The 2025 en primeur campaign appears to have got off to a somewhat haphazard start with a spattering of big name releases but little rhythm thanks to a succession of bank holiday weekends and now a week-long lull.

Nonetheless, some key wines have appeared so far, including Lafleur (newly rebadged as Vin de France), Château Cheval Blanc, Château Pontet-Canet and Château Cos d’Estournel.

More recent releases have included Château Lafite Rothschild and its stable, Château Angélus and Château Palmer, as well as châteaux Branaire-Ducru, Lynch-Bages, Lascombes and Léoville-Barton among others.

First of the firsts

The most notable release of all so far has been first growth, Lafite Rothschild. The wine was rated 97-points by Decanter’s Georgie Hindle, who said it was: ‘A bit more lively, energetic and upfront than Lafite can sometimes be.’

With consistently high scores from other major critics too, there was hope that Lafite – as has been the case in the past – could help keep the campaign on course and set an example with its pricing.

Yields were very small in 2025 (27hl/ha) and quantities are very limited. Berry Bros & Rudd is offering the wine in packs of three for £1,047 (£4,164 per 12x75).

The 2025 is around 16% more expensive than the 2024, but for a much higher quality wine and one that is still much cheaper than many older vintages of Lafite – especially other highly-rated vintages.

Second wine Carruades de Lafite was also released at £432 per three bottles.

A smile on the face of angels

Right Bank grand cru Angélus hit the market on 21 May. Another wine with 97-points from Hindle who wrote: ‘The energy and balance is flawless. Really an elegant, elongated wine with such nuance of flavour. I love this and think they've done a super job – juicy, this brings a smile to your face.’

The wine is being offered for £606 per three bottles or £1,200 per six at BBR. Fine wine marketplace Liv-ex noted that the 2025 was one of the more expensive vintages available and some recent older vintages with equal or higher scores are currently available for less.

And finally, Palmer, which was released on 22 May and is being offered by BBR and other merchants for £1,158 per six bottles (or £585 per three).

Likewise scored 97-points by Hindle – who called it, ‘sturdy, stately, complex’ and ‘compelling’ – it was again noted by Liv-ex as being one at the more expensive end of comparable recent vintages.

Slow and steady

Reaction to many wines has been broadly positive so far. Big hitters such as Cheval Blanc and Lafite have sold well, several merchants said.

Corney & Barrow noted that its exclusives from the Moueix and Mitjaville stables had also found a ready audience.

Speaking to Decanter, one merchant said pricing was ‘sensible’ but also ‘not necessarily at a level where the wine becomes a must buy’.

Nonetheless, they added, buyers recognised ‘this is truly a vintage of excellent quality and a future great’.

This was leading to ‘reasonable’ levels of interest and, ‘significantly more large format bottling requests than normal given this is a vintage where buyers will want to own and drink’.

June offensive

Many of the Bordelais are currently in Asia at the Vinexpo trade show, hence the quiet end to May.

Various insiders, however, have caught wind of a number of big name releases that are lined up for early June.

A select few can be seen below.

Early June releases

1st June: Giscours

2nd June: Pichon Lalande, La Mission Haut-Brion, Lagrange, Pavie

3rd June: Mouton Rothschild, Haut-Bailly, Brane Cantenac

4th June: Cantenac Brown

8th June: Clos Fourtet

9th June: Haut-Brion

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Cheval Blanc 2025 released en primeur

Cheval Blanc 2025 was released in the fledgling Bordeaux en primeur campaign on Monday (11 May), and was offered by UK merchants at around £2,010 per six bottles in bond (IB).

It's among the first big names to emerge in the en primeur campaign for a much-admired Bordeaux 2025 vintage.

Rated 96 points by Decanter’s Georgie Hindle, Cheval Blanc 2025 represents one of the smallest vintages on record at the St-Emilion property – which could be a factor for collectors considering whether or not to purchase en primeur.

UK merchant Farr Vintners said it was the smallest Cheval Blanc vintage since 1961, except for 1991 when the wine wasn’t made.

Liv-ex, a global marketplace for the trade, said Cheval Blanc was consequently releasing ‘all produced wine en primeur – Cheval Blanc will not hold back their usual third of production for ageing’.

It said the ex-négociant price on Cheval Blanc 2025 was €336 per bottle, up 20% year-on-year – although last year’s price was the lowest at en primeur since 2008.

Corney & Barrow reported 55,000 bottles of Cheval Blanc 2025 were produced, versus 128,000 in 2023. It added that the 2025 was cheaper than other recent, high-quality vintages, except for 2020.

‘Although the release price falls above our target price range, we believe this high quality wine deserves the attention of followers of the estate.’

Based on recent Decanter analysis of Cheval Blanc back to the 2014 vintage, using Liv-ex Market Price data, the 2025 en primeur offer is below the 11-vintage average price from 2014 to 2014, which was £4,243 (12x75cl IB) at the time of publication.

Early days for the campaign

It remains early days for this year’s Bordeaux en primeur campaign, with only a few wines so far released.

Châteaux must balance a challenging market picture against a highly regarded – yet small – 2025 crop.

Pontet-Canet kicked things off at the end of April and Miles Davis, market expert at Vinum Fine Wines, with offices in the UK and Asia, said this week that the merchant ‘sold a lot more than we thought we would’.

It won’t make or break the merchant’s year, but there are clearly still buyers who enjoy purchasing en primeur, he said.

Geraint Carter, of international merchant Bordeaux Index, said Pontet-Canet sold ‘reasonably well’, although he said the price was still on the high side – dampening the potential for wider interest.

L’Evangile and Fieuzal out of the blocks

Pomerol’s L’Evangile, which is part of Domaines Baron de Rothschild (Lafite), also released its 2025 vintage en primeur this week. Liv-ex said the wine was €96 per bottle ex-négociant, which is flat on last year’s release price.

Decanter’s Hindle rated L’Evangile 2025 at 96pts.

UK merchants offered the wine at around £582 (6x75cl IB), and Farr Vintners said that represents the lowest release price since 2014.

‘This [is] a welcome return to realistic pricing for one of the big names of Pomerol,’ it said.

Switching the focus to Pessac Léognan, Château de Fieuzal 2025 could be a value proposition to watch.

Rated 94pts for Decanter by Bordeaux expert Panos Kakaviatos, Château de Fieuzal 2025 red was offered in the UK at around £140 (6x75cl IB).

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Pontet-Canet and Batailley both have a reputation for releasing early and they duly kick-started this year’s en primeur campaign as Decanter published its full report on the exciting Bordeaux 2025 vintage.

All eyes are on pricing after official en primeur tastings in April drew plenty of admirers, living up to a lofty reputation for years ending in 'five' in Bordeaux.

Bordeaux’s class of 2025 is entering a turbulent economic landscape and a wine market still finding its feet after a prolonged downturn – which is also widely reported to be well-stocked with young Bordeaux vintages.

Pontet-Canet makes debut

At £378 per six bottles in bond (IB) in the UK, Pontet-Canet 2025 was slightly more expensive than last year’s 2024-vintage release, which debuted at £360.

On an ex-négociant basis in Bordeaux, though, Pontet-Canet 2025 was €58 per bottle, according to Liv-ex, a global marketplace for the trade – slightly under last year’s release at €60.

Pontet-Canet 2025 received 97pts from Decanter’s Bordeaux correspondent, Georgie Hindle – equal to its scores in 2024 and 2023.

Hindle praised the 2025 iteration as ‘structured and fresh with a great promise of long ageing’, and enthused about the wine’s ‘brilliant purity of fruit’.

Shortly after the release, UK merchant Corney & Barrow said Pontet-Canet 2025 was more expensive than the current market price of the well-regarded 2019 vintage and ‘fell well short of our fair value bracket of £224-280 per six [x75cl IB]’. However, it said this biodynamic fifth growth has a loyal following.

On Tuesday (5 May) Thomas Parker MW, of merchant Farr Vintners, said strong appraisal from at least one major critic ‘really gave sales a boost’.

Batailley 2025 price 'lowest since 2014'

Batailley 2025 was rated 96pts by Decanter’s Hindle, who said, ‘I have a real soft spot for this wine and it delivers again with such great quality-to-price ratio.’

Liv-ex quoted a UK release price per 12-bottle case (IB) of £289 for Batailley 2025, which it said was 'the lowest since 2014'.

Many merchants offer en primeur wines in six-bottle cases, albeit other formats are available, too.

Farr Vintners offered Batailley at £144.60 per six-bottle case (IB) and Parker told Decanter on Tuesday (5 May), ‘It was good to see the price come down from last year.

'There was a clear understanding that success in selling this vintage must factor in the current demand for young Bordeaux and global economic and political uncertainty. We therefore offered and sold a decent volume of the wine as a result.’

Moueix wines make debut

Right Bank heavyweights from JP Moueix stable joined these top Left Bank names early this week.

Among the wines to be offered, La Fleur-Pétrus 2025 (95pts) debuted at £725 per six-bottle case (Farr, Bordeaux Index), slightly above last year’s debut price for the 2024 vintage. Bélair-Monange 2025 (96pts) was offered at £530 per six, similar to last year.

‘Gorgeous aromas, such a concoction of freshly picked red and black fruit with rose petals and violet touches,’ wrote Hindle of Bélair-Monange 2025, adding, ‘Another dark horse, not yet fully shining but with excellent potential.’

Laroque: A St-Emilion ‘value pick’ to watch

Château Laroque 2025 represents ‘another great success and value pick’ from this St-Emilion Grand Cru Classé estate, wrote Decanter’s Hindle after tasting the wine en primeur. She gave it 96pts.

UK merchant Lay & Wheeler offered Laroque 2025 for £117 (6x75cl IB) on Tuesday 5 May, also highlighting the value proposition on offer to buyers.

Justerini & Brooks offered similar praise, stating, ‘David Suire's Laroque must rank amongst the best value wines of the right bank. Since his arrival in 2015, critics have heaped praise on his wines, and for the time being they remain relatively affordable (relative to wines with similar scores).’

More releases this week

Other releases this week have included Doisy-Védrines 2025 (94pts) and Coutet 2025 (95pts) from Barsac (Sauternes) at £152 and £168 per 6x75cl IB respectively.

Meanwhile, Thursday 7 May saw debuts for Château Pape Clément 2025 red and also white wine Pape Clément Blanc in Pessac-Léognan.

Hindle rated both wines at 96pts, with the red offered by UK merchants at around £316 and the white wine at £543-£544 (6x75cl IB).

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What makes value so central to enjoying wine? I once opened a bottle of Petrus for my father, and at his request no less.

Yet, he broke the silence with: ‘Excellent, but it’s not very good value, is it?’

In contrast to that, there’s something inescapably appealing about a wine that grabs your attention, that provokes thought and stimulates conversation – all while leaving you with the feeling that you got more than you paid for. A value wine.

By virtue of that feeling, value wines tend to be drunk more often and are, I think, better understood as a result.

I’ve always loved the late Michael Broadbent’s tasting notes, referencing his numerous encounters with a particular wine in all sorts of settings over the years.

For most passionate amateurs, it’s the value wines – the great wines we don’t feel shy about opening – that we get to know with that sort of intimacy. They keep us coming back, vintage after vintage.

Value Bordeaux wines have never been so widely available, and the 1855 Grand Cru Classé estates have led the way.

More vintages per decade, and more châteaux per appellation, excel now than ever before, with value for money often hiding in plain sight on the secondary market and (as unfashionable as it may be to say at the moment) even en primeur.

Here is my selection of 10. Others that could easily be included here are featured elsewhere in this guide (for example, Batailley, Giscours, Lagrange and Langoa Barton).

Value wines are nourishing to the palate, mind and heart. Bordeaux is full of them.

Léoville Barton

St-Julien second growth

Léoville Barton just might be Bordeaux’s best-value wine. Particularly since 2015, the property’s increases in quality simply haven’t been matched by commensurate increases in price – in stark contrast to some of its peers.

Château Léoville Barton was established in 1826 following Hugh Barton’s purchase of plots of the Léoville vineyard a few years before and in 1826.

Barton had purchased the adjacent Château Langoa in 1821, so separate facilities have never been needed. The 50ha vineyard is divided into three main plots, currently planted with 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc.

The soil is mainly deep gravel which is purest and deepest closest to the Gironde estuary, growing sandier and shallower moving to the west. A strategy of minimal intervention in the vineyard lets the terroir do the talking and biodiversity has long been of interest.

A new winery and cellars have been in use since the 2021 vintage. Here both Léoville and Langoa Barton wines are vinified and matured.

The number of vats has doubled, allowing for the ability to pick and vinify each plot according to its own needs; in turn, the vineyard is better understood than ever before.

Work in the winery is more precise and more delicate, with pumping over and use of R-pulse decreasing as fermentation progresses, in order to avoid extracting harsh tannin (in use here since 2018, the R-pulse technique uses inert gas to stir fermenting berries, favouring a gentle extraction). This results in a broader (not shorter) drinking window.

Multi-generational excellence

What do you get for your money? Léoville Barton usually offers variations on themes of intense cassis, blackberry, pencil shavings, coals, ink, lavender and liquorice.

Powerful depth is a given; the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the grand vin’s blend has usually been a little higher than its proportion in the vineyard, but it’s Léoville Barton’s paradoxically elegant rendition of that power that makes it so engaging.

The Barton Sartorius family has had a multi-generational commitment to excellence at a fair price, with value for money now better than ever.

The 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2020 can all be found in bond for £55-£60. It’s one to buy every year, with superb wines even in less glamorous vintages (such as the 2017 and 2021, each available for about £40 in bond).

Even from generally expensive vintages like 2022, prices remain reasonable at Léoville Barton – it can still be found in bond for under £60, and it is absolutely worth the small premium.

Grand-Puy-Lacoste

Pauillac fifth growth

Grand-Puy-Lacoste delivers a wine of character every year, conveying its place and vintage of origin clearly.

Quality is consistently high from this quintessential Pauillac estate, which has been shepherded by the Borie family since 1978.

Its name, Grand-Puy (roughly translated as ‘big hill’), can be a bit confusing when approaching across the plateau from Pauillac. Viewed from the west of the château, though, the abrupt 10m rise from marshy lowlands onto the plateau of Grand-Puy clarifies things.

The 60ha vineyard is planted with 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc.

Replanting is now done via massal selection (propagation from the best cuttings of a selection of existing vines) from parcels planted in the 1950s, with the influence of subterranean biodiversity on soil structure and micronutrient balance closely observed.

Between 2016 and 2018, detailed studies of the vineyard’s plots were undertaken, both to tailor viticultural practices and to better understand their trajectory of maturation across the growing season.

A new winery was completed in summer 2025, with the number of vats increased to mirror these better-defined vineyard plots, allowing for each plot to be picked at the optimal moment and vinified according to its needs.

Nowadays, most winemaking interventions are employed during the early stage of fermentation, when alcohol (a natural solvent) remains low, thus allowing for extraction with a refined tannic structure.

Mature classic

What comes of all this? One of Bordeaux’s classic wines, conveying the character of Pauillac with distinction and fresh, medium-bodied equilibrium, the wines often showing a core of cassis, blackberry and pencil shaving notes.

Both recent releases and fully mature vintages of Grand-Puy-Lacoste represent excellent value for money.

Mature classics such the 1995 and 1996 can still be purchased for around £110 in bond, while superb recent vintages such as the 2019, 2020 and 2022 are available for £35-£45 per bottle.

While exceedingly reasonable prices would be enough to recommend purchasing Grand-Puy-Lacoste en primeur, the château offers a novel format as a further incentive. A case, equivalent in volume to 12 standard bottles, but instead containing one double magnum, two magnums and four 75cl bottles.

This brilliant idea by Pierre-Antoine Borie offers the opportunity to weave Grand-Puy-Lacoste into life’s events easily – it’s perfect for those who regularly host gatherings of various sizes or who want to lay something special down for a child.

Few of these cases are released after en primeur.

Brane-Cantenac

Margaux second growth

There’s something uniquely disarming about great Margaux, with its violetty fragrance, and synthesis of intensity and delicacy.

Brane-Cantenac not only offers that Margaux archetype, but provides the best value for money in the appellation while doing it.

The 72ha vineyard is located in the Margaux commune of Cantenac. Though there are three parcels (Carabin, Le Plateau and Derrière le Parc, located on Terraces 3, 4 and 5, respectively), the crop of Le Plateau on Terrace 4 is the source of the grand vin.

Here, a half-metre of sandy gravel sits atop an admixture of 60%-70% gravel and 10%-20% clay, running several metres deep before reaching a limestone-marl substratum.

This geology confers an advantageous combination of elegance, derived from sandy gravel, and generosity of fruit, derived from the clay subsoil, which also helps to mitigate hydric stress.

I visited at harvest in September 2022 and can attest to this; despite the hot and dry conditions that had prevailed for a long period, the vineyard was in perfect health.

The overall distribution of plantings is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% dedicated to a mix of Carmenère, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec.

But it’s the 60-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon on Terrace 4 that, for the property’s fourth-generation proprietor Henri Lurton, is the core of Brane-Cantenac’s identity.

Attractive value

Since 2002, the grand vin’s blend has included more Cabernet Sauvignon than Merlot, and since 2012 it has included a markedly higher proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon than the distribution of plantings might suggest.

This went up to 84% in 2013 before settling into a reliable 70%-74% between 2015-2022 (and, specifically, 74% in the pristine 2022 that I watched come in, blended with 23% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Carmenère and 1% Petit Verdot).

In Brane-Cantenac, I usually find fruit in the purple and blue spectrum accented by violet, pencil shavings and coffee beans.

In bigger vintages, it can take a little time for its charm to unfold fully, but that lovability is usually obvious earlier on in less-lauded vintages like 2021, which shouldn’t be overlooked.

Despite the improvements the estate has made over the past 20 years, prices remain very reasonable en primeur and on the secondary market.

The 2022 is available for around £75 per bottle in bond, with the 2019 and 2020 looking particularly good value to lay down at £40-£50.

The 2005 and 2010, which are entering early maturity, offer attractive value at about £100 and £120, respectively.

Branaire-Ducru

St-Julien fourth growth

It can take a long time for the market to catch on when substantive changes are made at a château, even if those changes redefine its standing among its peers.

For the past 20 years, that’s exactly what has been happening at Branaire-Ducru. General manager Jean-Dominique Videau and co-owner François-Xavier Maroteaux have been quietly crafting a wonderfully elegant rendition of southern St-Julien.

Value here has been excellent from 2005 on and the 2022 has reached a new level at Branaire-Ducru.

The property’s 61ha are strung across southern St-Julien, running from the southeast to just north of the hamlet of Beychevelle, continuing along the northern edges of Châteaux Gruaud-Larose and Lagrange, ending with plots west of Château Talbot that run into St-Laurent commune.

Temperatures between the 70 distinct parcels can differ up to 2°C and the geological range includes 15 soil types, with more sand and clay near the château, well-drained gravel on Terrace 3 farther inland and thinner gravel in the west of the appellation on clay-limestone subsoil.

This diversity of terroir confers advantages and poses challenges. The key to Branaire-Ducru’s recent success has been the ability to maximise the former and adapt to the latter.

Videau keeps a close watch on the needs and maturity of each parcel, with his constant presence in the vineyard augmented by aerial photography in late summer.

Branaire-Ducru’s vineyard comprises 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, though there have been changes in which grape varieties (and which clonal or massal selections) are planted where, and on which rootstocks.

Natural opulence and density

Completed in time for the 2022 harvest, Branaire-Ducru’s new gravity-fed winery houses 75 vats to allow each of the 70 plots to be picked at just the right time and vinified according to its needs.

What results from all of this? A wine of ‘natural opulence and density,’ as Videau says. This beguiling texture is just the vehicle for the mixed red, blue and black berry fruit that’s nearly always on show, inflected with a floral perfume.

Owing to its distribution of plots, Branaire-Ducru has a lot to say about southern St-Julien (it’s worth listening).

The superb 2022 is easily found in UK bond for £40 and those looking for an example that’s ready to drink will find the 2016 at a similar price. The 2005 and 2010, both drinking now, are available for around £55-£60.

Gruaud-Larose

St-Julien second growth

The renaissance of Château Gruaud-Larose remains a bit under the radar. Well remembered by many claret lovers for its monumental 1982 and 1986, the estate’s relative position among its peers declined through the 1990s and 2000s.

Over the past 15 or so years, that trajectory has changed definitively.

Almost all of the young and talented current team at Gruaud-Larose has been recruited over the past decade.

Replanting, fine-tuned vineyard work and vinification, and mitigation of the spoilage yeast brettanomyces, have led to a real revolution at the property.

Yet, prices haven’t kept up with quality. Recent vintages are attractive on the secondary market and en primeur prices are very fair.

The vineyard spans 82ha in one single block around the château, sitting at the eastern edge of Terrace 3. Soil studies in 2013 helped to characterise Gruaud-Larose’s three outcrops of gravel, which comprise about 75% of the vineyard, and the veins of clay running between them.

The current grape mix is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot, with Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc making up the remainder.

One of the first investments made by Jean Merlaut, owner since 1997, was to replant several plots with varieties better suited to their geology and exposure.

By 2010, those changes were starting to pay off. Since 2018, replanting has been done with a massal selection from the property’s own vines and the proportion of Gruaud-Larose comprised by Cabernet Sauvignon will reach 80% by 2030.

Vineyard work has evolved remarkably with thought-provoking adaptations to climate change, including the use of clay-based sunscreen for the grapes and retention of cover crops during the growing season, following recognition that they can reduce radiant heat around the clusters by up to 7°C.

Quality-aligned changes

The team feels that the château’s organic certification in 2022 has helped to revitalise the vineyard ecosystem and to focus closer attention on everything that happens within.

Yields are now at a more quality-aligned 35-40hl/ha compared with 50-60hl/ha 25 years ago.

Lower fermentation temperatures (usually 25°C-26°C, from up to 34°C during the 1980s-2000s) and more tailored extraction have helped to refine Gruaud’s power.

Brettanomyces has been greatly mitigated by eliminating colonies in the cellar, close monitoring during maturation, and via co-inoculation, a process of simultaneously adding the yeast and bacteria which facilitate the alcoholic and malolactic fermentations, respectively (if performed consecutively, brettanomyces can proliferate during the interval between them).

This is a cool, classic, thrillingly powerful expression of St-Julien, tempered by good manners.

The 2020 and 2022, arguably the best Gruauds since 1986, can be found for £60-£70 in bond, with the excellent 2010 no more expensive.

La Lagune

Haut-Médoc third growth

Viticulture dates back to the latter half of the 16th century at La Lagune, one of the oldest vineyards in the Médoc.

The name refers to the 80ha property’s 15 springs and a 34ha marsh adjacent to the vineyard reinforces the point.

This is the southernmost of the 1855 Médoc Grand Cru Classé properties, located between the city of Bordeaux and the Margaux appellation just to its north.

Since 2000, the château has been owned by the Frey family, who are also the proprietors of Domaine de la Chapelle in Hermitage.

The property is 110ha in total with most of its plots around the château. An outcrop of deep gravel cuts through the centre of the vineyard, bordered on both sides by sandy gravel transitioning to gravel 1m-2m above the water table. Another parcel close by contains compact gravel and sandy soils. T

he distribution of plantings corresponds to this, with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon planted on the gravelliest areas, 30% Merlot on sandy gravels and 10% Petit Verdot on a cross-section of the two.

Small plots of Cabernet Franc, Castet, Malbec, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc can also be found.

Bespoke tailoring

A massal selection was started in the mid-2010s for the property’s Petit Verdot, a project which has now extended to the other two principal varieties.

