Accidentally filling the big shoes of Michael Broadbent and Steven Spurrier, Jane Anson, wine critic, author of Inside Bordeaux, founder of janeanson.com, and former Bordeaux correspondent for Decanter for nearly 20 years, is one of the world's foremost experts on the wines, history, and region of Bordeaux. Having lived in Bordeaux since 2003, Jane shares her deep insights into how Bordeaux became as famous as it is, how the systems of La Place de Bordeaux and En Primeur work, and the complex terroir of the region. She gives us insight into the content of janeanson.com and how it will be a unique look into Bordeaux, focusing on the drinkability of the wines and many of the unique features to be released. Detailed Show Notes: Bordeaux OverviewA port city far enough inland to be a safe port12th century - duchy of the English crown, wines were sold in the London marketThe system of chateaux, merchants, and negociants was built for exportTerroir is very complex (which may be why it's not talked about much), e.g., of the 61 wines in the 1855 Medoc classification, all of them are on 2 specific gravel terraces (#3 & 4) of the 6 terraces of the MedocMostly clay underneath with gravel on topLots of micro terroirsSt Emilion - has pure limestone, clay, and gravelIssues that have hurt BordeauxEvery vintage is not great, though Bordelais often say thatFrustrate people based on the prices they ask (e.g., 2009/2010 vintages - many people who bought lost money)Advantages of La Place de BordeauxBusiness to business, sell to merchants that sell to consumersVirtual marketplace - enables access to 10,000 clients globallyIncludes chateaux, brokers, and negociantsSells wine into every level of the food chain - has specialists for on-trade, off-trade, hotels, corner shops, supermarkets, etc.It doesn't build your brand but makes sure it gets everywhereGood at giving the illusion of scarcityCan use La Place for specific markets - La Place has expertise in the Asian markets (e.g., China, Vietnam, Japan)Disadvantages of La Place de BordeauxCreates a very competitive environment - low-end wines compete with each otherIt protects Bordeaux well, and merchants need to buy in bad years to get allocations in good yearsNo direct contact with consumers for wineriesLess effective for small guys that aren't established brandsNon-Bordeaux wines selling on La PlaceGone from nothing to 60 wines 5 years ago to 90 wines in 2021Provides access to global markets - shows wines next to the great wines of BordeauxOpus One - the 2nd non-Bordeaux wine on La Place (after Almaviva), has sold wines since 2004 and opened an office in Bordeaux. Barriers to joining La Place - need enough volume to get everywhere, need to do your own brand-building work, and meet customersThe increase in overseas wines has hurt smaller Bordeaux estates -> negociants have limited budgets and drop themEn PrimeurFrom the early 1980s, Parker injected excitement into the En Primeur systemPeople used to make money, but now they are often better off waiting until wines are in bottle with certain exceptions (e.g., tiny production Pomerols)No longer has the same sense of urgencyTranche system - release a small amount of wine at one price, then release more later at higher pricesnon-Bordeaux wines price more consistently than Bordeaux winesLatour dropping out of en primeur, they wanted to store wines and release them when best for consumersChateau Palmer - sells 50% en primeur, 50% 10 years later Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.