I'd say .. buy 2010 now. Before it's too late.

Summary

• Robert Parker gave 100 pts to an unprecedented 19 wines from the 2009 vintage, including Super Seconds like Cos d’Estournel, Montrose and Leoville-Poyferre.
• The 2009 vintage has earned more 100 pointers than the great vintages of 1982, 1990, 2000 and 2005 combined.
• According to Parker, 2009 is “unquestionably the greatest Bordeaux vintage I have ever tasted.” He added that it is “the greatest vintage I have tasted in Bordeaux since 1982, of which it is a modern-day version, but greatly improved.”
• Wine market is going through a rebound since January 2012
• The 2009 prices are already on the move and are becoming increasingly hard to obtain in the market. We predict that the 2010 vintage will go through a similar trend.
• Our recommendation is to start looking at brands that faired well in the 2009 vintage, rather than just the vintage itself.   

Parker on 2009: “The greatest Bordeaux vintage I have ever tasted”

Robert Parker’s in bottle scores for 2009 Bordeaux are finally released, confirming the vintage as one of the top Bordeaux vintages of the century. According to Parker, the 2009 is “unquestionably the greatest Bordeaux vintage I have ever tasted.” An unprecedented 19 wines were given perfect scores Parker of 100, surpassing that of the great 1982, 1990, 2000 and 2005 vintages put together.

The 100-pointers:

Wine	2010 score	Bottled score
Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse)	96-98+	100
Bellevue Mondotte	95-100	100
Clinet	97-100	100
Clos Fourtet	95-98	100
Cos d'Estournel	98-100*	100
Ducru Beaucaillou	96-98+	100
Haut Brion	98-100	100
La Mission Haut Brion	98-100	100
La Mondotte	95-98+	100
Latour	98-100	100
Le Pin	95-98	100
Leoville-Poyferre	97-100*	100
L'Evangile	96-100*	100
Montrose	96-100*	100
Pape Clement Blanc	94-97	100
Pavie	96-100	100
Petrus	96-100	100
Pontet-Canet	97-100	100
Smith-Haut-Lafite	96-98+*	100

Other wines that earned top Parker scores:

Wine	2010 score	bottled score
Angelus	96-100	99
Cheval Blanc	98-100	99
Clos l'Eglise	96-100*	98
L'Eglise Clinet	98-100	99+
Haut Bailly	96-98+	98+
Haut Brion Blanc	96-100	98+
Hosanna	98-100*	99
La Mission Haut Brion Blanc	96-100	96
Lafite	98-100	99+
Leoville Las Cases	96-100	98+
Lynch Bages	94-96+	98
Pichon Baron	93-95	98
Palmer	94-96	97
Margaux	98-100	99
Mouton	96-98+	99+
Trotanoy	97-100*	98+

Market Rebound since January 2012

As we had expected, the wine market overall has rebounded since January 2012 when we issued our last report (see Liv-Ex 50 chart below). It seems to be following the same pattern as 2008, making now the best time to enter the market since Jan 2009.

The wine market experienced a major correction of an average of 17% over last year amidst the Eurozone crisis. However as Asia, in particular China and Hong Kong, are snapping up the last of bargain stocks out in the market, we feel that this is just a beginning of an upward trend that is to continue into the year.

Planning Ahead for the 2010 Vintage

With the added boost from the recently re-scored 2009 vintage, the wine market  looks positive. Those who were sitting on the fence when the prices peaked last summer should consider getting re-involved.

With 2009 being increasingly hard to find on the market, our suggestion is for investors to plan ahead and get into the 2010 vintage. After all, Bordeaux 2010 is already known to be an exceptional vintage, just like the 2009s. Given that the 2011 vintage is already reported to be less than stellar, it should come as no surprise to us when 2010 prices will start to move soon as well, and we should take advantage of their current prices which are now selling well below the 2009s.