BILL OF THE WEEK
WHY BUY one case of finest Bordeaux when you can buy 61? So thought one commodities trader at a major European bank, who spent £81,150 buying the entire 1855 collection from the international wine merchants Fine + Rare. Like a high-end pub crawl, except with a case of the 2009 vintage from each of the Bordeaux châteaux classified by the emperor Napoleon III in 1855 instead of house white – and prices to match. The highlights of the Estonia-based financier’s new cellar – bought in the barrel, or “en primeur”, to avoid paying duty and VAT – are the Château Margaux at £7,938 a case, the Lafite Rothschild at £10,417 a case, and the Château Latour at £12,401 a case. “Perfect, simply perfect,” is Berry Bros & Rudd’s assessment of the “astonishing” latter vintage – although The Capitalist suspects this particular futures investment is possibly not intended for drinking.
Château Haut-Brion £611*
Château Latour £1,033
Château Margaux £662
Château Mouton Rothschild £612
Château Lafite Rothschild £868