Organic certification in 2016 was quickly followed by biodynamic certification in 2021.

The winery has benefited from the Frey family’s investments, with vats tailored in number and size to the plots to be accommodated. Maturation is relatively short for a Grand Cru Classé, lasting 12-14 months in 50% new oak.

I’ve had good experiences with La Lagune as old as the 1970, tasted in 2018. Usually showing dark red fruit, mineral and leather, it’s a wine that’s easy to like.

Pertinent to this list, it’s a wine that’s also easy to afford. The 2019, which I thought represented excellent value when I tasted it at the Union des Grands Crus tasting in 2022, is widely available in UK bond for around £35.

Even older vintages from 1982-1990 can often be found priced at less than £100 and, though I have not tasted it in a decade, the 1986 then seemed like it had a long life ahead.

Talbot

St-Julien fourth growth

Vintages such as the 1982, 1985 and 1986 made Talbot a favourite for many Bordeaux lovers, with their characterfully St-Julien notes rendered in a satisfyingly fleshy and fragrant, yet often rustic, frame.

Quality softened through the 1990s-2010s – the wines didn’t have their old density or vim – but since 2015 things have been on the right track, particularly since the arrival of general manager Jean-Michel Laporte in 2018.

I’ve been hugely impressed with Talbots between 1924-1961, and I think that Laporte has his sights set on that level of quality.

The trajectory of the wines made under his aegis has certainly suggested that he’s capable of fulfilling his ambitions for the property.

Talbot’s vineyard comprises 110ha in a single block in northwestern St-Julien, 94ha of which are planted with vines.

Sitting on the western edge of Terrace 3, mainly comprised of gravel 50-70cm deep over clay and sandstone, the vineyard is planted to 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot.

A programme of replanting began in 2007, with vines now grafted to 101-14 and occasionally 3309 rootstocks, replacing the higher-yielding, drought-susceptible SO4 rootstock, which was once so common to the region.

Modulating the leaf surface area (beyond canopy height alone) has helped to optimise ripeness.

Talbot terroir

In the winery, the extraction strategy has shifted toward a lighter touch to avoid coarse tannins.

Talbot is free of brettanomyces’ influence nowadays, owing to a combination of co-inoculation and, on occasion, reverse osmosis during maturation if the brett-attuned nose of cellar master Jean-Max Drouilhet detects it.

This has allowed the current team’s wonderful work, and Talbot’s terroir, to shine through unobscured.

Since 2016, I’ve found Talbot full of reliably lush yet fresh fruit, delicately spicy, subtly minty, inflected by unsmoked tobacco, sometimes with exotic wood accents.

It’s a wonderful era for the property and it would be wise to capitalise on this iconic St-Julien while prices remain favourable.

Vintages since 2018 are widely available in UK bond for £35-£45 per bottle. This offers excellent value as these will drink well reasonably young, though they possess the substance and balance to allow them to develop interestingly over coming decades.

Among mature vintages, the 1986 is a particularly good value, available for between £140-£180.

Haut-Bages Libéral

Pauillac fifth growth

The static nature of the 1855 Médoc Classification can make it hard to notice recent changes among the classified growths, even when they’re dramatic.

Such is the case at Haut-Bages Libéral, a fifth growth Pauillac now greatly overperforming.

I’d enjoyed encounters with the château’s wines, but they generally weren’t attention-grabbing – until seeing what technical director Thomas Bontemps has been up to since 2018.

The property is comprised of 30ha in three plots which run along the northern boundaries of Châteaux Latour, Pichon Baron and Pichon Comtesse.

The easternmost, just north of the Enclos of Latour, is gravelly with a high content of clay and limestone, conferring power and facilitating water retention in periods of hydric stress.

Moving to the west, plots are more typical to the gravel-rich plateau of Bages. The distribution of plantings has been about 70% Cabernet Sauvignon (with replanting nowadays from massal selection) and 30% Merlot; though now a little bit of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot are being planted – and, with an eye toward its potential in the era of climate change, a bit of Carmenère, too.

Bontemps’ goal is for the vines to self-regulate as much as possible, with the use of soft pruning techniques and avoidance of trimming in periods of vine stress, even if tendrils creep higher than the desired canopy height (1.4m, soil to top).

New farming approaches

Farming methods are a central part of owner Claire Villars-Lurton’s philosophy, and the property has been certified organic since 2019 and biodynamic since 2021.

A recent study identified 25 types of plant life per square metre among the vines, promoting micronutrient balance and soil aeration.

Four sheep help to regulate cover crops when they compete excessively with the vine.

This is one of the few estates to have plots with fruit trees interspersed among the vines, with influences on water consumption, water mobilisation, competition with the vine and biodiversity studied closely.

I am not a partisan for any particular viticultural approach, be it lutte raisonnée (where chemical treatments are only applied when absolutely necessary), organic or biodynamic, but whatever Thomas Bontemps and Claire Villars-Lurton are doing has clearly made the wines of Haut-Bages Libéral much more interesting and, in turn, excellent value.

The wines since 2018 have shown real power and depth. They are big yet balanced, full of deep raspberry and blackberry nuances and often freshened with a beautiful violet note.

Despite their excellence, vintages from 2018 on are easy to find in UK bond for £25-£30 per bottle.

Cos Labory

St-Estèphe fifth growth

In blind tastings of the five 1855 Grands Crus Classés of St-Estèphe, it’s usually obvious which two originate on the hill of Cos: Cos d’Estournel and Cos Labory often share an aromatic profile – the terroir has a real voice.

With no Audoy heirs ready to assume the reins at the château, Cos Labory was sold to Cos d’Estournel’s owner Michel Reybier in March 2023.

It is the first time since 1860 that the two properties have been united under the same ownership (their plots and wines will remain separate).

Conversations with technical director Angélique Vigouroux and her mentor Dominique Arangoïts at Cos d’Estournel have me more excited about Cos Labory than ever.

The hill of Cos is a geological layer-cake, with gravel on clay over limestone. Cos Labory has 35ha, with four of its five plots located on the gravelly top of the hill or its south, west and northern slopes, where the clay-limestone elements are closer to the surface and the exposure promotes slower ripening than among plots belonging to Cos d’Estournel.

Personality and quality

The mix of vines is currently 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, though those numbers may shift, likewise which varieties are planted in which plots following recently completed soil studies.

A massal selection is planned from some of Cos Labory’s excellent Cabernet Franc, while Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot from Cos d’Estournel’s massal selection may be planted.

Cos Labory is in the process of transitioning to organic viticulture. Vigouroux has also brought a lighter touch to vinification, with moderate fermentation temperatures (usually 26°-27°C) and pumping-over regimes adjusted such that extraction is lightened further. Like La Lagune, Cos Labory employs one of the shorter maturation periods seen among the 1855 Grands Crus Classés, usually 12-14 months in 25%-30% new oak.

Typically offering a combination of plum, pomegranate, blue/blackberries and floral potpourri, there’s a lot to like in Cos Labory.

While traditionally the property’s wines haven’t been as profound as those of its neighbour on the hill, they shouldn’t be discounted – Cos Labory offers real personality and a quality (particularly since 2010) that has surpassed its price.

The 2010 can still be found for £30 in bond, with vintages since 2016 available for between £25-£30 per bottle.

Léoville Poyferré

St-Julien second growth

The list has come full circle, back to northern St-Julien, and back to another Léoville.

A gentler touch has been the rule here, under the guidance of Sara Lecompte Cuvelier (managing director since 2018), with no reverse osmosis in the cellar, less de-leafing in the vineyard and increased viticultural precision overall.

The Cuvelier family’s holdings in St-Julien total 80ha, though 20ha are now entirely dedicated to Château Moulin Riche. Leoville Poyferré’s plots are mainly west of the village of St-Julien, running on a southeast-northwest axis.

The easternmost plots sit on rich Terrace 4 gravel, but moving progressively west, sandy gravel, sand and sandy clay are found. The distribution of plantings is 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc, though Merlot is often more highly represented in the grand vin’s blend.

Much has changed in recent years. Between 2006 and 2015, both sides of the vine were regularly de-leafed, which could exaggerate ripeness in vintages such as 2009.

A return to a more moderate de-leafing strategy and targeting moderate yields (around 45hl/ha) have helped Léoville Poyferré to retain equilibrium in hot vintages (Poyferré’s 2018 notably contrasts with its 2009, for example).

Decadently elegant

Work in the winery has favoured increasing delicacy also; reverse osmosis is no longer performed (the Merlot still often has a saignée – ‘bleeding off’ some of the juice from the skins to increase concentration).

Similarly, an R-pulse has replaced délestage (an oxygenating cap management technique also known as ‘rack and return’), perhaps refining the quality of Poyferré’s tannins.

An optical sorter has been in use since 2009 and the new winery, constructed in 2010, increased the number of vats from 35 to 57 to allow for individual plot selection.

The wines show the aromatic spectrum typical to the Léovilles, with mixed blue, black and red berries complemented by a potpourri perfume, but Poyferré tends to be the roundest, most plush of the three after a few years of bottle age.

While this differentiating characteristic can be emphasised by various interventions, the majority of its distinction from Léoville Las Cases and Léoville Barton lies in its terroir.

Take 1982 and 1990, for example, when the grape mix was similar, and different outside consultants were not yet involved – Poyferré’s place as the most decadently elegant of the three was just as assured as it is now.

While Léoville Poyferré is one of the more expensive wines on this list, it’s actually an excellent value en primeur and the secondary market is also full of value, with vintages such as 2005 and 2010 drinking well and trading at around £90 in bond.

Great value cru classé Bordeaux

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There’s been something of the stench of death around en primeur of late.

In early April, Decanter ran a story with the suitably dramatic declaration that: ‘If the Bordeaux 2025 campaign isn’t successful then en primeur is dead!’

The source of that quote was Edouard Mouiex, owner of the négociant Ets Jean-Pierre Moueix, which distributes top Bordeaux to more than 500 importers.

Or there was the analysis from Bordeaux Index in the May issue of Decanter, which likened recent campaigns to ‘a zombie franchise’ that was ‘hard to kill’.

Fine wine marketplace, Liv-ex, said in its pre-campaign report: ‘We are all rooting for the en primeur system… But, its longevity and success are by no means guaranteed.’

Doom and gloom over en primeur is nothing new. Successive years have brought repeated warnings around rising prices, a broken system, low customer sentiment, négociants on the brink of collapse, piles of unsold stock in cellars and warehouses.

It’s hard, though, to quantify how stretched exactly the system really is.

How much relief has the non-Bordeaux component really brought to négociants account books? How much stock are we actually talking about?

The warnings are dire but the hard facts are scarce. Push someone on what they actually know and they get all tight-lipped. One is merely left with the vague sense of the Damoclean but rarely a palpable threat of the sword.

At this point, all one can do is shrug and see if adding one more card will bring the whole house crashing down.

Here then are some things we do know as this new campaign begins.

Losing friends and allies

Last year’s campaign was dire. The 2024s were a reasonably solid if unspectacular set of wines offered with substantial cuts on the 2023s.

And yet, said Liv-ex, ‘several of our members [reported] declines of over 50%.’

Château Lafite Rothschild 2024 was the cheapest vintage of the first growth available on the market. In quite limited quantities too.

But, ‘it remains readily available’, added Liv-ex.

It’s not just long-term wine collectors who have felt let-down by the process, it’s the people selling the stuff too – nominally Bordeaux’s stalwart allies.

With sales in the doldrums meaning its waning importance as a headline sales event, frustration with en primeur has become more openly manifest among leading merchants in the UK and the US.

It started with little acts of rebellion – refusing to buy certain wines or openly expressing disappointment with certain offers and has grown from there.

As Liv-ex noted, last year merchants took increasingly stronger stances, ‘most cutting their purchasing significantly or buying solely on request, others publicly abandoning the system altogether’.

And it seems this is going to be the case this year as well, with reports of major merchants slashing their buying budgets and drastically limiting the number of wines they intend to offer.

Just when Bordeaux is starting to need it most, its open avenues to market are shrinking before its eyes.

Additional concerns

Then there is the overall economic situation. Looking again at last year’s market overview, things arguably felt a little bleaker.

The threat of US tariffs on European wines felt especially destabilising last year but, while they are now in place, one can at least plan around them. Even if, predicted Liv-ex, US participation will probably be limited as a result.

But there’s no doubt people are not feeling flush. There’s lethargy and caution in languid measure.

The war with Iran and subsequent standoff in the Strait of Hormuz gave financial markets a shock earlier in the year though the situation looks a little less choppy at present.

Bordeaux Index commented that: ‘Buyer sentiment remains weak and, in this era of omni-crises, only a fool would assume the outlook will surprise on the upside.’

Finding bright spots

None of the above exactly sets this year’s campaign up for a strong start. But there are a few positives to be found.

Market conditions are improving – The fine wine secondary market appears to have arrested its deep decline which means prices are less volatile.

Liv-ex noted that: ‘As the Bordeaux 500 moves its way out of (technical) oversold territory, price stability (rather than rapid rises) is likely.’

This is somewhat positive for the new vintage as it gives it a chance of offering some value relative to older wines rather than immediately looking overpriced.

It’s a good vintage – It really is. Maybe not great, and many commentators seem torn on exactly how good it really is – there are many comparisons being made to recent notable vintages such as 2022, 2019 and 2016 – but it’s certainly a BIG step up from 2024.

Despite some tough conditions, there is broad agreement that the good wines are going to be very, very drinkable.

The exchange is in collectors’ favour – if you’re not buying in euros that is. But recent strengthening of the US dollar and sterling increases the purchasing power in two core markets.

And, noted Liv-ex, if the Bank of England holds interest rates while European Central Banks cut, that purchasing power may strengthen further.

Possibility for ‘bargains’? – All things being relative of course but if prices don’t move much from last year’s heavily discounted level… there’s the chance to pick up some top wines for a song.

It’s a small vintage – Very small actually. Last year it was announced that 2024 was the smallest yield since the frost-struck 1991. That title lasted until, well, 2025.

Overall production in 2025 was well under half that of 2016 (admittedly a big vintage) and production at some estates is miniscule. As well as very limited quantities of first wines, a few estates won’t even be producing second wines at all, including Cheval Blanc and Ausone.

Now, this does raise problems for the Bordelais – see below – but as Bordeaux Index said, ‘in a market still grappling with excess supply, it may prove helpful [to prevent further over-supply].’

And from the Bordelais point of view it somewhat puts the ball back in your court. If you want it (and the price is right) you may not want to hang around.

If the price is right

Which brings us on to that ultimate thorny question of every en primeur campaign – the price.

The mantra of commentators and more vocal merchants like Liv-ex and Bordeaux Index respectively is always along the lines of ‘listen to the market’ and ‘pricing must reflect reality’.

The simple fact is that Bordeaux producers are in a bind this year. The wines are better than last year but with expectations and buyer confidence ‘muted’ there’s very little room for rises.

Anything over 15% probably risks all-out mutiny. And this is a vintage that the Bordelais need to sell.

As mentioned above it’s a very small vintage. And while small vintages can involve higher quality wines (as this one proves) as Bordeaux editor, Georgie Hindle, has been at pains to stress, there comes a point where small vintages don’t become commercially viable.

This was the case last year as well, and we’re now in a string of several small vintages in a row.

After a while, the cost of production – expensive sorting machines, labour to pick grapes, new barrels (close to €1,000 a pop now) etc. etc. – starts to add up and outweigh the return being achieved.

If you’re being hard-nosed you might shrug and say that’s the price of past mistakes. A longer-term approach to pricing strategies and building relationships would have been the sensible option, rather than chasing the quick money.

But there’s always room to make right and the first two releases of this campaign – Château Pontet-Canet and Château Batailley – suggest Bordeaux is once again willing to make amends.

Learn the hard lessons

The campaign has just begun of course. If this is going to be a quick campaign (as some think) then there is always a danger that momentum starts to see prices rise and positive early murmurs turn to disinterested grumbles by the mid-to-late point.

The Bordelais need to bear in mind that market stability is not full recovery and, said Liv-ex, ‘it is tenuous, contingent on supportive geopolitical and economic conditions and the perseverance of buyers’.

Bordeaux Index laid out a reminder that, ‘today’s buyer is better informed and more selective than ever,’ referencing the shift in buying habits to other French, Italian, and global fine wines that have taken such a chunk out of Bordeaux’s market share in recent years.

‘Bordeaux isn’t essential,’ it concluded, ‘but it can still be irresistible.’

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Take our Bordeaux en primeur quiz below

Bordeaux en primeur season is upon us, with the first releases emerging this week, and we've compiled a light-hearted, 10-question quiz related to this annual landmark in the wine calendar.

These multiple choice questions blend history with recent trends and general knowledge around en primeur.

Follow all of Decanter's in-depth Bordeaux 2025 en primeur coverage via our dedicated page. Hundreds of exclusive tasting notes are set to be published for Decanter Premium subscribers on Friday 1 May.

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Bordeaux 2025 arrives to mixed market

Bordeaux’s latest en primeur season has arrived, entering a market that’s balancing improved buyer sentiment against macroeconomic uncertainty and plentiful supplies.

Bordeaux’s 2025 vintage has garnered an early reputation as a high-quality, low-volume crop, though barrel samples of the wines were still being tasted as Decanter went to press.

The build-up to this year’s releases campaign was dominated by heightened macroeconomic uncertainty and intense scrutiny of the en primeur system, yet also better fine wine market sentiment.

Geraint Carter, of international merchant Bordeaux Index and the LiveTrade online trading platform, said: ‘There’s a bit more activity around Bordeaux than there was a year ago, and a fair chunk of that is in younger vintages – such as 2019 and 2020 – where prices have [largely] come down and they appear to represent value.’ (See table below)

At Liv-ex, a global marketplace for the trade, the Bordeaux 500 index crept up 0.2% in value in the first quarter of 2026, although it was still down 15.3% over five years.

Sophia Gilmour, Liv-ex market analyst, described the broader market as ‘stable but precarious’.

Despite improved conditions in the past six months, she said: ‘We’ll more than likely bump along the bottom for a while as buyers rebuild their trust in prices and sellers begin to clear the surplus stock.’

Carter said there’s no shortage of young, good-quality Bordeaux. He cited 2019 as a high-quality vintage offering a potential point of comparison for the 2025-vintage campaign.

He suggested that if one assumes that the vintages are of similar quality, 2025 would have to be ‘at a serious discount to current 2019 [vintage] prices’ (see table) to be interesting from an investment perspective.

Release prices above this level may still attract collectors seeking to secure ex-château wines for future drinking pleasure, of course.

Many châteaux have already cut release prices over the past two campaigns, albeit sales for 2024-vintage wines were generally weak.

In the US, ongoing uncertainty regarding current and future tariffs were an additional stumbling block, said Shaun Bishop, CEO of California-based merchant JJ Buckley.

‘If the client doesn’t fully understand the final (delivered) price, then the en primeur release pricing is pretty much moot.’

The Bordeaux Index view

Fine wine & spirits specialist Bordeaux Index kindly sponsors this section of Decanter, and provides its view on the market here every issue. It can be found at bordeauxindex.com

Reanimating en primeur

To the cynic, Bordeaux en primeur 2025 feels like the fifth instalment of a zombie franchise that ran out of ideas in part two: hard to kill and increasingly divorced from reality.

Expectations are understandably muted, with recent campaigns having lurched between the frustrating and the frankly absurd.

And yet, there are still grounds for cautious optimism. Early indications suggest a vintage of genuine quality. In an era of ever-greater precision in vineyard management and cellar technique, it’s a welcome reminder that greatness still rests heavily on nature’s goodwill.

Encouragingly, 2025 also continues a run of smaller vintages which, in isolation, is rarely good news for producers or consumers, but in a market still grappling with excess supply, it may prove helpful.

However, all of this will be squandered if pricing is wrong. So we end with a gentle exhortation to producers: the small improvement in sentiment late last year shouldn’t be mistaken for a full recovery.

Buyer sentiment remains weak and, in this era of omni-crises, only a fool would assume the outlook will surprise to the upside. Today’s buyer is better informed and more selective than ever, and with ample back vintages available and the cost of capital rising, pricing must reflect reality.

Bordeaux isn’t essential, but it can still be irresistible. Price with realism and humility, or risk becoming the sequel nobody asked for.

Auction news and latest releases

Latour 2019 makes its debut

Château Latour 2019 (100pts, Decanter) has been one of several high-profile releases hitting the market for the first time in recent weeks.

Latour 2019 was around £2,790 (6x75cl in bond) in the UK. Liv-ex, a global marketplace for the trade, said the wine was among the more expensive Latour vintages on the market but below the price of Latour 2016, a fellow 100-point wine released to widespread acclaim last year.

Geraint Carter, of Bordeaux Index and the LiveTrade online trading platform, said demand for Latour 2019 began modestly but that the wine ended up selling ‘pretty well’.

Other Bordeaux releases in recent weeks have included Château d’Yquem 2023, with particularly strong scores.

Liv-ex quoted an ex-negociant price of €255-a-bottle, similar to other recent vintages, with an international release price of £3,120 (12x75cl in bond).

Fine wine diary: What's coming up

Taste Bordeaux 2025

Bordeaux’s en primeur campaign will likely dominate the releases landscape in May. In London, Berry Bros & Rudd will host a tasting of Bordeaux 2025 samples on 12 May. Prospective buyers can also read in-depth analysis and exclusive tasting notes from the vintage online via Decanter.com and Decanter Premium, and look out for a report in the next issue.

One-off Oregon wines

A 10th edition of the Willamette Valley Wine Auction will take place in May, showcasing one-of-a-kind, 2024-vintage wines from this US stronghold for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. An online auction and live event on 13 May will be followed by a trade-only sale on 14 May. For more details, see the auction website.

Christie’s in Asia

Christie’s is set to auction the fifth, and final, instalment of rare wines from the cellar of collector Joseph Lau, in Hong Kong on 22 May. It’s part of a series of sales of different collectibles, ranging from fine art to precious jewels, to mark 40 years of Christie’s auctions in Asia.

Clos Vougeot festival and auction

The 18th edition of the Musique et Vin au Clos Vougeot, to be held in June, will feature charity auctions of a range of top Burgundy wines. Sotheby’s said that it will host an online auction from 15 to 30 June, and there will be a live sale and gala dinner on 28 June, the final evening of the festival.

Please note: Release schedules are subject to change.

Decanter’s Market Watch pages are published for informational purposes only and do not constitute investment advice. Wine prices may vary and they can go down as well as up. Seek independent advice where necessary and be aware that wine investment is unregulated in several markets, including the UK.

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1. One of the earliest harvests on record but the wines don’t taste like it

From the very beginning the 2025 season was in a hurry. Budbreak was nearly two weeks ahead of average, flowering flew through in mid-May under perfect dry conditions, and véraison hit in late July.

Temperatures were above the 10-year average for almost all of the growing cycle and record levels of water deficits during the ripening period explain the extremely precocious nature of the vintage.

Dry whites were picked from mid-August (Sauvignon as early as the 11th), Merlot kicked off historically early at the end of August at some estates and Cabernet followed in mid-September.

It’s one of the earliest harvests most growers can remember yet it has delivered remarkable aromatic purity and surprising freshness with overall low pHs (meaning high and fresh acidity).

2. The weather delivered the perfect mix of stress and relief

A mild winter, rapid even flowering and a long dry summer built serious concentration.

June and August were scorching (2025 sits second only to 2003 for days above 35°C), but crucially the nights stayed relatively cool, preserving acidity.

The real hero moment came at the end of August when the tail-end of Hurricane Erin brought 25–100 mm of rain depending on where you were (up to 90mm in Pauillac but around 25mm in Pomerol).

