In times gone by, buyers, almost entirely from Bordeaux, used to buy the wine in the Spring before it was made, judging it as best they could by its reputation and by the look of the vines. This came to an abrupt and disastrous stop in 1961 when one of the very greatest vintages was an utter disaster for the growers. Buyers bought the 1961 vintage at the very low prices of the 1960s in Spring. Then there were disastrous weather conditions and 1961 produced only one third of a normal crop. Not only had many growers sold more than they made, but they were unable to supply all the orders and had to refund. It was never done again!
Buying remained haphazard until 1970 when a small group of top growers joined together and made a very successful trip to japan. Seeing the success, others joined in and soon they were a force. In 1973 the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux was founded. Today there are 135 members. In 1982 Baron Philippe de Rothschild astonished everybody by putting his new wine on the market in April. It was a huge success and the Union decided to follow suit. The En Primeur was born! Since then, it is first time that it has been cancelled.
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