Inside La Place de Bordeaux: An Exploration of the Most Significant Fine Wine System in the World

La Place de Bordeaux is by no means the only way to distribute fine wine, but it is rapidly becoming one of the most important.

Yet it has been, so far, an opaque and poorly understood system.

What is it? How does it work? And who controls it? Most of all, what does it mean for the producers who use it—are the wines that flow through La Place guaranteed to be successful in the market?

The only way to fully answer these questions is to speak to the people who work within it.

This publication pulls together some of the most illuminating conversations we had with experts and thought leaders while preparing our podcast series Inside La Place de Bordeaux, and gathers the major takeaways of a six-months in-depth exploration.

It explores exactly what La Place de Bordeaux is, who the people behind it are, and decode the role that La Place is likely to play in the future of fine wine distribution.

This publication is reserved to Areni members only. To access it, become a member today.

Table of Contents

Introducing La Place de Bordeaux

• Bordeaux Three-Part System
• En Primeur
• Beyond Bordeaux
• The Future of La Place de Bordeaux
• Key Dates in the Evolution of La Place de Bordeaux

12 Conversations About La Place de Bordeaux

Through these conversations, key members of the trade share their experience and insights on crucial topics such as brand building, price setting, distribution strategies and financial sustainability, building into a complete picture of La Place.

• The Significance of La Place: In Conversation With Jane Anson
• The Négociant’s Perspective: In Conversation With Mathieu Chadronnier
• The Courtier: In Conversation With Valentin Lillet
• The Importance of the Collective: In Conversation With Ronan Laborde
• The Newcomer: In Conversation With Guillaume Pouthier
• Why Producers Join La Place: The Case of Kanonkop
• An Australian Goes Inside Bordeaux: In Conversation With Tom Portet
• A Buyer’s Perspective: In Conversation With Max Lalondrelle
• Building Fine Wine Brands From Asia to the US: In Conversation With Don St Pierre
• The Hong Kong Power House:In Conversation With Jeremy Stockman
• Buying for the USA: In Conversation With Philippe Newlin
• Fine Wine Investment: In Conversation With Cru Wines London

Additional Resources

This publication is intended as a companion to the Inside La Place de Bordeaux podcast available on all major platforms.