at €100 per bottle - exactly half the price of the 2007 vintage which was 26% lower than the 2006.

The pricing is in line with expectations of UK merchants who were hoping for the First Growths to be released at €100 a bottle to take into account the economic climate.

Meanwhile, Bordeaux Second Growth, Chateau Leoville Barton, on releasing its 2008 at €23 per bottle, down from €27 last year, has sold 85% of its production within hours.

But there is talk that other chateaux may have different strategies in terms of the amount of wine released. Chateau Angelus released around 60% of its wine last week, but some properties, such as Cos d'Estournel, have spoken about releasing just very small quantities on to the market at headline prices to re-establish goodwill towards Bordeaux.