The campaign now more commonly referred to as The September Releases has become known variously as the "Icons", "Beyond Bordeaux", "La Place Late Releases", "The Contenders", and "The Outsiders" — a collection of wines offered by the Bordeaux-based négociant system La Place from late August through to early October.
Originally focussed on Napa estates, the campaign has broadened out over the years to include Tuscany, Australia, Spain and beyond, with wines tending to be built on Bordeaux varieties, no surprise, given the experience and networks of La Place. Each year the offering grows more ambitious. 2022 saw Spain's first releases and Australia's debut. 2023 brought Barolo, Bandol, Austria and Etna into the fold.
Jane Anson's 2026 report, one of the most closely watched assessments of the campaign, tasted 116 wines from 12 countries. Three wines received first-ever 100-point scores from her this year, including her first sweet wine selection, and the first 100 points she has ever awarded to Vin de Constance. She calls 2023 in Napa "one of the greatest vintages of recent history — balanced and luscious," and it shows: two of her three perfect scores this year come from Napa Valley alone.
She is also candid about the state of the market. This, she notes, is likely the toughest year for these wines since the international release system began — fewer new names, more mature back-vintage releases. BIbi Graetz has stepped back from the September Releases entirely this year, choosing to work through country-specific importers instead. "It's a loss for the September release system in my personal opinion," Anson writes, "because of Bibi's energy and talent."
Our Approach
At Honest Grapes we will once again be offering a focussed selection of the releases we believe are genuinely worth buying. Wines with the quality, the pedigree, and the value to justify a place in your cellar. Just as with our Bordeaux En Primeur campaigns, we are considerably more selective than most, and we would rather offer you five wines we believe in than fifty we don't.
This year has some genuinely exciting wines. Following the success of our Syndicate Projects, we are once again exploring exclusive opportunities for Club Members around this year's campaign, with barrel and share possibilities currently in discussion for Seña, Cheval des Andes and Petrolo's Galatrona. We may have a few more surprises up our sleeve too... watch this space.
Below is our calendar of the key 2026 releases on our radar, along with Jane Anson's scores where available.
Calendar
1 September — Masseto 2023, Massetino 2024 (98, 94)
2 September — Inglenook 2023s, Vin de Constance 2023 (Rubicon 98, Cabernet Sauvignon 94, Blancaneaux 96; Vin de Constance 100)
3 September — Solaia 2023 (not yet scored)
4 September — Petrolo Galatrona 2024 (95)
7 September — Opus One 2023 (Opus One 98, Overture 94)
8 September — Penfolds Icons, Clos Apalta (Grange 98, Yattarna 98, St Henri 97, Clos Apalta 96)
9 September — Almaviva 2024, Palmer 2016 (Almaviva 98, Palmer 100)
10 September — Yjar 2023, Seña 2024 (Yjar 100, Seña 96)
11 September — Chappellet Pritchard Hill 2023 (100)
15 September — Caiarossa 2023 (94)
16 September — Georges de Latour 2023 (96)
29 September — Cheval des Andes 2023 (98)