That timely shower eased the vines and, while it didn’t add any significant volume, it finished ripening the late Cabernets, prevented over-ripeness and kept alcohols surprisingly moderate (mostly 12.5–13.5 %).

Growers are calling it the ‘blessing’ and without it a style that would have been much more in keeping with that of 2022.

The 2025s also benefited from limited mildew pressure, no frost and no real risk of rot.

In short, it ticked all five classic preconditions for a great vintage – something that has happened only twice since 2021.

3. The style is concentrated yet fresh - reds, whites and sweets all shining

Tastings show reds with beautiful skin-to-juice ratios, thick-skinned small berries, high colour, ripe but refined tannins and juicy, cool fruit.

Despite all the heat and drought, they don’t have the opulence of 2022. Many people (myself included) are finding them closer in feel to 2020 and especially 2023 with some elements of both 2016 and 2019.

Cabernets are tight and compact for now, Merlots fruit-forward and supple on the best limestone/clay sites.

Dry whites are astonishingly aromatic and lively despite the earliness, with pH around 3.1 (so acidities are fresh).

Sweet wines from Sauternes and Barsac also did tremendously well: noble rot arrived cleanly after the late-August rain, giving concentration yet vibrancy.

It’s rare for every category to look this promising at once. While not universally brilliant like 2016 or 2022, quality is excellent at the top level and the best wines are genuinely exceptional.

4. Yields are tiny – the smallest since 1991

This is the fifth year in a row of low production and 2025 has taken it even further. The Gironde expects around 290 million litres (average 33.6hl/ha) – roughly half the volume of a big year like 2016.

Many classed-growth estates are reporting 26–35hl/ha, with some white plots as low as 20hl/ha.

The low volumes were partly expected from the outset because of poor floral initiation caused by the difficult 2024 growing season (small flower clusters meant fewer bunches right from the start).

On top of that, the severe hydric stress this year further reduced berry size and weight.

Add in the fact that 20,000 hectares of vineyard have been ripped up or abandoned in the past three years and you can see why supply is now extremely tight.

Quality-wise the concentration is ideal; economically it’s a real challenge for growers.

5. Market-wise, this could be one of the smartest buys in years

With production this low (it will be the smallest number of Château Margaux grand vin bottles since 1856!) and quality high, the 2025s are going to be scarce.

If opening prices rise only modestly from 2024 (which is what many négociants are hoping for) – or not at all – the 2025s will be sitting at roughly half the current secondary-market level of the legendary 2010 vintage.

While that feels like proper value, especially when the wines combine early drinkability with the potential to age, these are not easy times for the Bordeaux market or wine market in general.

In any case, with the campaign already underway (Pontet Canet announced its price on 29 April), it's going to be interesting to see it unfold.

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Top châteaux from Pauillac to Pomerol are preparing their Bordeaux 2025 en primeur release offers after the region welcomed journalists, critics and merchants from across the world for its annual barrel tastings.

This Friday (1 May), hundreds of exclusive tasting notes on Bordeaux 2025 wines will be made available to Decanter Premium subscribers, alongside in-depth analysis on the vintage and market conditions – to give readers the best possible insight.

Early signs point to a small yet thrilling Bordeaux 2025 vintage at many estates, with the best wines hitting heights that one has come to associate with years ending in ‘5’.

Pricing will inevitably be an important factor in a Bordeaux 2025 en primeur campaign that is facing persistent macroeconomic storm clouds and a wine market that is well-stocked with recent vintages.

Decanter's Bordeaux 2025 en primeur coverage

What's coming up on Friday 1 May

• Full Bordeaux 2025 vintage report with in-depth look at key appellations
• Exclusive tasting notes and scores on hundreds of Bordeaux 2025 wines
• Market insights, including expert commentary and release price analysis
• Decanter Value Index: The best first growth vintages for collectors

Setting the scene

At its best, en primeur is a great opportunity to secure ex-château stocks of brilliant wines in a variety of bottle formats – at an advantageous price.

The small size of the Bordeaux 2025 crop at many estates could enhance the sense of en primeur as a buying opportunity.

However, sales have broadly struggled in recent campaigns amid challenging market conditions. Some wines have fallen in price following en primeur release, according to several sources, including Liv-ex, a global marketplace for the trade.

Despite some relative success stories for individual names, the en primeur system has come under further scrutiny.

‘There are always some wines that “work”,’ wrote market expert Miles Davis, of Vinum Fine Wines, in his April report – setting out reasons why the merchant still backs en primeur.

However, he said a key problem to date has been ‘comparable vintages available on the secondary market at prices less than the new release’.

Many châteaux have made big efforts to cut release prices in the past two years, and pricing will inevitably be something to watch closely this time around.

With the right vintage at the right price, en primeur can be an exciting time.

It's also an opportunity to explore the latest vintage to have arrived in Bordeaux estates' cellars.

Insights gleaned during en primeur offer an unrivalled window into winemaking developments across a region that is sometimes underrated for its ability to balance tradition with dynamism.

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Edouard Moueix, owner of the négociant Ets Jean-Pierre Moueix, which distributes top Bordeaux to more than 500 importers across 87 countries, is under no illusions as to the significance of the impending En Primeur season.

And he is well positioned to know.

Something of a Bordeaux kingpin, his family also owns of a string of stellar properties on the region’s Right Bank, from the Pomerol estates La Fleur-Pétrus, Hosanna and Trotanoy to the St-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé Château Bélair-Monange.

Coming from such an authoritative source, it is a bold statement.

‘En Primeur is a wounded animal’

It is while in London to showcase his wines to the high-end clientele of Swiss fine-wine merchant Vintage Cellar that Moueix shares with me some candid reflections on the market.

‘En Primeur is a wounded animal,’ says the 49-year-old, citing the past three campaigns.

‘2024 was not a great vintage; 2023 was good but the volumes were huge, so there was no urgency; and the 2022 wines were fantastic but the prices were extremely high so it didn’t work.’

2025, he says, will be a ‘good-to-very-good-vintage’ across the board, with small volumes, which could help stimulate the market.

He predicts, with some confidence, that prices will be ‘very similar’ to 2024 – most likely with a modest increase, but for much better quality.

‘Put all those elements together, and it should be a successful campaign,’ he says. ‘If it isn’t, there’s a real problem.’

The hot, dry summer of 2025 yielded fewer but also smaller grapes, while the major rain events of the season were relatively localised.

As a result, says Moueix: ‘What I’ve tasted so far suggests the difference between the Left Bank and Right Bank. The elegance and controlled power on the Left Bank versus full-bodied and rounded juiciness on the Right Bank is more exaggerated this year.’

He expresses hope that En Primeur will be a relatively early and quick campaign – something that would further bolster the likelihood of a successful market response.

‘Our dream, as a négociant, is that the wines are all released by the time of [the trade show] Vinexpo in Hong Kong.'

This is set for the final week of May.

‘Worldwide crisis’

Moueix is adamant that Bordeaux producers know they need to keep prices down in a depressed market, but is keen to stress that the challenges are not just linked to the Gironde.

‘There's a massive crisis in wine all around the world,’ he says.

He is also quick to point out that it’s not just Bordeaux where prices have risen to an extent where consumers have been priced out.

‘I can’t afford to drink Burgundy anymore,’ he adds.

Though he is too diplomatic to say so, I sense a lingering frustration that Bordeaux has borne the brunt of price criticism compared to his counterparts in the Côte d’Or.

‘Bordeaux-bashing has become a national sport,’ he laughs. ‘There is a perception that Burgundy producers are always in the vineyard, while we are holed up in our big châteaux.’

Part of the problem, he believes, is that most Bordeaux producers don’t sell their wines themselves, which keeps them a step removed from the market.

‘What are they waiting for?’

Pouring Hosanna 2009 and La Fleur-Pétrus 2010 for the well-heeled customers of Vintage Cellar, however, Moueix says there is one trend for which Bordeaux producers should be grateful to Burgundy – the move to lower the age at which its wines are opened.

‘My grandfather never drank wines that were 50 years old,’ he said. ‘It’s only more recently that people started venerating wines of that age. Take the [Bordeaux] 2000s. That was a quarter of a century ago, yet some people still say they’re too young. What are they waiting for?’

Part of the reason, he says, is that the 1990s and 2000s yielded many ‘over-extracted’ wines which were ‘undrinkable’ on release.

‘That and the scourge of investment,’ he adds, which made such wines ‘better for the ego’.

Today, such hoarding is less in vogue, with consumers seemingly keen to broach wines earlier – a fashion that Moueix is pleased to see.

‘We should be drinking Bordeaux like Burgundy, at 10 to 15 years old. At 15 years old, you still have some fruit, but you have tertiary aromas too. The wine has found its balance. You have more pleasure.

'The older the wine, the more it loses its identity. With a 50-year-old wine, you’re lucky if you can even tell it’s from Bordeaux.’

‘100% Merlot… no faking it’

In general, however, fashion is not something of which Moueix takes heed. He remains a staunch champion of Merlot in the face of less-than-popular consumer perceptions – and viticultural challenges.

‘We’re very much into 100% Merlot for most of our properties,’ he says. ‘That way, there's no faking it. It’s the expression of a terroir through one variety.’

‘You can plant Cabernet Sauvignon wherever you want and you're going to produce a good to very good wine. There are very few places in the world where Merlot thrives and produces such a great level of quality and complexity, across an entire region, as it does on the Right Bank.’

That is something worth championing, he argues. And yet… ‘Most Right Bank wines are 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, but all people talk about is the Cab Franc. Why?’

The one place where the Moueix clan does focus on Cabernet is Napa Valley, where Edouard’s father Christian, who turns 80 this year, still manages the family’s Dominus Estate.

The project, begun in 1983, provides the family with an even broader perspective on the global market – and things are no rosier in California, Edouard says.

A quarter of the grapes in the Napa Valley went unpicked last year, he claims, with producers unwilling to buy from growers when they couldn’t be sure of selling the final wine.

‘It’s not a pretty time for the US’

Meanwhile, political tensions mean the $1bn Canadian market, as well as pockets elsewhere, has all but disappeared.

‘It’s not a pretty time for the US,’ he says. ‘They’re hurting. It’s a big concern. We’re going to release the 2023 Dominus soon, and I’m not quite sure what to do.’

There are challenges beyond financial and political upheaval, he adds. ‘Our biggest competition in the US is drugs.’

‘Cannabis?’ I ask.

‘That and Ozempic,’ he replies, of injectable appetite suppressant. ‘Ozempic is a massive problem.’

It all makes for something of a perfect storm. Yet this dynamo of the Bordeaux scene is far from downbeat.

‘Wine is such a magical product. It makes you feel better, makes you more social, brings inspiration to your conversation, loosens boundaries. What other product can offer that?’ Certainly not Ozempic.

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The 2025 Bordeaux vintage is already being hailed as another excellent year ending in ‘5’ that combines ripeness and structure with modern precision and purity.

Early tastings suggest the quality belies the demanding vintage conditions, which saw unrelenting heat and drought throughout the season.

While it's hard to summarise the entire vintage so early on, the first tastings reveal a few key elements:

• Expressive aromatic displays
• Ripe tannins: sometimes chewy and fleshy from clay soils; more direct and streamlined from limestone soils
• High acidities with low pHs
• Generally quite cool fruit profiles – not sunny or opulent like 2022
• Excellent integration of oak with reduced new oak in many cases
• Good concentration and intensity of flavour but without any heaviness
• Despite ripe tannins they're on the whole juicy, delicate and finessed
• Cabernet-heavy wines are relatively tight and compact at this early stage
• Stylistically, they resemble a combination of 2020 and 2016 although some say with the brightness and juiciness of 2023

Growers and consultants have spoken of exceptional concentration, aromatic purity and a freshness that contradicts the record-breaking heat.

Yet this potential brilliance comes with a stark caveat: yields are dramatically low.

The Gironde is expecting about 3.6 million hectolitres, 15% below the five-year average, with many estates reporting 28-40 hl/ha (the average in Pauillac is 30hl/ha) and some white plots down by as much as 50%.

This is largely as a direct consequence of the previous year's conditions, meaning bunch numbers were low and volumes were limited from the outset.

While this is disappointing from a revenue and economic viability aspect, it may have also been somewhat of a blessing, as the heat and drought conditions would not have been able to sustain larger quantities.

The growing season

The 2025 vintage was defined by earliness from the start. A milder-than-average winter led to budbreak around 25 March.

This was nearly two weeks ahead of the norm and the earliest start to a season since 1989.

Flowering was not only early but remarkably fast and uniform, arriving on 13-14 May under dry, sunny skies – a week ahead of average and with minimal coulure (berries not developing).

A water deficit started to appear in early June, bar storms that affected Pessac-Léognan on the 13th.

Veraison (the ripening and colouring of grapes) followed swiftly, beginning in mid July on the earliest Merlots and spreading evenly.

These phenological advances set the stage for one of the earliest harvests on record – a phrase I'm coming to use with more regularity.

Summer brought unrelenting heat. The month of June was one of the hottest ever recorded in France (second only to 2003 since records began in 1900), with weeks of temperatures above 35°C.

August intensified the pressure: 10 days above 35°C, peaking near or above 40°C in places (one parcel hit a scorching 42.8°C on 13 August).

However, overnight temperatures throughout the month were consistently cool, creating a high diurnal range, again differentiating the season from that of 2022 which experienced warm summer evenings.

Drought stress – but low alcohols

Rainfall was scarce until late August, creating nearly six weeks of significant drought that halted berry growth, sugar accumulation and phenolics, particularly on soils that had no water reserves.

This in turn meant resulting alcohols remained relatively low – certainly lower than what might have been expected – and are markedly different to the range seen in 2022.

Acidities were also kept high with many reds with low pHs; an average of 3.3pH on limestone and 3.6pH on clay.

A timely dose of rain arrived from 28 August into September (90–100mm in many Left Bank zones), easing vine stress, completing ripening and further moderating potential alcohol levels without dilution on well-drained terroirs.

Clay-limestone soils withstood the drought best; gravel and sandy sites suffered more.

The silver lining of this demanding vintage? Disease pressure was minimal.

Almost no frost damage occurred, and mildew – the bane of recent vintages – was notably less virulent thanks to the dry conditions.

Growers needed far fewer treatments than in 2024.

Rich pickings

Harvest began in mid-August for the dry whites, with classified-growth Sauvignon Blanc from 18–19 August, arriving healthy and picked before the main rains.

Merlot followed extraordinarily early – Château Lafleur started on 26 August, Château Troplong Mondot on 28 August with many others beginning on 3 September. The Cabernet Sauvignon harvest started in mid-September.

Sweet-wine picking in Sauternes and Barsac began in the last week of September and stretched into October.

Early botrytis onset allowed a relatively prompt start, and a late-October rally of glorious weather helped concentrate the crop.

While late-summer dryness limited uniform noble rot in some sectors (potentially favouring more elegant, less opulent styles than 2017 or 2020), many producers are enthusiastic about concentrated yet fresh sweet wines with purity and precision.

Harvest tastings showed striking concentration from small, thick-skinned berries. Early vat samples were deeply coloured with pronounced aromas.

Alcohol levels are notably moderate – mostly 12.5-13.5%, rarely nudging 14% – suggesting freshness and balance.

First tastings

So far I've tasted just shy of 200 wines from two early tastings in the past week.

The first at Laboratoire Rolland & Associés in Pomerol and the second Vignerons Consultants (Derenoncourt Consultants) in Sainte-Colombe.

I'm certainly impressed with the initial style and quality of wines that appear to be balanced and focused.

Of the reds, I've noticed two main styles: those that are more chewy and round; and those that are more straight and streamlined.

But, on the whole, there's no overt sunny aromatics or over-mature flavours, with good use of oak, bright acidities and juicy, pure fruit.

Three full weeks of estate visits as well as négociant and group tastings begin on 7 April, with my full report due at the beginning of May.

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Finding value in Burgundy’s 2024 vintage will demand a certain perspicacity on the part of wine lovers.

The vintage is notable for its small size, and low prices seldom coincide with limited availability. However, there are several approaches to finding delightful wines that will not break the bank.

Scroll down for great value picks from Burgundy 2024

Ideas for finding value in Burgundy 2024

The logical place to begin would be with regional appellations, although many of these wines come from vineyards with heavy, deep soils in the plain, where often mildew was at its worst.

Having blind tasted several hundred wines from regional appellations, I found that those from the Hautes-Côtes (Nuits and Beaune) often came out on top.

The top performers were the Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Les Dames Huguette from Domaine Guy & Yvan Dufouleur, and the Bourgogne Haute- Côtes de Beaune blanc from Domaine Jean Guiton, both interesting possibilities.

It will also be rewarding to search in the southern reaches of Burgundy. As I tasted, the further south I travelled, the better the wines became.

The Côte Chalonnaise is a collection of five villages to the south of the Côte d’Or: Bouzeron, Rully, Mercurey, Givry and Montagny. Each of them produced some interesting wines this year.

Top names include Maison Chanzy in Bouzeron, Domaine Belleville in Rully, Château de Chamirey in Mercurey, Domaine du Cellier aux Moines in Givry, and Domaine Stéphane Aladame in Montagny (along with the Montagny wines also made by Domaine du Cellier aux Moines.

Another key tip is to search the diverse range of Chardonnay produced in the Mâconnais. The best of this sector is superb in 2024, with racy acidity, fresh fruit and plenty of structure.

Pouilly-Fuissé had a banner year, but top wines were produced throughout the area.

Domaines with value picks:

• Brett Brothers (and the Domaine de la Soufrandière wines that they also make)
• Domaine Deux Roches
• Domaine Frantz Chagnoleau
• Domaine Jacques Saumaize
• Domaine Merlin
• Domaine Rijckaert (known as Domaine Florent Rouve in the UK)
• Domaine Roc de Boutires
• Domaine Saumaize-Michelin
• Maison Verget (and the Domaine Guffens-Heynen wines made at the same address)

Top value picks from the 2024 vintage:

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• Three white Burgundies under £25 that overdeliver
• Burgundy on a budget: 10 tips to buying smarter
• Grand Auxerrois: The go-to region for value Burgundy?

Growers in Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet benefited from the slightly drier conditions and better flowering in the Côte de Beaune in 2024.

The result is an exceptional balance of finesse, structure and fruit that makes the wines irresistible.

Scroll down for Charles Curtis MW’s 20 top-scoring Chassagne & Puligny-Montrachet 2024 wines

‘The wines in 2024 are more electric than the 2023s,’ says Pierre-Yves Colin, of his eponymous domaine, ‘they are clear and precise and remind me of 2017 and 2014. The great 2024s will age very well.’

‘The wine feels more confident before bottling, and we need much less sulphur than we did before,’ he says.

At Domaine Michel Niellon, winemaker Lucie Coutoux says: ‘The wines have finesse and freshness; they are subtle, discreet and harmonious. They averaged 11%-11.5% potential alcohol at harvest and chaptalised up to 12%-12.45% with a classic pH of 3.1-3.2; but the two grands crus both ripened to more than 12%’.

In Puligny, conditions were similar. At Domaine Jean Chartron, although they lost 15%-20% of their crop, they felt lucky because they caught the mildew problem early and treated it as the second leaf emerged on the new shoots.

Alvina Pernot, of her eponymous domaine, was very pleased with the outcome: ‘This vintage suits our style perfectly. People can go anywhere in the world for Chardonnay at 14%-14.5%, but they come to Burgundy because of this balance.’

Discerning enthusiasts can happily buy many high-scoring wines from these villages in 2024, defined by remarkable balance and fine structures.

Top picks from Chassagne & Puligny:

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• Montrachet 2014: When is the right time to drink up?
• Exploring Montrachet’s grands crus
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Meursault (along with Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet) had, in many respects, less difficulty with the weather in 2024 than many of its neighbours.

The success is due to the dominance of Chardonnay, which had a more successful flowering and was less affected by mildew than the Pinot Noir.

Scroll down for Charles Curtis MW’s 20 top-scoring Meursault 2024 wines

The vintage still required ceaseless work in the vineyard, but the wines from top producers have a combination of seductive fruit aromas on the nose and the structure to age.

Pierre Lafon of Domaine des Comtes Lafon says: ‘2024 was really hard in the vineyard but really easy in the cellar’.

‘For white wines, we “only” lost 25% of the crop and managed to make all of the cuvées,’ he says.

Brian Sieve, winemaker at Domaine de Montille, says that much of the vineyard work was done earlier to preserve freshness in the wine and combat the effects of global warming. ‘The whole cycle is earlier – we plough earlier to open up soils, we pick earlier than we used to, but we still prune late,’ he says.

Benjamin Leroux is a negociant with growing holdings in Meursault, which expanded this year. He had enough grapes in 2024 to produce seven different bottlings of Meursault.

This includes: a blended Meursault village; village-level single-vineyard wines from Vireuils and Narvaux; and premiers crus from Genevrières and Charmes. There are also two separate cuvées of the Meursault Blagny premier cru La Pièce Sous le Bois, separating the old vine fruit for individual bottling in magnum.

Wines from these producers and others tasted blind indicate that 2024 will be a delicious year for Meursault and that the best wines will warrant laying down for a decade or more.

Top picks from Meursault in 2024:

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• Meursault: Regional profile & 33 wines tasted
• Top Meursault 2023 wines en primeur
• Three white Burgundies under £25

Although the 2024 vintage posed challenges for producers of Pinot Noir everywhere, vines were less affected by rain and mildew in the Côte de Beaune and the results were better here than in the Côte de Nuits.

The best reds from the northern Côte de Beaune have much of the hallmarks of lush, supple fruit for which good Burgundian Pinot is so renowned.

Scroll down for Charles Curtis MW’s 20 top-scoring Pommard & Volnay 2024 wines

Wines from Pommard range from tannic and firm to more supple and approachable, while in Volnay the best producers have given us silky, expressive wines.

Paul Zinetti, winemaker at Domaine du Comte Armand, notes that the yields of this famous Pommard producer were the lowest ever, at 15hl/ha. ‘Although there was more rain in 2013, the yields were higher than in 2024,’ he says.

Paul Négrerie, cellarmaster at the nearby Château de Pommard, had a similar experience in 2024: ‘Yields overall were 14hl/ha. Normally we make 200 barrels, this year there were just 80. We didn’t have rot in September but there were dry berries from the mildew. It was important to extract carefully, since you want to extract as much as possible without too much bitterness or green tannin. Compared to other years, there is less ripeness and more elegance.’

According to Frédéric Lafarge in Volnay: ‘This is a vintage of purity, where you can see the differences between all of the terroirs.’ He says that the cold weather in April made the vines fragile, and when the flowering came there were no grapes, just empty tendrils.

Lafarge says that 2024 and 2021 are similar vintages in the glass, but their evolution was very different: 2024 showed more finesse and complexity due to the longer vegetative cycle, while the sudden frost of 2021 was more brutal. He feels that, given vintage conditions, the wines will need a bit longer in barrel (16 months instead of 14).

In general, 2024 is a lighter vintage suited to earlier drinking, but top producers have been able to deliver wines that will be a pleasure to drink when young and suited to at least mid-term ageing of five to 10 years.

Top Pommard & Volnay picks:

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Chambolle-Musigny was a village on the cusp of disaster in 2024.

The southern portion, in Musigny, was particularly hard hit, while the northern part of the village, nearer to Morey-St-Denis, had less trouble.

Scroll down for Charles Curtis MW’s 20 top-scoring Chambolle-Musigny 2024 wines

The quality and style of the wines is variable, and producers with vines at the southern end of the village often despaired of the conditions of the grapes they harvested

Jean Lupatelli, director of Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé, describes the variations within the same village: ‘We did one third of a normal crop after sorting. We didn’t do much whole bunch, except for a bit in Bonnes-Mares. Our yields were 7-8hl/ha in Musigny and 12-13hl/ha in Bonnes-Mares.

