The prices for bottles of 2010 Bordeaux can expect to exceed the records set by the 2009 vintage, it is claimed.

Wine critic Will Lyons notes that the cost of 2009 Bordeaux reached "stratospheric" levels, yet two Bordeaux negociants have already told him that 2010 is even better.

Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Mr Lyons suggests that some buyers may find themselves priced out of the market when the en primeur pricings are released.

However, he also advises drinkers that the release of a new vintage can often be a good time to look for bargains in the older wines, with 2008 Bordeaux expected to be good value this year.

Fellow critic Jancis Robinson recently used her Purple Pages website to question whether wine writers should publish their Bordeaux scores before the chateaux announce their pricing structure.

Her concern is that high ratings could prompt some estates to raise their prices.