September 2026 Release
Every year in September, the rhythm of the fine wine trade changes for a few weeks. That’s when the Place de Bordeaux springs into action, and with it the phones, voicemails and allocation lists across Europe.
The Place is a system unique to Bordeaux: between the winery and the merchant stand the courtier, acting as a broker, and the négociant, acting as a distributor. For centuries, this system was exclusive to Bordeaux. In 1998, the Chilean Almaviva became the first wine from outside the region to be included, followed in 2004 by Opus One from the Napa Valley; both were introduced via their connection to Mouton Rothschild. The real turning point came in the late 2000s: Masseto was the first wine with no Bordeaux origins whatsoever to be offered via the Place. Its success was so great that half the wine world followed suit. Today, around 150 wines from Italy, Spain, California, Chile, Argentina, Australia and South Africa are sold via this channel, spread over a campaign that begins in early September and runs for several weeks.
For us, these weeks are a fixed event in the calendar. The allocations are small, they are snapped up quickly, and anyone who wants to be in with a chance has to act fast. That is precisely why, starting today, we will be in touch with you at regular intervals, sharing the wines we have managed to secure and our assessment of them.
We’ll start with Masseto 2023, Massetino 2024 and Solaia from Tenuta dell’Ornellaia.
Opus One 2023 and Overture 2023 – At last, the long-awaited, outstanding 2023 vintage at La Place
Today – Tuesday 8 September:
Penfolds Collection Release 2026 – Grange 2022, Yattarna 2024, St Henri 2023, RTW BIN 798