‘The “eye of the storm” was in Flagey-Echézeaux, just north of Vosne, where we had two storms with 50mm of rain each time, while in Bonnes-Mares we only had 2mm. The upper portion of Clos Vougeot was terrible, and the southern part of Musigny was hit very hard.’

At Domaine Georges Roumier, I tasted with Alexis Aubin, Christophe Roumier’s nephew, who agrees about the difficulties in Musigny – in fact, the domaine didn’t produce any at all this year.

‘We made 100 barrels in 2024,’ says Aubin, ‘In 2022, it was a “normal” year and we made 200; in 2023 we made 250.’

He says they used a bit more whole bunch than usual for logistical reasons, since they need a certain volume to fill the tank.

A tale of two halves

Wines from this part of the village can be light, astringent and lacking in fruit expression, although some producers, such as Domaine de Comte Georges de Vogüé, overcame innumerable obstacles to produce delightful wines.

Wines from the opposite end of the village in and around Bonnes-Mares were often more robust, with deeper colour, more substance and the expressive floral-scented fruit characteristic of the best of Chambolle.

Antoine Amiot-Servelle of Domaine Amiot-Servelle says: ‘2024 is not the easiest vintage, but I am an old-time optimist. What I will remember is that we stayed organic up until the end.’

‘We are lucky to be in Chambolle and to have [organic producers] all around us. The biggest problem was [to be compelled to do] so much work for so little yield.’

Top-scoring Chambolle-Musigny 2024 wines:

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As with several other villages, there was marked variation in the wines from Gevrey-Chambertin.

The best wines have a pure, perfumed expression of high-toned red fruit character underlined by firm tannins and a bright mineral edge on the palate.

Scroll down for Charles Curtis MW’s 20 top-scoring Gevrey-Chambertin 2024 wines

The most heart-wrenching summary of the vintage in Gevrey came from Cyrielle Rousseau of Domaine Armand Rousseau. ‘When I saw what was going on in the vineyards, I felt sick to my stomach,’ she says, ‘we produced half of what we did in 2021, and the total amount was less than 10hl/ha.’

In the end, the yield was so low that the domaine had to blend together its premiers crus Lavaux St-Jacques and Cazetiers to make a Gevrey premier cru.

For the same reason, it will blend together the Mazis-Chambertin and Ruchottes-Chambertin grands crus, which will have to be declassified to premier cru since it blends two different appellations. The domaine will also blend its grapes from the grands crus of Chambertin and Clos de Bèze, which may be sold simply as Chambertin.

At Domaine Fourrier, cellar master François Orisé says that the domaine lost 70% of its crop to mildew. In order to control the effects, it resorted to using an optical sorter, which Orisé says gives an effect more of concentration than one of dilution.

Take your medicine

The variable quality across the village was also confirmed by winemaker Pierre Duroché of Domaine Duroché: ‘In the northern section above the Combe de Lavaux [known as the Côte St-Jacques], we required 14 treatments since the site is very windy and the mildew was not as bad, but our vineyards at the base of the slope required 21 treatments to keep them healthy.’

In the end, the yield was so low that he also had to blend premier cru (Cazetiers and Estournelles) and village appellations (Aux Etelois and Jeunes Rois), which he will call Cuvée 26, after the number of the tank where it was blended.

Although the wines from Gevrey this year are generally fresh, crisp and light- to medium-bodied, the vintage offers ‘classic’ Gevrey quality and style.

Too often this adjective is a euphemism for ‘light, tart and astringent,’ but that is far from universally true, and wine lovers will still find charming wines to drink now and for mid-term ageing.

Top-scoring Gevrey-Chambertin 2024 wines

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Following a growing season rife with challenges, 2024 is a catastrophically small vintage, yet there are bright spots that shine through, particularly among the white wines.

Despite concerns raised in some quarters over quality in general as a result of the year’s severe weather conditions, Burgundy lovers may be surprised how many enjoyable wines they will find.

According to Frédéric Drouhin, CEO of Maison Joseph Drouhin, ‘2024 is a vintage of delicacy, sobriety and precision. It is a pleasant vintage in red, and a precise and salty vintage for the whites.’

His wife, Claude de Nicolay, directs her own domaine, Chandon de Briailles, with her brother François. Her view was slightly different: ‘2024 will be a “virtual” vintage – you will almost not see it at all.

‘We lost 90% of the crop and had an average yield of 8hl/ha. There was nothing at all to pick at the base of the slope. But in the end, it is a classic vintage “à l’ancienne”, a character not extinguished by the excesses of the weather.’

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Charles Curtis MW’s Burgundy 2024 selection

Burgundy 2024 vintage rating and overview:

Whites: 4/5

2024 is a good to very good vintage that has produced whites of elegance and finesse with the structure and the substance for mid- to long-term ageing, comparable to the 2014 vintage.

Reds: 3/5

2024 is a challenging vintage for red wine. The best examples will be found in the Côte de Beaune, although outstanding producers further north have exceeded expectations.

First impressions

After tasting more than 1,400 wines from this vintage, I can say that it is a good vintage for white wines, which have firm acidity, wonderful balance and moderate alcohol.

It was generally a modest vintage for red wine, which could be light, thin and lacking concentration and fruit.

It is above all a highly variable vintage from village to village, however, and surprises abound.

Chablis was hit hardest by the climate in 2024, and the Côte de Beaune fared better than the Côte de Nuits. It seems that the further south one ventures, the better the wines become, and 2024 is a vintage where the Côte Chalonnaise and the Mâconnais really came into their own.

Drouhin describes the challenges: ‘We did not produce any wine at all in the grands crus of Clos de Vougeot, Clos de Bèze, or Les Clos in Chablis, and it was difficult for the staff since the pressure was simply too intense.’

Numerous winemakers spoke of the psychological challenge of the 2024 vintage, explaining that they felt they should have been able to do more, somehow, to counter the weather’s excesses – that they might have changed the outcome had they done so.

But on the ground at the time it was happening, that wasn’t realistic, given the very difficult conditions they faced. The best, however, did what they could to deliver delicious wines.

According to the BIVB, total volume produced in 2024 was 1.21 million hectolitres, just over 161 million bottles. This figure was a drop of more than a third from the generous 2023 harvest, although it was more than 20% above 2021, which was decimated by frost.

Read the full report on the Chablis 2024 vintage

Weather Conditions

2024 began with mild temperatures and notably some of the warmest February temperatures ever recorded. March was also warmer than usual, setting the vines ahead of schedule. April, however, saw temperatures plummet, with two episodes of frost at the end of the month damaging some vineyards.

The real challenge began in May, however, as temperatures remained low and rain fell incessantly across the region. Jérôme Flous is the technical director of Domaine Faiveley.

He explains the difficulties: ‘I started at Faiveley in 2007, and 2024 was my most challenging vintage – there were 38 days of rain in May and June. The problem was the flowering; in a rainy year, it is disrupted, the stem is in contact with the air, and mildew can easily destroy the bunch.’

The rain lessened somewhat in July and August, but there were occasional storms, including hailstorms, throughout this period. Another difficulty was the lack of sun: 2024 saw the fewest hours of sunshine since the beginning of the century.

Grapes ripened with difficulty, and most growers used a relatively dry period from 13-22 September to harvest their tiny crop.

Charles’ wines of the vintage:

White: Domaine Jean Chartron, Clos des Chevaliers, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru – 98 points

Red: Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé, Vieilles Vignes, Musigny Grand Cru – 97 points

Previous vintage ratings:

2023: Whites 4/5 Reds 4.5/5

2022: Whites 4/5 Reds 4.5/5

2021: Whites 4/5 Reds 3.5/5

2020: Whites 4.5/5 Reds 4/5

2019: Whites 4/5 Reds 5/5

Around the appellations

Côte de Nuits

In a reversal of recent trends, conditions in the Côte de Nuits were more difficult than those in the Côte de Beaune. This reversal is mainly due to localised differences in rainfall, which was much higher there, and to the dominance of Pinot Noir, which was more affected by poor flowering and mildew.

Even within the Côte de Nuits, conditions varied, and the southern portion, from the Clos de Vougeot to Nuits-St-Georges, suffered more than the section from Morey to Marsannay.

Top Côte de Nuits producers in 2024:

• Domaine Armand Rousseau
• Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé
• Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
• Domaine des Lambrays
• Domaine Dugat-Py
• Domaine Dujac
• Domaine Duroché
• Domaine Rossignol-Trapet
• Domaine Georges Roumier
• Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier

Côte de Beaune

Conditions in the Côte de Beaune were generally better than in the Côte de Nuits, though there was variation here as well. The hill of Corton to the north was extremely hard hit by the weather.

To the south of Beaune, however, conditions improved. The ‘golden triangle’ of Meursault, Puligny and Chassagne had quality and yields much closer to the norm, mainly because Chardonnay (on which these appellations are focused) had a more successful flowering and was less affected by mildew than Pinot Noir.

In the south, Santenay and Maranges produced some lovely wines.

Top Côte de Beaune producers in 2024:

• Domaine de Montille
• Domaine des Comtes Lafon
• Domaine des Croix
• Domaine Henri et Gilles Buisson
• Domaine Jean Chartron
• Domaine Michel Lafarge
• Domaine Michel Niellon
• Domaine Pierre Vincent
• Domaine Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey
• Domaine Rapet

Côte Chalonnaise

Further south, in the Côte Chalonnaise, conditions continued to improve. There were marvellous examples of Chardonnay from Montagny, Mercurey and Rully, as well as some particularly good Aligoté.

Although conditions limited yields for Pinot Noir, conscientious growers were able to produce lovely wines here that should provide solid value and current drinking pleasure, and some that have the substance for ageing.

Top Côte Chalonnaise producers in 2024:

• Château de Chamirey
• Domaine Baron Thénard
• Domaine Belleville
• Domaine Chanzy
• Domaine du Cellier aux Moines

Mâconnais

The Mâconnais is among the brightest spots in Burgundy for the 2024 vintage. Conditions produced some superb examples of Pouilly-Fuissé (particularly among the new-ish premiers crus).

Throughout the Mâconnais, the top growers produced white Burgundy that wine lovers should not miss in this vintage.

Top Mâconnais producers in 2024:

• Bret Brothers & Domaine de la Soufrandière
• Domaine Merlin
• Domaine Deux Roches
• Domaine du Roc des Boutires
• Domaine Frantz Chagnoleau
• Domaine Jacques Saumaize
• Domaine Rijckaert
• Domaine Saumaize-Michelin
• Maison Verget & Domaine Guffens-Heynen

Concluding thoughts

The 2024 vintage will remain a vintage apart, if only because of the exceptional climatic conditions. Judging the wines, however, is another matter. As Frédéric Mugnier of Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier put it: ‘Don’t take the word of a winemaker when it comes to [assessing] a vintage, since their opinion reflects their lived experience, and there was no amusement involved in making the 2024 vintage.’

In red wine, the closest parallels would be 2001 or 2013. For whites, the nearest comparison would be 2014, suggesting that it is a vintage to buy reds for current drinking and whites to lay down.

If money is no object, invest in the Montrachet from Domaine des Comtes Lafon or the Chevalier-Montrachet from Domaine Jean Chartron or Domaine Michel Niellon. Among the reds, an obvious splurge would be the Musigny from Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé or the Bonnes Mares from Domaine Georges Roumier.

Most wine lovers would also be delighted with mid-range bottles such as the Clos du Château des Ducs from Domaine Michel Lafarge, or the Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Aux Combottes from Domaine Arlaud. Given the limited availability of top wines, it would be advisable to buy en primeur to secure an allocation.

There are also lovely wines further south that will be much less expensive. For whites, don’t miss the Mâcon-Pierreclos from Maison Verget, or the Pouilly-Fuissé Premier Cru Sur la Roche from Domaine Rijckaert.

Côte Chalonnaise reds such as the Givry Premier Cru Clos du Cellier aux Moines from Domaine du Cellier aux Moines, or the Mercurey Premier Cru Clos l’Eveque from Domaine Belleville will be perfect for current drinking.

COMING SOON

Further analysis and top-scoring wines of the following areas:

Morey-St-Denis | Meursault | Chambolle-Musigny | Gevrey-Chambertin | Pommard and Volnay | Vosne-Romanée & Nuits-St-Georges | Chassagne & Puligny-Montrachet | Best value

A taste of the top Burgundy 2024 wines

Wines were tasted non-blind. Wines are listed in order of white then red, then by scores, and then alphabetically by producer. The 2024s are bottled from January 2026, hence prices, stockists and alcohols are not yet finalised. Contact specialist merchant for allocations or to enquire about en primeur tastings. The following wines were Charles Curtis MW’s selection for particularly notable quality and value among the 650 wines he reviewed from the 2024 Burgundy vintage.

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In advance of Decanter‘s full report on the new 2021 vintage of Brunello di Montalcino – coming to Decanter Premium in February – I want to provide a brief overview of what Sangiovese fans can look forward to this year – and the wines which impressed me the most.

An event held last November, the 34th edition of ‘Benvenuto Brunello’, brought together preview samples of Brunello di Montalcino 2021, Brunello Riserva 2020, and Rosso di Montalcino reds (2022 and 2023 vintages) from 123 wineries.

To some extent, the 2021 vintage of Brunello di Montalcino surprises with structured yet weightless wines. Furthermore, to the delight of those who love the typicality and character of Brunello expressed with greater immediacy and finesse, the 2021s are ready to be enjoyed now.

Brunello di Montalcino: Factbox

Brunello di Montalcino is Tuscany’s Sangiovese in purezza – while Chianti Classico and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano typically blend Sangiovese with other varieties, both local and international, Brunello’s production regulations stipulate 100% Sangiovese. The local clone of the variety is Sangiovese Grosso, aka ‘Brunello’.

Grape: 100% Sangiovese

Ageing: Minimum four years (five years for Riserva), two of which must be in wood.

Surface area: 24,000 hectares, 15% of which is under vine

Denomination: DOC since 1966; in 1980 it became one of Italy’s first DOCGs (along with Barolo and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano).

‘A symphony of fragrant aromas’

An expressive vintage, 2021 has an immediate charm. The well defined, perfectly ripe fruit, not being excessively covered by oak, opens in a symphony of fragrant aromas.

The human hand proved vital, as ever, and the attention paid to the vineyards was reflected in the wines, with a decidedly high overall level.

Overall, structures are clearly defined, tannins are firm but well integrated and, in many examples, a compact texture supports vibrant energy and freshness throughout.

Compared to the previous vintage, wines from right across the Montalcino viticultural area have shone in 2021.

Below is a small selection of wines to look out for, including some lesser-known producers as well as top names.

Alessandra’s pick of 2021 Brunellos to look out for:

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When you’re buying wines from a relatively lowly appellation such as Côtes du Rhône, does vintage really matter?

It does. In fact, you’re even more likely to feel the unalloyed effects of the vintage at this level compared to the more rarified crus.

Scroll down for the best of the Côtes du Rhône 2024 wines

The main reason for this is financial. The wine buying public has certain price expectations for generic appellations like this, so winemakers find it difficult to charge above a certain amount.

This means they can’t drastically reduce yields, for example, to counter the effects of bad weather. Neither can they apply flattering new oak, as barrels are so expensive.

One misconception about Côtes du Rhône wines is that they are mostly regional blends, which can reduce or blur the stamp of the vintage. Some negociant bottlings are of course, but almost all of the wines selected below are from independent wineries with their plantings close by. Many of them are from single vineyards in fact.

What can you expect from the 2024s?

Winemakers had a rough ride in 2024. Incessant rains during spring and early summer caused a host of problems, including poor fruit set (coulure) and outbreaks of downy mildew. August brought with it warm weather, but September and October were relatively cool.

Producers who managed to overcome the worst of the season’s challenges made approachable and elegant reds, a pleasant contrast to the rich, ripe 2023s and more structured 2022s. Where crop loads were too heavy, however, some lack full ripeness, and can taste green and thin. Whites are much more reliable this year.

Of the 71 Côtes du Rhône wines I tasted, 25 scored 90 points or above. This is a better result than I expected given the trials of the growing season, but the style of 2024 actually has a lot to offer at this level.

It’s a vintage that’s fresh, not too concentrated, with moderate alcohol – ideal for Côtes du Rhône reds that you want to drink straight away.

It’s also a year that clearly expresses terroir. Very hot years can accentuate fruit and varietal character over any sense of place in young wines. The best 2024s have vibrant acidities that bring immediate focus and precision to their flavours.

By their nature, extensive appellations like Côtes du Rhône will always be varied in style and quality; even more so in a tricky vintage like 2024. But choose with care in 2024 and there are plenty of brisk, vibrant wines to enjoy – and most of them are under £20 a bottle.

Top Côtes du Rhône 2024 wines to seek out:

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On the west bank of the Rhône river, whites and rosés lead the pack, with a good showing from Tavel this year.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top-scoring Lirac & Tavel wines

Thibaut Pfifferling of Domaine l’Anglore describes the growing season as ‘a big battle,’ resulting in very small yields but well balanced wines with ‘not much acidity, but good salinity’.

It’s an appellation that improves from year to year, with an increasing number of characterful wines to explore.

Lirac’s whites are very consistent, combining fullness and freshness to good effect – there are many good value options to consider.

Laudun, the Rhône’s newest cru, is still finding its way; whites are generally better than reds.

See all Lirac wines tasted

See all Tavel wines tasted

Key Lirac & Tavel producers in 2024

• Domaine l’Anglore – Tavel
• Château d’Aqueria – Lirac
• Château de Montfaucon – Lirac

Best-value Lirac & Tavel wines in 2024

• Château d’Aqueria, Lirac blanc 2024
• Alain Jaume & Fils, Domaine Clos de Sixte, Lirac rouge 2024
• Château Saint-Roch, Tradition, Lirac rouge 2024

Compare vintages: See coverage from previous years

Lirac & Tavel 2023: Report and top-scoring wines

Lirac & Tavel 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Lirac & Tavel 2021: Report and top-scoring wines

See the full Rhône 2024 vintage report

Top-scoring Lirac & Tavel wines in 2024

Wines rated 97+ are featured in the main report

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Gigondas is undoubtedly the most successful appellation in 2024.

The reds have tension, good acidity and plentiful fine tannins. A standout producer this year is Julien Brechet of Domaine des Bosquets and he describes 2024 as ‘a very honest vintage,’ meaning that it’s highly expressive of terroir, detailed and precise.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for these regions’ best wines

The tannins aren’t muscular, they’re fine and pixellated; they can be a little angular in places however, requiring a few years in bottle to file them down.

Gigondas whites are even better. The style can be quite challenging though: they are all about texture and minerality, and will take a few years to open up, so take note of drinking windows. When they’re ready, they’ll be detailed and attention grabbing.

Neighbouring Beaumes de Venise also did very well in 2024. The reds have real impact and brightness of fruit, and are mostly well balanced.

The sweet Muscats have good acidity and moderate alcohol – a vintage to buy if you like the style.

Further down the slope in Vacqueyras, Damien Vache of Domaine la Monardière says that growers here were relatively unaffected by mildew.

The reds are medium-bodied, well balanced and drinkable, though some lack concentration.

Whites varied stylistically, but the quality is largely good.

See all Gigondas wines tasted

See all Vacqueyras wines tasted

See all Beaumes de Venise wines tasted

Key Gigondas, Vacqueyras & Beaumes de Venise producers in 2024

• Château de St Cosme – Gigondas
• Domaine des Bosquets – Gigondas
• Domaine Saint-Damien – Gigondas
• Domaine Santa Duc – Gigondas
• Moulin de la Gardette – Gigondas
• Domaine Le Sang des Cailloux – Vacqueyras
• Domaine des Bernardins – Beaumes de Venise

Best-value Gigondas, Vacqueyras & Beaumes de Venise wines in 2024

• Le Clos des Cazaux, Les Clefs d’Or, Vacqueyras 2024
• Domaine des Bernardins, Beaumes de Venise 2024

Compare vintages: See coverage from previous years

Gigondas, Vacqueyras & Beaumes de Venise 2023: Report and top-scoring wines

Gigondas, Vacqueyras & Beaumes de Venise 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Gigondas, Vacqueyras & Beaumes de Venise 2021: Report and top-scoring wines

See the full Rhône 2024 vintage report

Gigondas, Vacqueyras & Beaumes de Venise wines in 2024

Wines rated 97+ are featured in the main report

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It’s a decent vintage for reds in both Cairanne and Rasteau. In Cairanne, the wines are precise and drinkable thanks to their bright acidity and measured levels of alcohol.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top-scoring wines

Most don’t have the structure or concentration for long ageing, but they can be opened straight away and will likely give four or five years of enjoyment.

The whites might not be as reliable as in other appellations this year, but there are still many good wines to choose from.

Rasteau’s dry reds are in a similar quality and style to Cairanne’s. When the tannins are ripe and there’s sufficient concentration, the 2024s offer elegance and drinkability.

The limited selection of Vinsobres I tasted were less exciting, so there are just a few that made the selection.

See all Rasteau wines tasted

See all Cairanne wines tasted

See all Vinsobres wines tasted

Key Rasteau, Cairanne & Vinsobres producers in 2024

• Domaine de l’Oratoire St Martin – Cairanne
• Domaine les Hautes Cances – Cairanne
• Domaine Alary – Cairanne
• Domaine Richaud – Cairanne
• Domaine des Escaravailles – Rasteau
• Famille Perrin – Vinsobres

Best-value Rasteau, Cairanne & Vinsobres wines in 2024

• Domaine des Escaravailles, Classique, Rasteau 2024
• Brotte, Création Grosset, Cairanne 2024
• Famille Perrin, Les Cornuds, Vinsobres 2024

Compare vintages: See coverage from previous years

Rasteau, Cairanne & Vinsobres 2023: Report and top-scoring wines

Rasteau, Cairanne & Vinsobres 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Rasteau, Cairanne & Vinsobres 2021: Report and top-scoring wines

Beyond the crus

From the Named Villages of the Côtes du Rhône, there are several impressively fresh and concentrated reds from both Sablet and Valréas.

There are also thrilling individual wines from overperforming estates in Roaix, Massif d’Uchaux and Suze-la-Rousse. These under-the-radar gems represent some of the best value wines in the Rhône.

It’s clearly a very good vintage for Rolle (Vermentino), making for an exceptional year for Luberon whites.

With so many examples enjoying great balance and intensity – and no excess fat or alcohol – it’s the perfect vintage to explore this lesser-known style.

The whites of neighbouring Ventoux are also excellent, not to mention many of its reds, especially those from more elevated vineyards.

The best Côtes du Rhônes will be covered in a separate column on Decanter Premium in January.

See the full Rhône 2024 vintage report

Top-scoring Rasteau, Cairanne & Vinsobres wines in 2024

Wines rated 97+ are featured in the main report

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In a year such as 2024, it’s best to start with the positives.

The better red Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines this year are fresh and vibrant, with good acidity and relatively low alcohol. They are defined and transparent, and speak clearly of their terroir.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines in 2024

They aren’t as exaggerated as some recent hotter vintages, and have a more natural sense of balance. If you’re looking for powerful Châteauneuf-du-Pape, you might prefer 2022 or 2023; the 2024s are more about elegance.

But not all are so successful. A good proportion of them lack concentration or have green tannins.

In some quarters, high crop loads were the problem. September wasn’t warm enough to ripen all the grapes. Elsewhere, mildew damaged leaves, impeding photosynthesis.

It was a complicated season, where growers had to be reactive to succeed.

The whites are exceptionally good, however. They have it all: freshness, intensity, moderate alcohol, minerality, drinkability and ageing potential.

You can almost buy the whites blind in 2024. But not the reds.

See all Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines tasted

Key Châteauneuf-du-Pape producers in 2024

• Château de Beaucastel
• Clos des Papes
• Domaine de Beaurenard
• Domaine de la Janasse
• Domaine de la Vieille Julienne

Best-value Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines in 2024

• Château de la Font du Loup, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, 2024
• Domaine de Beaurenard, Tradition, Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2024
• Domaine Raymond Usseglio, Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2024

Compare vintages: See coverage from previous years

Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2023: Report and top-scoring wines

Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2021: Report and top-scoring wines

See the full Rhône 2024 vintage report

Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines in 2024

Wines rated 97+ are featured in the main report

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Despite the trials of the growing season, St-Joseph has delivered a surprisingly consistent set of wines.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for St-Joseph wines

The reds are light- to medium-bodied, tense and spicy.

I can’t remember the last time I detected so much black pepper in the wines – a welcome effect of cooler conditions.

The tannins in many of the wines are fine and elegant, in contrast to 2022’s beefier wines. Though some are a little weedy, it’s essentially a very drinkable and refreshing vintage thanks in part to low levels of alcohol.

Most will be best drunk young, to enjoy their fragrance and delicacy.

If anything the whites are even better. While the reds are lean and fresh, the whites are relatively rich and opulent. Acidity levels can be on the low side, but most are very enjoyable and speak clearly of their origins.

Jean Gonon, who works organically, says that he had to spray the vines even more in 2024 than 2021, which was notoriously tough and beset with bad weather. But 2024 is a better year.

‘In 2021, it rained and then it was grey,’ he says ‘in 2024, there was brightness between the rains. And the light is important.’

See all St-Joseph wines tasted

Key St-Joseph producers in 2024

• Domaine Benoît Roseau
• Domaine Bernard Gripa
• Domaine Coursodon
• Domaine Gonon
• Domaine Jean-Louis Chave
• M Chapoutier
• Pierre-Jean Villa

Best-value St-Joseph wines in 2024

• Benoît Roseau, Sur le Quartz, St-Joseph Blanc 2024
• Benoît Roseau, La Ribaude, St-Joseph Rouge 2024
• Domaine Coursodon, Olivaie, St-Joseph Rouge 2024
• Jeanne Gaillard, La Relève, St-Joseph Rouge 2024

Compare vintages: See coverage from previous years

St-Joseph 2023: Report and top-scoring wines

St-Joseph 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

St-Joseph 2021: Report and top-scoring wines

See the full Rhône 2024 vintage report

St-Joseph wines in 2024

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In tough vintages, it’s often Crozes-Hermitage that suffers the most.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Crozes-Hermitage wines

While not as bad as calamitous years such as 2014 and 2021, 2024 ‘was psychologically and physically difficult,’ says Guillaume Sorrel of Domaine Marc Sorrel, ‘a vintage we don’t want to repeat’.

There was incessant rain in the spring, and the appellation struggled in the wet weather, especially on flatter vineyards where water can collect. Vineyards on slopes tend to fare better.

Organic growers faced particularly difficult dilemmas, with the threat of rot and mildew, with many having to carry out a record number of treatments in the vineyards

Many of the reds are dilute, and lacking in length and generosity.

There are some exceptions, however, particularly those from the north of the appellation around the village of Larnage. But it’s important to choose your Crozes-Hermitage carefully in 2024.

It’s not all bad news, however. Thankfully there are some very good whites.

With bright natural acidity and no excess flab or richness, this is a vintage that combines freshness and amplitude. Many of the wines are therefore nervy, savoury and balanced. There are many good-value options to explore.

See all Crozes-Hermitage wines tasted

Key Crozes-Hermitage producers

• Domaine Belle
• Domaine Marc Sorrel
• M Chapoutier

Best-value Crozes-Hermitage wines

• Chapoutier, Sicamor, Crozes-Hermitage Blanc 2024
• Domaine Mucyn, Les Charmeuses, Crozes-Hermitage Rouge 2024
• Domaine Vendome, Les Bruclas, Crozes-Hermitage Rouge 2024
• Domaine Belle,Les Pierrelles, Crozes-Hermitage Rouge 2024
• Domaine Combier, Cuvée L, Crozes-Hermitage Rouge 2024

Compare vintages: See coverage from previous years

Crozes-Hermitage 2023: Report and top-scoring wines

Crozes-Hermitage 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Crozes-Hermitage 2021: Report and top-scoring wines

See the full Rhône 2024 vintage report

Crozes-Hermitage wines in 2024

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‘In 2022 and 2023, Côte-Rôtie had the advantage,’ says Maxime Chapoutier. ‘But in 2024 – Hermitage is back!’

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Hermitage wines

There are some very good red Hermitage wines this year in an elegant, fresh and appealing style, following a cool, wet end to the growing season.

That being said, some don’t quite have the power you might expect from this renowned appellation.

Jean-Louis Chave, of his eponymous domaine which is based in the village of Mauves just south and across the river from Tain-l’Hermitage, believes that 2023 is a better vintage in general, ‘but the best 2024s are as good as the best 2023s,’ he says.

While only good for red Hermitage, this is an excellent vintage for its whites.

They’re unusually consistent; in fact, it’s hard to go wrong with white Hermitage this year, so you can buy confidently from many producers in this appellation.

What impresses is the sheer verve and dynamism of the wines, teamed with the natural breadth and richness of this terroir. They will drink well young and age well too.

See all Hermitage wines tasted

Key Hermitage producers in 2024

• Château de St Cosme
• Domaine Belle
• Domaine Jean-Louis Chave
• Domaine Marc Sorrel
• Emmanuel Darnaud
• M Chapoutier

Best-value Hermitage wines in 2024

• Cave de Tain, Au Coeur des Siècles, Hermitage 2024
• Domaine des Remizières, Cuvée Emilie, Hermitage 2024

Compare vintages: See coverage from previous years

Hermitage 2023: Report and top-scoring wines

Hermitage 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Hermitage 2021: Report and top-scoring wines

See the full Rhône 2024 vintage report

Hermitage wines in 2024

Wines rated 97+ are featured in the main report

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During my en primeur tastings in October this year, I ask Franck Balthazar what he thinks of the 2024 vintage.

‘I love it,’ he says, and to taste his wines you immediately see why. It’s the kind of vintage that really chimes with his fragrant, elegant style of Cornas.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Cornas & St-Péray

According to Olivier Clape, ‘it looks more like an old-school vintage, less big and impressive, but more detailed’.

Here, like elsewhere in Cornas, it’s a return to a more measured style that’s more about classicism than exuberance or power.

Some wines are a touch dilute and lack breadth, but most have energy and freshness, often accompanied by a herbal note to the aromatic profile.

Most will be approachable young, and apart from a few notable exceptions, this isn’t a vintage for long ageing, so pay attention to the drinking windows advised.

See all Cornas 2024 wines tasted

See all St-Péray 2024 wines tasted

Key Cornas & St-Péray producers in 2024

• Frank Balthazar – Cornas
• Domaine Clape – Cornas
• M Chapoutier – St-Péray
• Domaine Bernard Gripa – St-Péray

Best-value Cornas & St-Péray wines in 2024

• Chapoutier, Haut Chamblard, St-Péray 2024
• Domaine Johann Michel, St-Péray 2024
• Domaine Courbis, Champelrose, Cornas 2024

Compare vintages: See coverage from previous years

Cornas & St-Péray 2023: Report and top-scoring wines

Cornas & St-Péray 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Cornas & St-Péray 2021: Report and top-scoring wines

See the full Rhône 2024 vintage report

Cornas & St-Péray wines in 2024

Wines rated 97+ are featured in the main report

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Conditions were challenging throughout the Rhône Valley in 2024, but the northern pole of the northern Rhône struggled the most.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for wines from Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu

Quality is heterogeneous in Côte-Rôtie. Rather than single-vineyard wines, it was the blends that often showed best.

In fact, Stéphane Ogier won’t be making his single-vineyard Côte-Rôties this year; ‘It’s a fresher vintage,’ he says, ‘and they have their place.’

Yields were very varied even within individual parcels, and several estates said they had to chaptalise.

This being said, there are some lovely individual wines, in a delicate, compact style. These should largely be best drunk young. But overall, this isn’t a brilliant vintage for Côte-Rôtie.

Though white wines are often excellent in 2024, across both the northern and southern Rhône, the picture in Condrieu is mixed. Although many are largely fresh and balanced, some lack enough concentration and length.

The best wines are head and shoulders above the rest however, showing intensity, vitality and no excess alcohol. It will pay to do your research in this vintage.

See all Côte-Rôtie 2024 wines tasted

See all Condrieu 2024 wines tasted

Key Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu producers in 2024

• M Chapoutier – Condrieu
• Domaine Merlin – Condrieu
• Pierre-Jean Villa – Condrieu
• Domaine JP Jamet – Côte-Rôtie
• E Guigal – Côte-Rôtie

Best-value Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu wines in 2024

• Roland Grangier, Les Combéluz, Condrieu 2024
• Mouton Père et Fils, Côte Bonnette, Condrieu 2024
• François et Fils, Rozier, Côte-Rôtie 2024
• Domaine Billon Christophe, La Brocarde, Côte-Rôtie 2024

Compare vintages: See our coverage of Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu from previous years

Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu 2023: Report and top-scoring wines

Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu 2021: Report and top-scoring wines

See the full Rhône 2024 vintage report

Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu wines in 2024

Wines rated 97+ are featured in the main report

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Rhône 2024 en primeur vintage rating:

Northern Rhône 2024: 3.5/5

The whites are excellent, but it’s a lighter red vintage for the reds, offering many well-balanced, fresh and immediate wines, largely for drinking young and into the medium term. Some reds lack full ripeness, particularly in Côte-Rôtie.

Southern Rhône 2024: 3.5/5

A juicy, fresh and balanced vintage with only moderate alcohol, though some reds lack concentration. Reds are particularly strong in Gigondas. Whites are excellent throughout the region.

In the context of the past 10 years, the 2024 vintage in the Rhône is an outlier.

With many recent vintages being marked by heat and drought, 2024 feels like a throwback to an earlier age, one before global warming. It’s like a good vintage from the 1990s – balanced, fresh and drinkable.

The 2024s offer bright acidity, moderate alcohol and aromatic precision.

Is it a ‘Great Vintage’? No; it’s a respectable vintage full of wines that you can enjoy immediately for their tension and vibrancy.

The reds are unlikely to shut down as they age, and the whites are reliably excellent throughout the Rhône Valley.

This vintage is not without its shortcomings. The growing season was extremely challenging and as a result some wines lack concentration. Most aren’t built for long ageing.

But while the overall level is good rather than great, there are a host of wines which transcend the vintage to reach peaks of genuine excellence.

Northern Rhône red wine of the vintage:

M Chapoutier, Le Pavillon, Hermitage 2024

Northern Rhône white wine of the vintage:

Domaine JL Chave, Hermitage 2024

Southern Rhône red wine of the vintage:

Château de St-Cosme, Le Poste, Gigondas 2024

Southern Rhône white wine of the vintage:

Clos des Papes, Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2024

See all Rhône 2024 tasting notes and scores

Northern Rhône 2024

‘We had English weather up until July!’ says Yann Chave (of his eponymous domaine), referring to the incessant rain they suffered in Crozes-Hermitage during spring and into summer. ‘August saved the vintage,’ he says, ‘otherwise it would have been a catastrophe.’

A mild winter was followed by early budbreak, but then the weather turned cool and wet in April. In Cornas, Olivier Clape (of Domaine Clape) had 600mm of rain from April to July (820mm is the yearly average).

This created a horde of problems throughout the northern Rhône, including uneven ripening and poor fruit set (millerandage and coulure), not to mention downy mildew and black rot. Occurring towards the start of the season, it affected yields more than quality.

It was particularly difficult for those working organically, such as Domaine Gonon, as they had fewer mitigation options in their armoury. Jean Gonon says that they had to carry out a record number of treatments in the vineyard in 2024 – something echoed by Clape and others.

The rains often came on Thursdays and Fridays, which made the situation even more exhausting as estates had to spray during weekends – if they could. Thankfully there was bright weather between the showers, unlike the even gloomier 2021 vintage.

The sun finally arrived and dried out the vineyards in August. Though hot, the mercury didn’t rise above 40°C, and the ground contained enough water to sustain the vines. September turned cool and windy. With rain forecast, some were forced to pick earlier than they would have liked.

Highs and lows

Cool, wet weather at the end of the season was just one cause of the lack of concentration and a herbaceous streak in some of the reds. Mildew-affected vines and excessive crop loads were others. Occasional use of unripe stems was a contributing factor, too.

The more southerly red appellations (Hermitage, Cornas and southern St-Joseph) were the most successful in 2024.

Côte-Rôtie saw the worst of the weather, and the wines are more disappointing – though with some notable exceptions.

Crozes-Hermitage also struggled; vineyards on the slopes tend to fare better in wet weather.

White wines are excellent throughout. There are countless wonderful Marsanne/Roussanne wines to choose from, and many good Viogniers from Condrieu, though with fewer flashes of brilliance.

This won’t be the longest-lived vintage for reds. Neither will you have to wait; with relatively delicate tannic structures, the majority will be ready to drink on release or soon after.

Considering the trials that growers faced in 2024, it’s surprising that so many made such good wines – many people were surprised at how well they’d turned out. Including me.

Key northern Rhône producers in 2024

• Domaine Belle
• Domaine Clape
• Domaine Gonon
• Frank Balthazar
• Jean-Louis Chave
• M Chapoutier

Top value northern Rhône 2024

• Domaine Vendome, Les Bruclas, Crozes-Hermitage 2024
• Benoît Roseau, Sur le Quartz, St-Joseph 2024
• François et Fils, Rozier, Côte-Rôtie 2024
• Benoît Roseau, La Ribaude, St-Joseph 2024

Southern Rhône 2024

Weather conditions were similar in the northern and southern Rhône in 2024, and the wines display a similar style: good acidity, moderate alcohol, fresh and drinkable – but sometimes lacking concentration.

Growers report a nerve-wracking start to the year. ‘It was difficult from the beginning…we nearly lost the vintage,’ says César Perrin of Château de Beaucastel. ‘There was mildew before flowering – that’s the worst’.

He’s pleased with the final results though, calling it ‘an elegant vintage, more drinkable than 2023 and 2022’.

The downy mildew was more localised compared to the northern Rhône; parts of Châteauneuf-du-Pape were hit hard, whereas other appellations, such as Vacqueyras, got away relatively unscathed.

The Grenache was also badly hit by coulure, which further reduced yields – it was a small crop in the south this year. Mourvèdre, however, performed well.

The two heat spikes in August drew a line under the poor weather at the start of the season. Two storms in early September and one towards the end of the month raised the spectre of rot, but thankfully the mistral arrived and dried out the vines.

The cool weather that followed made for a gradual accrual of tannins and a relaxed harvest, typically in mid-October.

Bright spots

For red wines, Gigondas stands out in 2024. Perrin says there was less rain and more wind compared to Châteauneuf, meaning growers could wait even later to pick, resulting in better levels of ripeness.

In fact, all appellations situated in and around the Dentelles de Montmirail fared well, including Beaumes de Venise, Côtes du Rhône named Villages such as Sablet and Séguret, and parts of Ventoux.

It was also a good vintage for Vacqueyras, and there are plenty of strong individual wines from Châteauneuf.

White wines are excellent throughout all appellations – in fact it’s a stronger year for whites than reds. There are countless impressive examples from Châteauneuf and Gigondas, and some beautiful rosés from Tavel.

When I visited the Rhône Valley in October this year, winemakers couldn’t contain their excitement and enthusiasm for the 2025 vintage that they’d just picked.

Early impressions suggest a contrast to 2024: concentrated, structured wines for long ageing. It’s a very small vintage, but you’re likely to want some.

The 2024s will provide some deliciously fresh and crunchy wines to drink while you wait for the 2025s to come round.

Key southern Rhône producers in 2024

• Château de Beaucastel
• Clos des Papes
• Domaine de Beaurenard
• Château de St Cosme
• Domaine Santa Duc
• Domaine l’Anglore
• Domaine des Escaravailles
• Domaine la Cabotte
• Château La Borie

Top value southern Rhône 2024

• Château de la Font du Loup, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, 2024
• Le Clos des Cazaux, Les Clefs d’Or, Vacqueyras 2024
• Château la Borie, Syrah, Côtes du Rhône Villages Suze la Rousse 2024
• Domaine Elodie Balme, Champs Libres, Côtes du Rhône Villages Roaix 2024

Top-scoring Rhône 2024 wines:

See below the 30 highest scoring wines, listed white then red in score order.

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• Northern Rhône 2015: Panel tasting results

Following on from a vintage as superb as 2021 would be a tricky task at the best of times, but when the subsequent vintage, 2022, turned out to be extremely arid, prompting plenty of concern during the growing season, the difficulty level ramped up a notch for winemakers in Tuscany’s coastal Bolgheri DOC.

Tasting through the vast majority of 2022 Bolgheri Superiore to be released this year – some on more than one occasion – the vintage character is clear: density, concentration, slightly firm tannins, but also loads of freshness.

‘Vintages like 2022 are a bit more complicated,’ Gianluca Putzolu (director, Le Macchiole) tells me. ‘But from the complicated vintages we make the best wines!’

In fact, almost everyone I spoke with in Bolgheri was bullish about the 2022s, despite the tricky season. One or two suggested the quality for them is better than even 2021.

Scroll down for the top Bolgheri releases

See all 103 wines from the report

2022 in Bolgheri

‘When a vintage is not naturally easy, we pay more attention to the choices we make,’ Fabio Motta tells me. And that really sums up 2022, where attention to detail was key.

The winter of 2021/2022 was worryingly dry, meaning that there was very little left in the tank for the parched vines to tap into during the hot summer months. In fact, there was no rain between February and mid-August.

The hot conditions accelerated ripening, but then things came to a halt as many vines were under hydric stress. With no rain on the horizon, summer temperatures higher than in 2021, and bunches which were no longer actively ripening, growers were rightly becoming quite concerned.

Finally, some mid-August rains quenched the vines and kickstarted ripening. Those rains, confirms Marco Balsimelli (Ornellaia, Masseto) ‘allowed the vines to restart the growing, the ripening process.’

He describes 2022 as having ‘a fresh character…a different style [to 2021] but not less quality.’

Many of the wines in 2022 ooze vintage character. The firmer tannins are a hallmark of an unsteady, stop-start ripening where it was touch and go whether they would fully ripen before harvest, while the deep, rich fruits and compact frames evoke the extreme heat of the summer which in many cases led to smaller berries and reduced yields.

But it’s the succulent freshness found in so many wines in 2022 which belies the vintage’s drought conditions – a miraculous recovery from the brink of despair.

The reason for this freshness, in the form of relatively low pH and high acidity, is due to the vines shutting down as the heat and drought of the summer became too much for them.

This helped to preserve the acidity in the grapes, which was still abundant when the vines commenced ripening following the August rains.

Yet we must also commend the teams working in the vineyards and cellars in Bolgheri, who are now seasoned pros when it comes to dealing with increasingly extreme vintage conditions. ‘Now, we are more prepared,’ says Argentiera’s oenologist, Nicolo Carrara.

The Bolgheri consorzio states that the harvest started early, on average around the third week of August. Both Masseto and Sette Cieli confirm that picking began in August. Elena Pozzolini (Sette Cieli) tells me that it was their earliest harvest since the notoriously hot and dry 2017 vintage.

Canopy management is a vital tool these days for combatting the scorching effect of the sun’s rays, while humidity also needs to be managed carefully.

At Guado al Tasso, new plantings are trained higher off the ground to allow more air to circulate and prevent diseases such as peronospera. ‘20 to 30 centimetres changes a lot,’ states Marco Ferrarese, winemaker and estate director.

A lighter touch

Ferrarese states that his next goal is to reduce the potential alcohol of the wines by planting at lower densities than in the past, and using different rootstocks which maintain more vigour, chasing freshness and fragrance over concentration and power. ‘If you reduce the alcohol, you change everything.’

Martina Chiappini at Chiappini agrees, explaining that she is working on reducing the alcohol content by picking slightly earlier than in the past, as well as using a lighter extraction to ‘underline freshness’.

This is a sentiment followed at Campo alla Sughera, too. Winemaker Francesco Gagliardi tells me that, ‘2022 was more challenging – hotter than 2021, with intermittent rain…extraction was lower to maintain a good balance.’

And Elena Pozzolini, winemaker at Sette Cieli, says she has had a lighter touch in the cellar since the very hot 2017 vintage, employing what she describes as ‘more of an infusion’ rather than numerous punch downs. Harvest in 2022, she recalls, began in August – as it did in 2017.

Some wineries had to be very selective in the vineyard in order to maintain high quality, such as at Podere Il Castellaccio, which reports producing just 800 bottles of Il Castellaccio Bolgheri Superiore 2022 from the less than 1ha of alberello (bush)–trained Cabernet Franc vines.

Bringing the fruit into the cellar, some applied a lighter than usual touch. ‘2022 was more challenging – hotter than 2021, with intermittent rain,’ explains Francesco Gagliardi, winemaker at Campo alla Sughera. ‘Extraction was lower to maintain a good balance.’

‘The world of wine is changing,’ Chiappini concludes.

An emerging style

Cabernet Franc has taken a large portion of the limelight in the last few years, and rightly so. In Bolgheri, it has found the perfect conditions to show its best side, and to me, wines such as Podere Il Castellaccio’s Il Castellaccio Bolgheri Superiore and Le Donne Fittipaldi’s Magnetic Bolgheri Rosso represent an emerging style where Cabernet Franc and amphorae play a more dominant role.

And we now see Cabernet Franc pioneer Le Macchiole introducing some Tava amphorae to Paleo’s traditional barrique ageing regime. I’m sure there will be more to follow.

Bolgheri Rosso 2023

In addition to the new Bolgheri Superiore wines – predominantly from the 2022 vintage – hitting the market this year, there are a host of Bolgheri Rosso and Toscana IGTs, mostly but not exclusively from 2023.

These tend to be additional wines from the same wineries releasing their Bolgheri Superiore; sometimes styled as a ‘second wine’ a lá Bordeaux, and sometimes a different expression entirely.

2023 was a very different vintage compared to 2022. Early spring frosts led to some losses, and then conditions became warm and wet. Unlike the dry spring of 2022, the persistent rain ensured that underground water reserves were topped up, but also led to breakouts of peronospera (downy mildew) in the vineyards, which required viticultural teams to be on constant standby.

2023 was a year when peronospera was running rampant throughout Europe’s vineyards, and even the best ventilated sites in Bolgheri were at risk. Yet Bolgheri was less affected than some other areas of Tuscany thanks to its proximity to the coast and the hills, which provided constant breezes.

A very hot start to August affected early-ripening Merlot production for some estates, but then things cooled down following some rain, extending the growing season for the other varieties. ‘There was beautiful maturation in all our parcels’, states Francesco Gagliardi (winemaker, Campo alla Sughera).

August rain and even some flash floods in September reduced yields of late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon – Campo alla Sughera and Sette Cieli both report significant losses of Cabernet, as the rains led to grapes splitting. Just as in the spring, careful selection in the vineyard was necessary.

‘In 2023, we didn’t do much delestage [racking of the must and returning to the same vessel]. We worked with extraction to manage the concentration,’ says Gaia Cinnirella, Masseto’s winemaker, explaining that during the 2023 harvest period, they tasted the grapes in the vineyards every day, and picked plot by plot.

Selection in the vineyard was critical in 2023 and yields were down, but overall quality was high and wines are wonderfully aromatic, with a plumper character compared to 2022.

‘I believe 2023 is better even than 2021… nature did fantastic work,’ comments Carlo Paoli (general manager and production manager, Tenuta San Guido). Indeed, tasting Guidalberto 2023 and some barrel samples of Sassicaia 2023, he may have a point.

Top-rated Bolgheri Rosso releases in 2025:

Gaja, Ca’Marcanda Camarcanda, Bolgheri 2022 (95 points)

Cipriana, Bolgheri 2023 (93)

Le Macchiole, Bolgheri 2023 (92)

Gaja, Ca’Marcanda Magari, Bolgheri 2023 (91)

Dario di Vaira, Clarice, Bolgheri 2023 (91)

Grattamacco, Bolgheri 2023 (91)

Guado al Melo, Rute, Bolgheri 2022 (91)

Le Donne Fittipaldi, Bolgheri 2023 (91)

Le Donne Fittipaldi, Magnetic, Bolgheri 2023 (91)

Podere Prospero, Bolgheri 2022 (91)

Bolgheri’s white resurgence

Bolgheri DOC may be best known for its star-studded red wines, but in fact in its first 10 years of existence – from 1984 to 1993 – it was a white-wine-only denomination; red and rosé wines were added to the regulations in 1994.

Since the advent of red Bolgheri DOC, the whites have fallen to the wayside, but today there is something of a resurgence. Vermentino is the leading protagonist, but Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier are also permitted.

And in addition to Bolgheri DOC whites, you can find a whole host of Toscana IGT examples, which are able to lean on other varieties and winemaking methods not permitted under the DOC regulations.

2024 – the newest vintage for the whites – is described by Martina Chiappini as a year of ‘quality and quantity’ for the whites, and it plays to the fresh aromatics which are sought after in these breezy, coastal white varieties.

Guado al Tasso takes this to the next level by using Vermentino clones from Corsica, which I’m told have more aromatic potential than the traditional Tuscan Vermentino.

Bolgheri’s whites are perfect for lunchtime sipping in the sunshine with a plate of fried fish – save the reds for the evening!

10 delicious whites from Bolgheri to seek out:

Ornellaia, Poggio alle Gazze, Toscana 2023

Campo Alla Sughera, Arioso Vermentino, Toscana 2024

Chiappini, Le Grottine Vermentino, Bolgheri 2024

Giorgio Meletti Cavallari, Borgeri Bianco, Bolgheri 2024

Campo Al Noce, Vermentino, Bolgheri 2024

Donna Olimpia 1898, Bolgheri 2023

Grattamacco, Vermentino, Bolgheri 2023

Michele Satta, Giovin Re, Toscana 2024

Poggio al Tesoro, Solosole Vermentino, Bolgheri 2024

Tenuta Meraviglia Botro dei Fichi Vermentino Bolgheri 2024

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Bolgheri Superiore 2022: Notable wines & top scorers

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Every year, wineries in Chianti Classico release their newest wines, which rather than being one homogeneous vintage are always represented by a range of different vintages.

This is partly dictated by regulations (for example, Chianti Classico Riserva and Gran Selezione require more ageing before they can be released) but is also a matter of choice which varies from winery to winery, with some choosing to age their wines for extended periods before releasing them onto the market.

Below, Michaela Morris talks us through the recently bottled 2023 vintage of annata, the first step on the Chianti Classico ladder, and also discusses the various late releases launched in 2025.

Chianti Classico annata 2023 vintage rating: 3.5 /5

An incessantly rainy spring with high humidity led to widespread peronospora (downy mildew) attacks. Summer was hot and dry with higher-than-average temperatures persisting through to harvest. Quantities are down overall but the first crop of annata wines make for lively and exuberant near-term drinking.

Michaela’s pick of top scoring and notable Chianti Classico wines below

Chianti Classico’s annata category has long been a reliable source for value. Given the diverse challenges of the most recent vintages and the efforts made to overcome them, these latest releases are all the more impressive.

Several estates hit hard by peronospora (downy mildew) such as Tregole, Quercio al Poggio and Castello di Ama ended up making just one Chianti Classico bottling in 2023. Poggerino opted to forgo a Riserva selection this year, to the benefit of the estate’s annata, which is among my top value picks. Other standouts include Castello di Monsanto and Fèlsina.

Revisting 2022 with some late releases, I rediscovered what I appreciated last year – the freshness, crunch and succulence that belie the vintage’s heat. For this, look no further than Tenuta di Carleone and Rocca di Montegrossi.

Without sacrificing the charm of the annata category, these releases also show more gravitas next to 2023 and in general suggest more longevity – between five to seven years. Appealingly textured tannins are dry and powdery rather than soft and velvety, and wines like Le Fonti and Fontodi exemplify the grip and punch of the vintage.

See all of Michaela’s tasting notes & scores from her Chianti Classico report

By comparison, Le Miccine’s 2022 is on the more lithesome side. It represents the first vintage without Colorino, which is now being grafted to Sangiovese.

‘It’s a north-facing plot which I believe will help us in the future to maintain some nice acidity,’ explains Paula Papini Cook.

Equally concerned about the changing climate, Tenuta di Casanuove has invested in north-facing parcels and is also replanting Canaiolo Nero.

‘It is a great tool because it doesn’t accumulate a lot of sugar and has a gentle structure that blends with Sangiovese,’ explains oenologist Cosimo Casini. The 2022 speaks to the new direction at this estate.

Completing my selection of 90 annata recommendations are half a dozen new releases from 2021, with Le Cinciole and I Fabbri’s Terra di Lamole particularly of note, as well as the excellent 2020 Castell’in Villa.

The 2023 vintage

Presenting a new set of challenges, ‘2023 was as much a year for the skilled as it was for the lucky,’ asserts Angela Fronti at Istine.

With minimal rainfall, another warmer-than-average winter brought inevitable fears of spring frost. The region breathed a collective sigh of relief when cool temperatures in early April delayed bud break. Growers were equally happy when it began to rain, especially given the previous years’ drought.

April, therefore, wasn’t the problem. But when temperatures rose and the rain didn’t stop, May and June were. ‘It was like a tropical climate’, describes Michela Rossi at Quercia al Poggio. With the humidity, peronospora (downy mildew) exploded.

When it comes to fungal disease, oidium rather than peronospora is much more common in Chianti Classico’s typically warm, dry climate. Producers, therefore, are well versed in dealing with the former but less so the latter.

‘Some of us made the mistake of trusting terroir and experience’, says Jurij Fiore. Despite spraying eight times, he lost 50% of his grapes.

Punishing weather

As vineyards didn’t have time to dry out between downpours, leaves remained damp for a month and a half, requiring constant treatments.

‘If you were late by a day, you were in trouble,’ recalls Natascia Rossini at Podere La Cappella – ‘but it was impossible to enter the vineyard’.

Sophie Conti at Tregole decided to skip two treatments because the risk of slipping with the tractor was too high. At Viticcio, Daniele Innocenti performed 19 sprays, compared to just six in 2022.

‘We applied less copper more often to stay under the organic certification limits but still lost grapes.’

Monteraponi’s Michele Briganti believes that organic producers were particularly punished, yet in the same breath he notes, ‘when there is an infection, it is too late – even with conventional treatments. The illness remains asleep so it can do damage later.’

To add insult to injury, the temperamental spring also dished out localised hail. ‘For us, 2023 was not so much a problem with peronospora,’ says Monica Raspi at Pomona. Instead, she estimates hail damage between 30-40%.

Others grappled with both. Gabriele Buondonno saw 80% of one of his vineyards decimated by hail in half an hour. Fifteen days later, another storm took out the rest of it. ‘Then there was peronospora…’, he adds.

July finally brought dry, clement conditions corresponding with the region’s norms. ‘It was hot but not extreme like 2022’, says Maddelena Fucile at Cigliano di Sopra. Both water and heat stress were mostly kept at bay.

However, by the end of August, temperatures reached 40℃. ‘It was as if it hadn’t rained in the spring’, says Cosimo Casini at Tenuta Casenuove, who was among those that observed a slowdown in maturation.

Above-average temperatures persisted through September and harvest, with estates largely picking between 20 September and 10 October. Grapes required careful sorting, ‘but what was healthy was healthy’, Conti asserts.

Quality prevails

For 2023, quantity rather than quality is the issue. The consorzio reports a total production of 200,000hl – 22 to 30% less than the decade’s average.

Individual losses, however, vary enormously. Monte Bernardi was down a whopping 80%, whereas Le Cinciole estimates a more modest shortfall of 10-15%, for example.

Overall, quality prevails in the glass. The wines are clean, lively and exuberant, with a slight Sangiovese tartness that I love. I noticed a glossier candied or confected character, however they are not overripe, stewed or exaggerated in alcohol.

The 2023s are poised to give plenty of pleasure over the next four to five years – an absolutely respectable drinking window for annata.

Michaela’s top scoring and notable Chianti Classico recommendations:

See all of Michaela’s tasting notes & scores from her Chianti Classico report

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With an ever-increasing number of Gran Selezione labels – either new wines or more significantly Riservas that have been ‘promoted’ – a logical assumption is that Chianti Classico’s middle category might be shrinking.

Yet in terms of total production percentages, the opposite is actually true. In 2018, the Chianti Classico consorzio reported a 64/32 split between annata and Riserva, based on a 10-year average.

In the last five years, the ratio shows a decrease in annata to 57%, while Riserva now represents 38%. Gran Selezione is holding steady at approximately 5%.

Nevertheless, given the high quality of annata wines and the focus on promoting Gran Selezione, Riserva might seem like a tougher sell – but this is not necessarily so.

According to consortium president Giovanni Manetti, the premiumisation of the denomination led by Gran Selezione has benefitted the entire gamut, especially Riserva.

‘With the increase of renown (and consequently, price), new room was created at the mid-point price range that fits Riserva perfectly,’ he asserts.

Scroll down for Michaela’s top-rated Chianti Classico Riserva from the new releases

Holding the middle ground

Laura Bianchi at Castello di Monsanto, confirms that they have not experienced a decreased demand for Riserva since the Gran Selezione category was introduced.

‘The two categories reinforce each other,’ she says, adding, ‘Riserva wines still have a central role because they offer a balance between accessibility and complexity.’

Roberto Stucchi Prinetti at Badia a Coltibuono concurs, saying: ‘The perception of many is that the quality/price rapport of the Riserva triumphs, and its more classic and elegant style is much appreciated.’

The estate’s new 2020 Riserva release embodies both the finesse and value to which he refers.

On the other hand, with respect solely to style, some estates’ Riserva bottlings represent the most muscular, concentrated wines within their range, and may also be a repository for the international grapes that will soon be prohibited from Gran Selezione.

Viticcio’s well-executed 2020 Riserva is a case in point.

Beyond the aforementioned, most of the Riserva I previewed hailed from 2022 and 2021; vintages that are respectively very good and excellent. That said, it is the category in which I found the most variability.

See all of Michaela’s tasting notes & scores from her Chianti Classico report

Some exhibited more explicit wood without more obvious ageing potential than their annata counterparts; or they simply lacked a compelling identity. Yet the Riserva category also includes some of the region’s most distinctive wines.

Many are from producers that don’t (yet) produce Gran Selezione, namely Cigliano di Sopra, Maurizio Alongi and Val delle Corti.

As for those that do make wine at all three levels, both Istine and Monteraponi’s 2022 Riservas stand shoulder to shoulder quality-wise with their Gran Selezione. And from 2019, Castell’in Villa’s Riserva was among my highest scoring wines across all categories.

Working hard in the vineyard

In particular, the 2021 and 2022 growing seasons were both marked by the warming, drying trend associated with climate change, the latter most intensely. Riserva highlights from these vintages underscore producers’ concerted efforts in the vineyard to mitigate those effects.

For example, the Ormanni estate has moved away from deep tilling and applies kaolin – a natural clay mineral to the vines, which acts as a natural sunscreen. The 2021 Borro del Diavolo is one of the more robust examples, yet it retains intrigue and balance.

Likewise, Castagnoli was spraying kaolin as early as June in 2022. Owner Tim Schefenacker tells me he also avoids trimming the growing tip shoots, tilting the apex leaves over the bunches as further protection from sunburn.

‘Not trimming the apex also helps to retain the malic acids in August’, he explains. While the estate’s 2022 Riserva will be released next year, a cask sample was highly promising.

Monte Bernardi’s Michael Schmelzer follows a similar practice. Although it’s labour intensive, he braids the apex shoots together, tucking them into the canopy. Besides retaining acidity, he suggests that this also preserves aromas. His 2021 Sa’etta is a testament to both.

Finally, from one of the region’s warmer pockets, San Giusto a Rentennano’s 2022 Le Baròncole is impressive. Luca Martini di Cigala’s vineyard strategy is multi-pronged.

Besides redoing terraces to better manage water, and orienting rows for new plantings northwest to southeast to moderate sun exposure, he has successfully trialled the use of hail nets to reduce UV radiation.

‘If you told me 20 years ago that I would use nets to mitigate heat, I would have laughed,’ he says. ‘In 10 years, I think we’ll see more in the region.’

In a changing climate and an evolving region, growing pains are to be expected.

Endeavours to address both appear geared to preserving the territory’s character – and keeping Riserva from being caught in the middle.

Michaela’s top Chianti Classico Riserva released in 2025

See all of Michaela’s tasting notes & scores from her Chianti Classico report

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Bordeaux châteaux have significantly cut en primeur release prices for their 2024 vintage wines, but was it enough to rouse a lethargic market?

Release prices at several leading châteaux were markedly lower than for other recent Bordeaux en primeur campaigns (see chart below).

Lafite Rothschild and Mouton Rothschild 2024 (both 96pts, Decanter) were the cheapest iterations of these first growth wines on the market.

While many merchants welcomed the price cuts, amid a particularly challenging market for Bordeaux, initial feedback suggested buyers were in no rush.

Matthew O’Connell, CEO of the LiveTrade online trading platform at Bordeaux Index, said Lafite sold in good quantities on the day of its release, though the release failed to attract frenzied activity.

In general, he said:‘The discounts have not been at a sufficient level to encourage the majority of potential buyers to participate.’

There are fairly healthy supplies of young Bordeaux around, though each estate has its own context. O’Connell said: ‘We are reminded that 2019 especially, but also 2020, can offer excellent value for high-quality vintages.’

Shaun Bishop, CEO of California-based merchant JJ Buckley, said he had decided not to actively offer a Bordeaux en primeur campaign, for the first time, and cited uncertainty surrounding US import tariffs as the driving factor in that decision.

‘We are recommending that our clients wait until tariff negotiations have concluded and the final price is known.’

From an investment point of view, O’Connell said it’s hard to make a compelling case for the 2024 vintage at current pricing.

Miles Davis, market expert at Vinum Fine Wines, also told Decanter: ‘I think it’s hard to make a case for a really solid, long-term investment.’

He and other merchants nevertheless echoed Decanter’s Bordeaux correspondent, Georgie Hindle, in asserting that standout wines in the 2024 vintage promise plenty of drinking pleasure around the dinner table in years to come.

William Russell, head of private client sales at UK merchant Armit Wines, said: ‘While the Bordeaux en primeur market remains cautious, the châteaux that position their wines sensibly and at a discount to previous vintages remain attractive, especially to a new generation of buyers who were priced out prior to this release.’

Fine wine & spirits specialist Bordeaux Index kindly sponsors this section of Decanter, and provides its view on the market here every issue. It can be found at bordeauxindex.com.

Bordeaux en primeur for the 2024 vintage was always going to be tricky, with a tough macro backdrop, a now long-sustained drift in market pricing of wines from the region, previous recently released vintages almost all ‘underwater’ vs their initial prices, and the new vintage itself having produced some elegant but ultimately not top-tier wines.

Pricing strategies from the key chateaux have varied, most down from their 2023 release prices, but equally most not by enough to encourage significant buying interest.

Collectors are increasingly, and rationally, reluctant to engage in buying wines where recent – and in this case often superior – vintages are available at or below the new-release prices.

There have been a handful of positively received releases, mainly from first growths Lafite and Mouton. While these didn’t drive outsized interest and buying activity, the releases were perceived as constructive and trying to react to the market backdrop.

Buying has mainly been from collectors rather than those looking to invest in new releases.

Rare wines attract strong bidding…

A 55-year-old case of Petrus and Burgundies from the 1990s have led a Christie’s auction of wines from the cellars of late watch pioneer Jörg G Bucherer.

Christie’s said all 233 lots were sold. It also reported strong demand from younger collectors, with 33% of buyers belonging to the Millennial and Gen Z age groups.

Top lots included a 12-bottle collection of Petrus 1970 in its original wooden case (OWC), which sold for £32,500, including buyer’s premium (pre-sale high estimate: £26,000).

Six magnums of the legendary Château Haut-Brion 1989 fetched £22,500 (high e: £20,000). From Burgundy, 1999-vintage reds from Domaine Leroy led the way.

These included cases (12x75cl, OWC) of: Romanée-St-Vivant 1999, sold for £62,500 (high e: £60,000); Latricières-Chambertin 1999, sold for £43,750 (high e: £38,000); and Clos de Vougeot 1999, sold for £35,000 (high e: £35,000).

In total, the auction fetched £1.2m, said Christie’s, adding proceeds will benefit the Jörg G Bucherer Foundation. Despite an ongoing subdued market climate the Bucherer auction joined previous single-owner sales that have performed relatively strongly.

‘The right kind of collection can still sell very well,’ Edwin Vos, international head of Christie’s wine department, told Decanter.

‘When you get to that level of rarity, with a [collector] name and a story behind it, there are still many people out there who are willing to try to acquire some of those lots.’

…while secondary market loses its fizz

Fine wine prices remain under pressure and US import tariffs may have exacerbated the situation, according to a recent analysis.

Liv-ex, a global marketplace for the trade, said most of its major indices declined in April. Its Champagne 50 regional index performed worst, dropping 2.6%, and the group said tariff uncertainty facing US buyers was a key contributing factor.

Its figures again demonstrated the market’s lethargy as Bordeaux’s en primeur season began. Liv-ex’s Bordeaux 500 index dropped 1.6% in April; it was down 24.3% over two years and nearly 6% over five years.

The Left Bank 200 sub-index offered a sliver of hope: ‘The index’s decline is slowing as it approaches its 2020 lows,’ said Liv-ex. Previous analysis has suggested some parts of the market may be nearing a period of stability (See April 2025 issue).

Disclaimer: Decanter’s Marketwatch pages are published for informational purposes only and do not constitute investment advice. Wine prices may vary and they can go down as well as up. Seek independent advice where necessary and be aware that wine investment is unregulated in several markets, including the UK.

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For me, keeping up with Gran Selezione means an ever-increasing number of wines to taste: since being introduced just 11 years ago, the category has grown from just 33 labels to 187 estates producing 245 different bottlings at the last count.

The quality and diversity are compelling, and for the the most part, prices have yet to become exaggerated. Premiumisation is to be expected of course, but the future success of the category depends on it not becoming completely out of reach.

There are still a number of producers who abstain for their own reasons, however Gran Selezione is now well represented, from the smallest of entities to the largest of enterprises.

Scroll down to see Michaela’s pick of Gran Selezione new releases

Significantly, one of the region’s most prominent and historic estates, Antinori, presents a grand total of three new Gran Selezione this year.

This brings their total to four, each from a different Unità Geografiche Aggiuntive (UGA). Unlike the Badia a Passignano bottling from San Donato in Poggio (130,000 bottles annually), the new labels from Gaiole, San Casciano and Castellina are limited to just 5,000 bottles each.

‘These won’t change the balance sheet at Antinori,’ notes technical director Dora Pacciani. ‘They were made for our passion because we believe in the Chianti Classico region and the UGA project.’

Certainly, the UGA have been a driver in the race to the top. ‘It is also partly a question of communication,’ Monica Raspi at Pomona points out. ‘The consorzio continues to focus on promoting Gran Selezione rather than Riserva.’

Given that her l’Omino Vigna Pomona corresponds to the category’s regulations, she decided to upgrade it from Riserva to Gran Selezione and it is among my top picks from a strong showing of 2021s.

See all of Michaela’s tasting notes & scores from her Chianti Classico report

Testament to success

The latest Gran Selezione releases are further testament to the vintage’s widespread success. They demonstrate great balance of rich, complex structure with fruit depth, distinctiveness and energy.

Antinori’s new bottlings are truly exciting – I was particularly impressed with the San Sano from Gaiole.

Also from the UGA of Gaiole, Castello di Ama puts out another stellar trio. The estate’s San Lorenzo gets an extra tip of the hat for the value for money it offers.

From Montefioralle, Terreno’s Sillano stands out for its brilliant illustration of grace at Chianti Classico’s highest level.

Equally notable is Isola delle Falcole’s fifth-ever vintage from a vineyard in the wilds of Panzano.

To date, it is the estate’s only Chianti Classico label, and the decision to position it at the top of the pyramid is significant for owner Emanuele Graetz. ‘Gran Selezione is our most powerful weapon to make the world understand that Chianti Classico is a fine wine territory’, he asserts.

Graetz is convinced that the best of these will be equated with the greatest Barolo and Burgundy, ‘both in terms of quality and price’.

Odds and ends

The 2021s are not necessarily austere but a year or two longer in bottle wouldn’t hurt, and most fall within a 10- to 15-year range of ageing potential.

Alongside 2021, a smattering of nascent 2022s were trotted out. However, the apparent direction is for producers to give their Gran Selezione longer in bottle before releasing them.

Among those I did try, Castello di Volpaia’s Coltassala and Castello di Querceto’s La Corte cast the vintage in a flattering light. I was also privy to a stunning sneak peek of Istine’s collection, which includes two new Gran Selezione – one from Lamole and the other from Vagliagli.

Note that these UGA (like Montefioralle) won’t be permitted on the label until 2027.

This year there are also dozens of late releases from 2020 and 2019. From the former, Castello di Monsanto (San Donato in Poggio), I Fabbri (Lamole) and Monteraponi’s Il Bragantino (Radda), along with Rocca di Montegrossi 2019 Vigneto San Marcellino (Gaiole) are cellar-worthy gems.

Across this range of vintages, it was gratifying to perceive a movement towards exalting territory over style, and, above all, a throughline of freshness even in progressively warmer years.

What’s happening in Chianti Classico?

Discussions with wineries about strategies in the cellar revealed a growing trend to include whole berries. Sophie Conti at Tregole began experimenting with this in 2021 to soften her wines, and has found it encourages a more delicate extraction.

‘The result is a crunchier wine with greater brightness of fruit’, she asserts.

Altitude was another recurring theme. Under new ownership, Isole e Olena is currently completing a new terraced vineyard at 500 metres – the maximum elevation of the estate.

Furthermore, the small, lofty enclave of Lamole has become a buzz of activity with producers outside the district securing small plots.

Along with Istine’s inaugual Elle bottling is Fontodi’s newest offering, Pastrolo, and Querciabella’s Gran Selezione now includes fruit from recently acquired holdings there.

Michaela’s top-rated Chianti Classico Gran Seleziones released in 2025:

See all of Michaela’s tasting notes & scores from her Chianti Classico report

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All Bordeaux 2024 coverage:

Full vintage analysis & top-scoring wines | How the weather conditions shaped the vintage | The growing season month by month | Wine styles: what to expect | Market conditions and pricing strategies 

Appellation analysis to come

St-Julien | St-Estèphe | Pauillac | Pessac-Léognan | St-Emilion | Margaux | Dry whites | Cru Bourgeois | Sauternes & Barsac

‘Value’ is of course relative – Château Mouton Rothschild’s 2024 release price is 25% less than last year, and the cheapest since the release of the 2014 vintage, at €252 per bottle ex-négociant. Lafite Rothschild is also the cheapest since 2014 at €288 per bottle ex-négociant. Margaux also dropped 25% from the 2023 release price with a per-bottle offer of €276 ex-négociant.

For some, the 2024 vintage will be the first ‘reasonable’ opportunity to buy a first growth, at least for the past decade. Indeed many wines usually priced at the upper end of the scale are more affordable this year given the market conditions and widespread calls to drop prices.

It’s good news for first time buyers or those who want to buy specific large formats.

And even though 2024 is not a top Bordeaux vintage there are still plenty of excellent bottles, and at the lower end, lots of wines great for opening and enjoying young.

I’ve selected a number of wines below that I think should offer ‘good value’ for their respective appellations. Most should be priced between £20 and £30 – based on 2023 prices where the 2024 one was not available.

In general, value can be found at the cru bourgeois level and within the right bank satellites but there are gems to be found in all the major appellations.

Whites

Pessac Léognan

• Château Brown, Blanc 92 points
• Château de Rochemorin, Blanc 92 points
• Château Picque Caillou, Blanc 92 points
• Château Baret, Blanc 90 points
• Château d’Eyran, Blanc 90 points

Bordeaux Blanc

• Château Cos d’Estournel, Les Pagodes de Cos, Blanc 94 points
• Château Virginie de Valandraud, Blanc 94 points
• Château d’Aiguilhe, Blanc 92 points
• Château Fonréaud Le Cygne 92 points

Château Les Charmes-Godard, Blanc, Francs Côtes de Bordeaux 93 points

Reds

St-Estèphe

• Château Le Boscq 92 points
• Château Meyney 92 points
• Château de Pez 92 points
• Château Capbern 92 points
• Château Ormes de Pez 91 points

St Julien

• Château Gloria 93 points
• Château Beychevelle 92 points
• Château Branaire Ducru 92 points

Margaux

• Château du Tertre 92 points
• Château Siran 92 points
• Château Labégorce 92 points

Pauillac

• Château Fonbadet 93 points
• Château Pauillac 92 points

Pessac-Léognan

• Château La Garde 93 points
• Château Latour-Martillac 93 points
• Château Les Carmes Haut-Bron, C de Carmes 92 points
• Château Couhins Lurton 93 points
• Château de Fieuzal 92 points
• Château Larrivet Haut-Brion 92 points
• Château Couhins 91 points
• Château La Louvière 91 points

Cru Bourgeois

• Château Barreyres, Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois) 91 points
• Château Beaumont, Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Supérieur) 91 points
• Château Beauvillage, Médoc (Cru Bourgeois) 91 points
• Château Bel Air Gloria, Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Supérieur) 91 points
• Château de la Croix, Médoc (Cru Bourgeois) 91 points
• Château Le Crock, St-Estèphe (Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel) 91 points
• Château Ramage la Batisse, Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Supérieur) 91 points
• Château Reverdi, Listrac-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel) 91 points
• Château Tour Saint-Fort, St-Estèphe (Cru Bourgeois) 91 points
• Château La Cardonne, Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Supérieur) 91 points
• Château de Malleret, Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel) 91 points

 St-Emilion

• Château Bellefont-Belcier 94 points
• Château Sansonnet 94 points
• Château Lassègue 94 points
• Château La Dominique 94 points
• Château de Ferrand 92 points
• Château Fonplégade 93 points
• Château Fleur Cardinale 93 points
• Château Franc Mayne 91 points
• Château Laroque 93 points
• Château Carillon d’Angélus 92 points
• Château Fombrauge 92 points
• Château Moulin St Georges 92 points
• Château Cadet Bon 92 points

Pomerol

• Château Fayat 93 points
• Château La Petite Eglise 93 points
• Château Bonalgue 92 points
• Château Château La Cabanne 91 points

Right Bank satellites

• Château La Fleur de Boüard, Lalande-de-Pomerol 92 points
• Château Clarisse, Vieilles Vignes, St-Émilion (Puisseguin-St-Émilion) 92 points
• Château Le Rey, Les Rocheuses, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux 92 points
• Château Le Rey Les Argileuses Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux 92 points
• Château Clarisse, Cuvée Allegria, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux 91 points
• Château Marsau, Francs Côtes de Bordeaux 91 points
• Château Puygueraud, Francs Côtes de Bordeaux 91 points
• Château La Couronne Reserve St-Émilion (Montagne-St-Émilion) 90 points
• Château de Carles, Fronsac 90 points
• Château La Chenade Lalande-de-Pomerol 90 points
• Château Les Cruzelles Lalande-de-Pomerol 91 points
• Château Roc de Bécot, St-Émilion (Puisseguin-St-Émilion) 90 points

Sauternes

• Château De Myrat 92 points
• Château Haut-Bergeron 90 points

Search all 700+ Bordeaux 2024 en primeur ratings

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Pauillac’s Château Pichon Comtesse de Lalande, St-Emilion’s Château Canon and Pomerol’s Château Clinet continued a trend for price cuts in the Bordeaux 2024 en primeur campaign, following on from first growth Château Margaux 24 hours earlier. 

Pichon Comtesse 2024 debuted this morning (3 June) at €90 per bottle ex-négociant, which marks a return to release pricing last seen on the estate’s 2017 vintage, according to Liv-ex, a global marketplace for the trade. 

UK merchants offered the wine at around £531 per six bottles in bond, which is around 20% lower than the debut price of the 2023 vintage. Below, see more analysis of the latest releases.

To follow all of Decanter’s comprehensive en primeur coverage, subscribe to Premium today with the code BORDEAUX24 for 20% off an annual subscription

Pichon Comtesse 2024 analysis 

Pichon Comtesse 2024 received 96 points from Decanter’s Bordeaux correspondent, Georgie Hindle, who highlighted it as one of the standout success stories in a challenging Bordeaux growing season.  

‘Mouthwatering acidity and precise balance showcase [winemaker / CEO] Nicolas Glumineau’s skill, creating a svelte, energetic wine with a lot going on,’ wrote Hindle.

At £1,062 per 12-bottle case IB in the UK, the 2024 vintage is around 19.5% below last year’s release price for the 2023 vintage. 

Analyst group Wine Lister said the wine is nearly 50% below the en primeur price for highly regarded Pichon Comtesse 2022. It also noted that production in 2024 was around half of the usual level.  

Yet, it said remaining stocks of the 2021 and 2017 vintages were available on the market for less, and that some critics have previously scored these wines higher than the new release. 

Pichon Comtesse is considered to have been on a strong, upward quality trajectory in the past decade or so. Liv-ex also noted that Pichon Comtesse 2014 may be of interest to buyers looking through this estate’s back catalogue. 

The estate’s second wine, Reserve de la Comtesse 2024 (92pts, Decanter), was offered in the UK at around £340 (12x75cl IB).

Château Canon 2024 – one to watch

Canon is another estate that has been on the rise in the last decade and its 2024 vintage was also deemed by Hindle to constitute a highlight of recent en primeur tastings.

She gave 96pts to Canon 2024, making it one of her top-scoring wines of the vintage.

‘Such a great wine and one where you really can’t taste the difficulties of the year in the glass,’ Hindle said. ‘Crystalline and pure, elegant and super charming.’

Canon 2024 was released at €72 per bottle ex-négociant, the cheapest release price since the 2019 vintage debuted five years ago.

In the UK, the wine was offered at £852 (12x75cl IB), down by nearly 21% on the opening price of the 2023 vintage, according to Liv-ex.

UK merchant Farr Vintners said: ‘This excellent château consistently receives scores that are as high as those of the other top names of the appellation, but it is priced well below its neighbours. That is true again this year with a release price of £426 per case of six bottles (IB).’

Liv-ex, though, said some recent vintages of Canon were available on the market for less, including the 2021 and 2017.

Clinet 2024 ‘a good buy’

In Pomerol, Clinet 2024 emerged en primeur at €44 per bottle ex-négociant, joining a group of estates that have returned to release pricing last seen for the 2014 vintage.

At £528 per 12-bottle case IB – and offered by many merchants at £264 per six-pack – the wine is one of the cheapest iterations of Clinet available on the market.

Hindle gave 93 points to Client 2024, describing it as ‘totally moreish’. She said, ‘Sleek and really well made with energy and focus.’ 

Wine Lister said: ‘Coming onto the market at a significant discount on all recent back vintages, Clinet 2024 looks like a good buy.’ 

Prices drop across the campaign

Wine Lister data showed how prices have fallen across the board in this year’s campaign. 

It said: ‘On the wines we’ve covered so far in the 2024 campaign, ex-négociant prices are down 16% on the 2023 and down 33% on the 2022, while average recommended UK onward selling prices are down 21% on the 2023 and down 39% on the 2022.’

While some buyers have shown healthy interest in several big names, initial merchant reports suggest the campaign overall has lacked a spark.

Bordeaux’s 2024 vintage has entered a particularly challenging fine wine market. Some buyers may also be waiting to see how the vintage looks once reassessed in-bottle, around 18 months from now.

Click here for more scores from the vintage

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Château Margaux 2024 was released this morning (Monday 2 June) with a 25% price cut on its 2023 vintage’s opening offer.

Its release is the last of the first growths this campaign, and like the others its 2024 vintage is among the cheapest wines available to collectors.

Also out was Château Ducru-Beaucaillou as this en primeur campaign moves into its final stages.

To follow all of Decanter’s comprehensive en primeur coverage, subscribe to Premium today with the code BORDEAUX24 for 20% off an annual subscription

Analysis: Château Margaux 2024

The Margaux appellation’s eponymous first growth was released ex-négociant at €276 per bottle. This is a cut of 25% on the 2023 vintage.

UK merchants are currently offering the wine for £1,620 per six bottles in-bond.

It was a difficult vintage for the first growth for many reasons. As consultancy group Wine Lister noted, the estate lost a number of tractors in a fire just before the harvest and had to borrow equipment from neighbours.

Furthermore, the estate took the decision to not break its organic farming despite the extremely wet weather that the region experienced throughout the growing season.

The results have garnered strong scores from critics. Margaux was Decanter Bordeaux editor Georgie Hindle’s top-rated first growth.

She gave it a score of 97-points saying it was a ‘tremendous effort from Margaux’.

She added: ‘Beautiful, this is just what you expect from Margaux, precision and perfection with a lively acidity and crushed stone chalkiness on the finish.’

The substantial cut in price places the new vintage at a compelling price for collectors.

Fine wine platform Liv-ex pointed out that the 2021 was available for a slight discount but Wine Lister thought that its price, ‘combined with its powerhouse brand, should encourage demand’.

Other releases

Second label, Pavillon Rouge, was also released and is being offered for £528 per 6x75cl IB.

The 2024 looks even more compelling when compared to back vintages and is available at a ‘significant discount’ said Wine Lister.

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou was released a little later this morning, at €90 p/b ex-négociant. Offering a cut of 26% on its 2023, the new vintage is being offered at around £528 per 6x75cl IB.

Hindle rated the wine 95-points, calling it, ‘elegant and enjoyable’.

The new vintage also compares favourably to older vintages, sitting at a considerable discount to those already available by quite some margin.

Recent releases

Margaux’s appearance shakes up a relatively quiet spell in this year’s campaign. Other releases of late have included Château Palmer, Brane-Cantenac and Trotanoy.

Both Brane-Cantenac and Trotanoy were judged as offering reasonable value to potential buyers.

However, Liv-ex noted that Palmer 2024, ‘is priced above several similarly or better rated recent vintages’, which included the 99-point 2019.

The wines are available for the following prices per six bottles IB (and their Decanter score):

• Château Palmer – £950 (95)
• Château Brane-Cantenac – £213 (95)
• Château Trotanoy – £850 (95)

Click here for more scores from the vintage

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All Bordeaux 2024 coverage:

Full vintage analysis & top-scoring wines | How the weather conditions shaped the vintage | The growing season month by month | Wine styles: what to expect | Market conditions and pricing strategies 

Appellation analysis to come

St-Julien | St-Estèphe | Pauillac | Pessac-Léognan | Cru Bourgeois | Margaux | Dry whites | Top value | Sauternes & Barsac

St-Emilion 2024: Mixed results given the size and varying terroirs but some outstanding, ageable wines

Average yield St-Emilion: 40.8hl/ha, Grand Cru: 36.4hl/ha

Variance from 2023: -5.4% (43.1.hl/ha), Grand Cru: -10.6% (40.5hl/ha)

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top wines from St-Emilion 2024

Vintage overview

St-Emilion is rarely homogenous given the sheer size and varying terroirs and 2024 is no different, however there are some brilliant wines that really dispel the notion that it was a difficult year.

I thought the Canon stable of wines was particularly good, I loved Lassegue and thought Clos Dubreuil was a great effort in the vintage.

Estates on limestone; Belair Monange, the two Beausejours and Clos Fourtet did extremely well not to lean too heavily into austerity while Figeac and Cheval produced really lovely wines in 2024.

TrotteVieille and Troplong performed well and I was impressed by L’If, too.

Destieux was a little more reserved than usual which I enjoyed and de Ferrand, La Dominique and Laroque were also very good.

A special shout out also to the biodynamic estate Croix de Labrie who produced a fabulous wine in 2024 despite the conditions.

What the winemakers thought

For Pierre Olivier Clouet, technical director of Cheval Blanc, the 2024 grand vin is ‘impressive but more serious than smiley and pleasant’.

‘In 2024, we forget about sweetness, volume, silkiness and sexiness – these are academic wines. Cheval is almost shy at this point but super complex and elegant’. Clouet compared 2024 to 2014, 2008 and 2004. ‘We will need the maturation process to polish and integrate the wines due to the acidity and tannins,’ he said.

‘In a way I am super proud that we can still make these vintages in Bordeaux. That’s the charm – the diversity – and that we can go back to a vintage like we had in the 1980s in terms of climate but we have better know-how and technology to make excellent wines,’ he added.

The strategy at Cheval was to wait for maximum ripeness then harvest quickly. They had two teams one from 6am-2pm and the second 2pm-8pm. ‘We usually pick 18ha in seven days, in 2024 we did it in two and a half.

They also chaptalised like many, carried out bleeding and used a densimetric sorting machine – ‘three things we usually never do’. They discarded 34% of production with a vinification yield of 28 hl/ha.

For Frédéric Faye, technical director at Figeac the blending sessions were more difficult than usual. ‘It took 10 three-hour sessions to get it right because some lots took more time than others to express themselves’.

They also used a densimetric sorted and discarded 21% of their crop.

Aymeric de Gironde, technical director at Troplong Mondot emphasised the ‘teamwork’ nature of the vintage. ‘There’s a particular feeling of reward when you have to work hard at every stage of the year. It was a challenging year but everyone came together’.

Matthieu Cuvelier, owner of Clos Fourtet, also likened the 2024 vintage to 2014 and 2008 as well as 2001. ‘When you strip it all back this is what you get’ he said. For the grand vin they used only the limestone plateau plots and used a densimetric sorter.

Joséphine Duffau-Lagarrosse co-owner and director of Beauséjour said ‘we can’t have easy vintages every year’ adding that they lost 25% of production to mildew and a further 15% from drastic sorting. The new, custom built cellar with small tanks came in handy for precise vinifications in 2024.

For Angélus’ head of wine Benjamin Laforet winemaking is about ‘translating a grape into a product.’

‘We focus on what nature gives us, we adapt to the weather conditions and moderate our picking to each terroir. We don’t want to force anything, we want the wines to be open, charming and accessible,’ he said.

Standouts

• Angélus
• Canon
• Beau-Séjour Bécot
• Figeac
• Troplong Mondot

Highlights

• Bélair-Monange
• Cheval Blanc
• Beauséjour
• Larcis Ducasse
• Pavie
• Ausone
• Clos Fourtet
• La Gaffelière
• Croix de Labrie
• Trotte Vieille

Value

• Bellefont-Belcier
• Carillon d’Angélus
• Franc Mayne
• Laroque
• Lassègue
• La Dominique
• Fleur Cardinale
• Fombrauge
• Moulin St Georges
• Sansonnet
• Cadet Bon
• de Ferrand
• Fonplégade
• Fonroque

See all 148 St-Emilion 2024 wines

See the top-scoring St-Emilion 2024 wines

Search all 700+ Bordeaux 2024 en primeur ratings

Related articles

• Bordeaux 2024: Weather & growing conditions
• The Bordeaux 2024 growing season: Punch by punch
• All the latest Bordeaux 2024 En Primeur wine releases

All Bordeaux 2024 coverage:

Full vintage analysis & top-scoring wines | How the weather conditions shaped the vintage | The growing season month by month | Wine styles: what to expect | Market conditions and pricing strategies 

Appellation analysis to come

St-Julien | St-Estèphe | Pauillac | Pessac-Léognan | St-Emilion | Margaux | Cru Bourgeois | Top value | Sauternes & Barsac

Dry white wines 2024: Zesty and fresh acid-driven styles

Average yield Bordeaux blanc: 43.8.2hl/ha

Variance from 2023: -14.21% (50.5.hl/ha)

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top dry white 2024 wines

Vintage overview

Often Bordeaux vintages tend to favour one colour over another, but while I don’t think that is wholly true there’s no doubt the 2024 produced some spectacular dry white wines.

Of course, the growing season remained wet and cool although the earlier-ripening white grapes benefitted from the dry and warm summer conditions and were picked ahead of the September rains.

Nevertheless, there are still variations in style and quality with highs and lows across the board. Some wines are overly flat or dull, lacking in vibrancy and diluted or watery.

However, the best generally have quite low pHs (high acidity) so are focussed on crisp zesty, citrus notes often with some bitter lemon, orange or grapefruit rind accents.

They generally don’t have many tropical or exotic aspects but are razor-sharp, focussed and extremely fresh.

They won’t have the weight or fatness of some warmer vintages – even those with Sémillon which normally offers some thickness and waxy honeyed elements have more of a straight and zingy expression.

Also, those with any Sauvignon Gris or Muscadelle have more pronounced florality than normal.

They are likely to be enjoyable in their youth as well as having the capacity to age. It will be interesting to see how the whites are aged with many favouring more inert vessels such as amphora or wine globes to retain freshness or if wooden barrels will be chosen to add some roundness.

This article focusses only on the ‘Bordeaux Blanc’ and ‘Vin de France’ categories. There are plenty of excellent dry whites from Pessac-Léognan covered here.

Standouts

• Cos d’Estournel
• Valandraud
• Margaux, Pavillon Blanc

Highlights

• Aile d’Argent
• Les Champs Libres
• Suduiraut, Pur Sémillon
• Fleur Cardinale
• Grand Village
• Clos des Lunes, Lune d’Or
• Cantenac Brown, Alto

Value

• Les Pagodes de Cos Blanc
• d’Aiguilhe Blanc
• Fonréaud Le Cygne
• Virginie de Valandraud

See all 33 Bordeaux Blanc 2024 wines

See the top-scoring dry white 2024 wines

Search all 700+ Bordeaux 2024 en primeur ratings

Related articles

• Bordeaux 2024: Weather & growing conditions
• The Bordeaux 2024 growing season: Punch by punch
• All the latest Bordeaux 2024 En Primeur wine releases

All Bordeaux 2024 coverage:

Full vintage analysis & top-scoring wines | How the weather conditions shaped the vintage | The growing season month by month | Wine styles: what to expect | Market conditions and pricing strategies 

Appellation analysis to come

St-Julien | St-Estèphe | Pauillac | Pessac-Léognan | St-Emilion | Margaux | Dry whites | Cru Bourgeois | Top value | Sauternes & Barsac

Cru Bourgeois 2024: Wines offering early-drinking pleasure

Average yield Médoc: 26.2hl/ha, Haut-Médoc: 29hl/ha

Variance from 2023: -55.5% (40.9.hl/ha), -31.7% (38.2hl/ha)

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top wines from Cru Bourgeois 2024

Vintage overview

The 2024 Cru Bourgeois tasting revealed a vintage marked by low alcohol levels – rarely exceeding 13% – and generally delicate tannins.

Quality was notably heterogeneous, with some estates crafting refined, perfumed wines while others struggled with balance and ripeness.

Interestingly, cuvées with a higher proportion of Petit Verdot stood out for their perfumed floral, peppery character and fuller body.

In some wines, the wood overwhelmed the delicate fruit, dulling the aromatic clarity. However, the best examples showed an elegant, floral character and lifted aromatics that added charm and freshness.

Many wines are already quite accessible, with soft structures and open-knit profiles that suggest they’ll be enjoyable on release, even if not destined for extended cellaring.

Overall, 2024 for the Cru Bourgeois is a vintage of early-drinking pleasure rather than long-haul ageing, with finesse and fragrance talking over power.

Highlights and value

• Château Barreyres, Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois)
• Château Beaumont, Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Supérieur)
• Château Beauvillage, Médoc (Cru Bourgeois)
• Chateau Bel Air Gloria, Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Supérieur)
• Château de la Croix, Médoc (Cru Bourgeois)
• Château Le Crock, St-Estèphe (Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel)
• Château Ramage la Batisse, Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Supérieur
• Château Reverdi, Listrac-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel)
• Château Tour Saint-Fort, St-Estèphe (Cru Bourgeois)
• Château La Cardonne, Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Supérieur)
• Château de Malleret, Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel)

See all 57 Cru Bourgeois 2024 wines

See the top-scoring Cru Bourgeois 2024 wines

Search all 700+ Bordeaux 2024 en primeur ratings

Related articles

• Bordeaux 2024: Weather & growing conditions
• The Bordeaux 2024 growing season: Punch by punch
• All the latest Bordeaux 2024 En Primeur wine releases

All Bordeaux 2024 coverage:

Full vintage analysis & top-scoring wines | How the weather conditions shaped the vintage | The growing season month by month | Wine styles: what to expect | Market conditions and pricing strategies 

Appellation analysis to come

St-Julien | St-Estèphe | Pauillac | St-Emilion | Margaux  | Cru Bourgeois | Dry whites | Top value | Sauternes & Barsac

Pessac-Léognan 2024: Vibrant tangy whites and uneven reds but with some standouts

Average yield reds: 39hl/ha

Variance from 2023: 2.2% (38.1hl/ha)

Average yield whites: 42.3hl/ha

Variance from 2023: -18.9% (50.3hl/ha)

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top wines from Pessac-Léognan 2024

Vintage overview

Pessac-Leeognan was the highest yielding appellation for reds on the Left Bank and, together with the Graves, one of only two to increase yields from last year. For still whites, Pessac is third to the Entre-deux-Mers and Bordeaux Blanc appellations.

The 2024 vintage in Pessac-Léognan presented a mixed picture, shaped by the region’s higher-than-average rainfall during the beginning of the season.

Overall, classified châteaux performed well, likely thanks to greater resources enabling more rigorous sorting in a challenging year.

Some white wines, like Larrivet Haut-Brion, were the standout, offering vibrant, tangy acidity and aromatic clarity that promise excellent ageing potential.

They are precise, refreshing, and stylistically consistent, with a fine balance between ripeness and tension.

The reds were more uneven. While some estates managed to craft elegant, structured wines – especially those leaning more heavily on Cabernet Sauvignon – many lacked concentration and definition.

In some cases, the tannins came across as slightly green, and the fruit a touch diluted.

The top red wines will benefit from mid-term cellaring, but a significant number are best enjoyed in the first decade, as they may not have the structure or fruit depth for extended maturation.

White standouts

• Château Smith Haut Lafitte
• Château La Louvière
• Château Couhins-Lurton

White highlights

• Château Haut-Brion Blanc
• Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc
• Château Larrivet Haut-Brion
• Château Malartic-Lagravière Blanc
• Domaine de Chevalier Blanc
• Château Lespault-Martillac Blanc
• Château Pape Clément Blanc
• Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Les Hauts de Smith Blanc
• Château Cantelys Blanc
• Château de Fieuzal Blanc
• Château Carbonnieux Blanc
• Château Latour-Martillac Blanc
• Château Olivier Blanc
• Château Carbonnieux Blanc

Red standouts

• Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion
• Domaine de Chevalier

Red highlights

• Château Haut-Brion
• Château La Mission Haut-Brion
• Château Smith Haut Lafitte
• Château Carbonnieux
• Château Couhins-Lurton
• Château La Garde
• Château Cantelys
• Château Haut-Bailly
• Château Malartic-Lagravière
• Château Pape Clément
• Château Latour-Martillac

See all 79 Pessac-Léognan 2024 en primeur wines tasted

See the top-scoring Pessac-Léognan 2024 wines

Search all 700+ Bordeaux 2024 en primeur ratings

Related articles

• Bordeaux 2024: Weather & growing conditions
• The Bordeaux 2024 growing season: Punch by punch
• All the latest Bordeaux 2024 En Primeur wine releases

All Bordeaux 2024 coverage:

Full vintage analysis & top-scoring wines | How the weather conditions shaped the vintage | The growing season month by month | Wine styles: what to expect | Market conditions and pricing strategies 

Appellation analysis to come

St-Julien | St-Estèphe | Pauillac | Pessac-Léognan | St-Emilion | Margaux | Cru Bourgeois | Dry whites | Top value

Sauternes & Barsac 2024: Fresh and moderately sweet wines with vibrancy

Average yield Sauternes:13hl/ha

Variance from 2023: -4.6% (12.4hl/ha)

Average yield Barsac: 11.5hl/ha

Variance from 2023: -4% (12hl/ha)

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top wines from Sauternes & Barsac 2024

Vintage overview

The 2024 vintage in Sauternes and Barsac delivered a fresher, more elegant expression than usual, with lower residual sugar levels contributing to a less opulent, more vibrant style.

Quality was uneven across the appellations, with some wines lacking precision in their fruit expression.

Sémillon, the backbone of most blends, often showed a marked bitterness this year. Château la Tour Blanche even increased the proportion of Muscadelle for its floral lift and softening effect that helped balance the bitter component.

Among the highlights, Château Coutet and Château Suduiraut stood out for their balance, aromatic purity, and refined structure.

The 2024 sweet wines may not be built for long-term cellaring, but their freshness and moderate sweetness make them particularly appealing for earlier drinking within the first 10 to 15 years.

Standouts

• Château de Rayne Vigneau
• Château Suduiraut
• Château Coutet

Highlights

• Château Suduiraut
• Château Coutet
• Château Bastor-Lamontagne
• Château Doisy-Védrines
• Château Guiraud
• Château La Tour Blanche
• Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey
• Château Guiraud
• Château La Tour Blanche
• Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey
• Château Rieussec
• Château Suau
• Château Doisy-Daëne

See all 25 Sauternes & Barsac 2024 en primeur wines tasted

See the top-scoring Sauternes & Barsac 2024 wines

Search all 700+ Bordeaux 2024 en primeur ratings 

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• The Bordeaux 2024 growing season: Punch by punch
• All the latest Bordeaux 2024 En Primeur wine releases

All Bordeaux 2024 coverage:

Full vintage analysis & top-scoring wines | How the weather conditions shaped the vintage | The growing season month by month | Wine styles: what to expect | Market conditions and pricing strategies 

Appellation analysis to come

St-Julien | St-Estèphe | Pauillac | Pessac-Léognan | St-Emilion | Margaux | Cru Bourgeois | Dry whites | Top value | Sauternes & Barsac

Pomerol 2024: Tiny yields but some exceptional wines

Average yield: 28.4hl/ha

Variance from 2023: -59.1% (45.2hl/ha)

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top wines from Pomerol 2024

Vintage overview

Praise for the wines can only go some way to compensate Pomerol producers for their tiny yields in 2024, with few exceeding 30hl/ha and the average being only 28.4% – almost a 60% decrease from last year.

There were fewer wines available to taste – Hosanna, La Grange à Pomerol and La Grave à Pomerol were missing giving an indication as to the troubles faced throughout the year.

Indeed mildew was a problem as was botrytis and many producers picked ahead of the September rain to avoid disease and dilution.

These factors added to the general cool vintage have produced a set of Pomerol wine with less typical sexiness and plushness than usual, they’re not opulent or voluptuous but the best are still packed full of flavour with aromatic intensity and lovely juicy, charming profiles.

Favourite wines

Indeed Pomerol has one of my wine’s of the vintage; L’Eglise Clinet made by the talented Noëmie Durantou (pictured, above) and Olivier Gautrat which was just exceptional and showed none of the difficulties in the glass. If you can get your hands on these bottles please do!

‘It was a tough game, but a great result in the end,’ Durantou said.

Château Lafleur also shone with a beautiful 2024 and bucked the trend with high yields of 40hl/ha. Winemaker Omri Ram said the team, ‘didn’t miss a spraying window’.

‘We didn’t miss one hour, we sprayed on bank holidays, weekends and three times at night’, he said adding that they ‘also worked the canopies’ and maintained the cover crops to ‘manage the water and stabilise the soils’.

For the team at Clos du Clocher it was all about ‘endurance’. They produced a lovely 2024, slightly more lean in profile compared to previous years but very enjoyable nonetheless.

Olivier Berrouet at Petrus said it was the first time in 20 years that they battled rain and botrytis during the harvest.

‘The goal was to harvest ripe,’ he said, adding that because the grapes were more damaged than usual and more sensitive to oxygen they reduced the number of rackings and carried them out under nitrogen.

The 2024 Petrus is amazingly aromatic, focused and fresh with plenty of nuance. Not as charming as usual but clean, linear and precise.

I thought Château Fayat, under the management of Gwen Lucas, was a highlight and enjoyed Petit Village too.

Standouts

• Château L’Eglise Clinet
• Château Lafleur

Highlights

• Petrus
• Château Trotanoy
• Château Vieux Château Certan
• Château La Conseillante
• Guillot-Clauzel
• Château Petit Village
• Château Clinet
• Château Clos de la Vieille Eglise
• Château Latour à Pomerol

Value

• Château Clos du Clocher
• Château Fayat
• Château La Petite Eglise
• Château Bonalgue
• Château La Cabanne

See all Pomerol 2024 en primeur wines tasted

See the top-scoring Pomerol 2024 wines

Search all 700+ Bordeaux 2024 en primeur ratings

Related articles

• Bordeaux 2024: Weather & growing conditions
  The Bordeaux 2024 growing season: Punch by punch
  All the latest Bordeaux 2024 En Primeur wine releases

Château Figeac, Château Ausone, Château Léoville Las Cases and Château Pavie are among the big name releases over the last few days of the 2024 en primeur campaign.

Price cuts have been as high as 41%, and several of the big names have been earmarked as offering potential buying opportunities for collectors.

Average selling prices of the 2024 vintage so far this campaign are 21% down versus the 2023 vintage and 38% down on the 2022s.

To follow all of Decanter’s comprehensive en primeur coverage, subscribe to Premium today with the code BORDEAUX24 for 20% off an annual subscription

Analysis: Figeac

The St-Emilion 1er grand cru classé ‘A’, was released ex-négociant at a price 37% below that of the 2023 vintage (and one of the biggest discounts so far).

UK merchants were offering the wine for £564 per six bottles in-bond (IB). Decanter’s Bordeaux editor, Georgie Hindle, scored the wine 96-points.

She commented: ‘It’s elegant, leaning into the vintage in terms of density, but wow there is such delicacy and detail here. I love it because it’s so relaxed and so charming and full of fruit.’

The estate has a good amount of market-momentum behind it at the moment after its promotion to cru classé ‘A’ status and a series of critical hits.

Fine wine marketplace Liv-ex noted that it ‘may well present value to buyers’ – particularly if it secured some of the higher predicted scores awarded by various critics.

The 2017 and 2021 vintages – both of a similar calibre to the 2024 – are still available for slight discounts if buyers were looking for already-cellared stock.

Léoville Las Cases, Pavie, Ausone & Léoville-Poyferré – the 95-pointers

These four châteaux all received scores of 95pts from Hindle. All cut their prices versus the 2023 vintage, ranging from a 16% discount from Léoville Poyferré, 29% from Ausone, 31% from Léoville Las Cases and a huge 41% from Pavie.

Pavie’s price drop is the largest of the campaign so far and consultancy group Wine Lister commented that it was: ‘A very welcome move by the Saint-Émilion premier grand cru classé ‘A’.’

Pavie’s bold move makes its 2024 vintage ‘by far’ the cheapest on the market noted Liv-ex, which should definitely catch the eye of any interested buyers.

Hindle said of the 2024: ‘Less accessible now with real bite and tang of limestone, liquorice and clove, although this carries the Pavie signature and is built for the long haul.’

Commentators and merchants had similarly positive words for some of the other releases. Goedhuis Waddesdon called Léoville Las Cases ‘a firm buy’, while Corney & Barrow thought Ausone could be ‘an opportune buy’.

The wines are being offered by UK merchants for the following (priced at 6x75cl IB) – all were rated 95pts by Hindle:

• Château Pavie – £816
• Château Léoville Las Cases – £573
• Château Ausone – £1,842
• Château Léoville Poyferré – £283

Other releases

Also released over the last few days were Château Cantenac Brown (£171 per 6x75cl), Château Phélan-Ségur (£188/6×75) and Clos du Marquis (£186/6×75).

Wine Lister thought Cantenac-Brown had made a ‘persuasive offer’, as did Corney & Barrow.

Hindle wrote: ‘Becomes a little taut towards the finish but there’s great refinement here. Will be yummy with a mineral, liquorice, clove and graphite and black pepper finish.’

Click here for more scores from the vintage

Related articles

• Bordeaux 2024: Full vintage review and top-scoring wines
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• Bordeaux 2024: Château Cos d’Estournel price falls by 29%

All Bordeaux 2024 coverage:

Full vintage analysis & top-scoring wines | How the weather conditions shaped the vintage | The growing season month by month | Wine styles: what to expect | Market conditions and pricing strategies 

Appellation analysis to come

St-Estèphe | Margaux | Pauillac | Pessac-Léognan | St-Emilion | Pomerol | Cru Bourgeois | Dry whites | Top value | Sauternes & Barsac

St-Julien 2024: Wines with a sense of classicism, elegance and finesse

Average yield: 32.5hl/ha

Variance from 2023: -54.7% (50.3hl/ha)

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top wines from St-Julien 2024

Vintage overview

Slightly higher average yields here than Pauillac and slightly lower than St-Estèphe.

The smallest and most homogeneous appellation in terms of terroir of the big four in the Médoc produced some delicious wines with an easy-drinking and approachable style.

For Bruno Borie, owner of Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, he is ‘pretty proud’ of what they have made in 2024. ‘We work with nature, it’s never easy, and there’s always a risk’ but the estate doubled vineyard workers for spraying, leaf removal and during the harvest.

‘We lost some yield earlier in the season but that meant we had better concentration in the remaining grapes,’ he said.

The estate didn’t present Le Petit Ducru for the en primeur tastings instead choosing to focus the attention on a smaller range of wines for sale.

Sara Lecompte Cuvelier, owner and director of Château Léoville-Poyferré, said the 2024s are ‘a bit like 2017 – easy to drink and digestible, but with more concentration’.

The team waited for optimal ripeness and so sacrificed some grapes to botrytis and sorted three times; in the vines, by hand then using an optical sorting machine. ‘The Cabernets just weren’t ready so we had to wait’, she said.

Their 2024 is remarkable, chewy and fleshy but still with refinement – a real success for the vintage.

The team used reverse osmosis to concentrate the wines – a method less common than chaptalisation in 2024, as it removes water and further reduces already low yields.

Technical necessity

Château Lagrange (the St-Julien, one) used the same technique despite 2024 being its ‘lowest ever yield’, at 26hl/ha, said director Matthieu Bordes. A further 10% of the grapes were removed from the sorting line and optical sorter before reverse osmosis.

François-Xavier Maroteaux, owner of Château Branaire Ducru, and new president of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, said ‘hydric stress was achieved during the summer’.

The team saw 42mm of rain during July and August compared to the more usual 90-100mm.

They sorted grapes in the vineyard, then on sorting tables, a de-stemmer, vibrating table and optical sorting machine – ‘we changed the settings for colour and size for each plot’, Maroteaux said to be as precise as possible.

At Château Gruaud Larose, technical director Virginie Sallette, said: ‘The most strategic parameter in 2024 was picking the right date to harvest.’

She added: ‘Analysis is important but the aromatics, juice and skins of tasting the grapes during the harvest were critical.’

The team used low temperatures for fermentation and chaptalised to increase the alcohol by up to 1% ABV.

For Damien Barton Sartorius, owner and general manager of Château Léoville Barton, the 2024 vintage was all about ‘hard work’. ‘We had to be careful about the rot, but we could pick when we wanted,’ he said.

‘The vintages that need more attention are those with more alcohol because extractions are much faster. Of course you don’t want to overextract in a vintage like 2024 – tannins were ripe but there’s not huge concentration.’

This year’s grand vin has 92% Cabernet Sauvignon compared to a normal amount of around 80%.

Standouts

• Château Léoville Poyferré
• Château Léoville Las Cases
• Château Ducru Beaucaillou

Highlights

• Château Gruaud Larose
• Château Léoville Barton
• Château St-Pierre
• Château Beychevelle
• Château Lagrange

Value

• Château Beychevelle
• Château Branaire Ducru
• Château Gloria

See all St-Julien 2024 en primeur wines tasted

See the top-scoring St-Julien 2024 wines

Search all 700+ Bordeaux 2024 en primeur ratings

Related articles

• Bordeaux 2024: Weather & growing conditions
• The Bordeaux 2024 growing season: Punch by punch
• All the latest Bordeaux 2024 En Primeur wine releases

All Bordeaux 2024 coverage:

Full vintage analysis & top-scoring wines | How the weather conditions shaped the vintage | The growing season month by month | Wine styles: what to expect | Market conditions and pricing strategies 

Appellation analysis to come

St-Julien | St-Estèphe | Pauillac | Pessac-Léognan | St-Emilion | Pomerol | Cru Bourgeois | Dry whites | Top value | Sauternes & Barsac

Margaux 2024: The appellation with some of the most exciting, charming and friendly wines of the vintage

Average yield: 33.1hl/ha

Variance from 2023: -13.8% (37.7hl/ha)

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top wines from Margaux 2024

Vintage overview

The 2024 vintage posed problems for all producers, and those in Margaux were no exception, especially given the size and varying terroirs of the appellation. Yet it fared better than many, with plenty of lovely, expressive, and typical characteristics emerging.

The wines offer great aromatic florality, juiciness and a sense of charm.

For Cynthia Capelaere, director of Château du Tertre, the 2024 harvest was the quickest in their history. ‘It was a question of means,’ she said.

‘We had to do a lot of sorting during the harvest to eliminate the millerandage. We lost some Merlot grapes but it was a good way to keep the quality. If there had been a bigger yield, the grapes wouldn’t have had the same concentration’.

Du Tertre ended up with a yield of 40hl/ha, well above the appellation average.

For Thomas Duroux, managing director of Château Palmer, the vintage can be described as ‘modest’ with ‘happy wines’.

Organic viticulture

‘It was not easy, we had a lot of doubt, even at harvest time,’ he said, adding that they sprayed 33 times on their organically-farmed vineyards and had a yield of 22hl/ha after harvesting from 25 September and finishing on 10 October. ‘We took risks but there was no real issue with botrytis.’

Ten percent of the crop was discarded using a vibrating table and optical sorter.

Nearby Château Rauzan-Ségla, also under organic management, had a yield of 30hl/ha. General director Nicolas Audebert said, ‘It was a fight every day – we needed permanent vigilance. There’s some luck in the movement of the rain, but you needed dedication and precision.

The team used a cold room to store a days’ worth of harvested grapes before going into the cellar for the first time in 2024 – it was planned for a long time, but ‘came in handy’ and a ‘further step in precision,’ said Audebert.

Château Margaux carried out a green harvest to eliminate all the bunches of unripe grapes ahead of the harvest and stopped picking each time it rained. ‘The berries were bigger in 2024, so we crushed a bit more to increase the level of extraction and extended the maceration’, general director Philippe Bascaules said.

‘The 2024s are complex and fresh – they’re great as long as you don’t want to make a big wine,’ he added. The estate produced 46% of the top wine – an amount not achieved since 2004 due to such a large percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend at 93%.

For Château Brane Cantenac, owner Henri Lurton made the decision to ‘spray early’ and ‘be ready every day’. ‘It was unusual to have phenolic ripeness (ripe skins) before technological ripeness (ripe juice),’ he said adding that they had to harvest quickly and increase the number of harvesters and those on the sorting tables.

‘I think we made good choices, but it was a bit of luck too’, Lurton added.

Fine tuning

Château Giscours used their cover crops effectively for the tractors to access wet soils for spraying and increased their harvest team to 200 people.

While they didn’t chaptalise the wines, technical manager Jérôme Poisson said blending was more challenging than usual: ‘We focused on finding balance and harmony while enhancing the body.’

The grand vin includes all four grapes; 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot only the second time along with 2022.

Château Angludet chaptalised for the first time since 1989 but didn’t lose any yield to mildew having learned from the pressure in 2018 and subsequently created their own spraying machines.

The wine will be aged 40% in amphora to ‘retain the natural aromatic dimension’ in the wines, said Daisy Sichel, seventh generation member of the Sichel family who are owners of the estate.

For Axel Heinz, ex-Ornellaia winemaker and now the director of Château Lascombes, the 2024 ‘took a lot of energy – it wasn’t the easiest but it was far from a disaster’.

He said that the 2023 vintage allowed them to change direction and change style but that 2024 was ‘closer’ to what they have in mind for the the type of wines they want at Lascombes. ‘2024 is a natural and faithful expression of the vintage,’ Heinz said.

‘We didn’t do more extractions but longer macerations on the Merlot, we couldn’t get much out of extractions because we needed to be careful of the tannins,’ he added.

The estate also debuted the 2024 vintage of a new wine during the en primeur tastings, a 100% Merlot cuvée named La Côte from a specific clay and limestone plot near the Garonne river.

The 2022 vintage was the first trial and will be released later this year – an article delving deeper into this wine will be on Decanter Premium soon.

Standouts

• Château Margaux
• Château Palmer

Highlights

• Château Brane Cantenac
• Château Rauzan-Ségla
• Château Lascombes
• Château Durfort-Vivens
• Château d’Issan
• Château Giscours
• Château Cantenac Brown

Value

• Château du Tertre
• Château Siran
• Château Labégorce

See all Margaux 2024 en primeur wines tasted

See the top-scoring Margaux 2024 wines

Search all 700+ Bordeaux 2024 en primeur ratings

Related articles

• Bordeaux 2024: Weather & growing conditions
• The Bordeaux 2024 growing season: Punch by punch
• All the latest Bordeaux 2024 En Primeur wine releases

After a busy day of releases on Monday (19 May), today is the turn of the extensive portfolio from Clarence Dillon, including yet another first growth.

There have been further cuts and prices falling to decade-old lows, with a few labels being picked out as smart buys for interested collectors.

To follow all of Decanter’s comprehensive en primeur coverage, subscribe to Premium today with the code BORDEAUX24 for 20% off an annual subscription

Analysis: Château Haut-Brion

The Pessac-Léognan first growth has cut its release price by 23.8% this year. Its offer of €240 per bottle ex-négociant is the lowest since the 2014’s opening price.

UK merchants are offering the wine for £1,440 per six bottles in-bond (IB).

It’s a price that looks compelling when compared to recent back vintages. Global fine wine marketplace Liv-ex noted it, ‘enters the market as one of the least expensive recent vintages’.

Consultancy group Wine Lister added it was, ‘an attractive opportunity for collectors to get hold of this first growth’.

Decanter’s Bordeaux editor, Georgie Hindle, was in line with certain other major critics in rating the wine as one of the weaker first growths this year.

She gave it 94-points and said that: ‘I like the filling texture, but it tapers towards the finish and loses a bit of momentum in terms of density.’

La Mission Haut-Brion

La Mission enters the fray this campaign with a 21.6% price cut and an onward selling price in the UK of around £870 per six bottles IB.

It received similar scores to its first growth cousin, Hindle likewise rating it 94pts saying that while she liked ‘the chalky, mineral-driven elements on the finish,’ it was, ‘not as detailed and finessed as the wine can be. Less dynamic and vibrant.’

Unlike the first growth, buyers might consider looking around for some older vintages of similar quality but lower prices – Liv-ex pointed to the 2017 for example – but the savings are generally slight.

White wines

Both properties produce some of Bordeaux’s most renowned white wines as well, which have also been released.

Unlike their red counterparts, the price reductions have been slight; just 2.8% for Haut-Brion Blanc and 1.1% for La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc.

The wines are currently being offered for around £3,180 per six IB for the Haut-Brion, and £2,580 per six IB for the La Mission.

As with the reds, Hindle was reserved in her scoring of these two wines giving them both 94pts.

Of the Haut-Brion Blanc she said: ‘Cool and calm, this isn’t shouting and the acidity doesn’t stick out as much as I would have thought.’

While for La Mission Blanc she thought: ‘It’s a bit of a slow build that needed some coaxing but tension emerges with clear mineral aspects on the finish.’

Other critics have been more effusive in their praise, however, with Neal Martin giving the La Mission Blanc one of the highest-scores he’s ever given one of its vintages.

Of the two, both Liv-ex and Wine Lister seemed to agree that the Haut-Brion Blanc looked the most compelling, comparing favourably to the prices of back vintages.

‘This is a buy,’ Wine Lister noted emphatically.

For La Mission Blanc the picture is more nuanced as this new release is more expensive than any other available vintage back to the 2010.

Liv-ex asked: ‘Might its wine of the vintage tag make it an opportunity? Or could its historic post-release price performance be a sticking point?’

Troplong-Mondot

Hot on the heels of the Clarence Dillon wines came St-Emilion 1er grand cru classé, Château Troplong Mondot.

The wine was released with a 19% cut on last year’s offer, with an onward selling price of £432 per six.

Unlike the Clarence Dillon wines, Hindle was much more enthusiastic about this wine when tasted en primeur, giving it 96pts.

‘A delicious wine that puts a smile on your face but still multifaceted,’ she noted.

Liv-ex wrote, however, that: ‘The 2024 enters the market at a higher price than most other similarly rated vintages.’

Buyers may consider looking for back vintages at – occasionally considerable – discounts therefore, including from the 2019 and 2020 vintages.

Monday’s releases

There were a number of releases on Monday this week. These included Château Lascombes, Château Giscours, Château Pape Clément, and Château Valandraud.

Each estate offered cuts on their 2023 release prices of 16.4%, 13.4%, 12.9% and 13% respectively.

UK merchants were offering the wines at; £249 per six IB, £213 (6×75 IB) for Giscours, £308 (6×75 IB) for Pape Clément, and Valandraud for £455 (6×75 IB) .

Liv-ex picked out Valandraud and Giscours in particular as presenting an opportunity for buyers in this vintage.

The same was true of Lascombes, and Wine Lister noted that: ‘Repositioning under Lawrence Wine Estates and Axel Heinz may result in interest from some buyers who recognise the step up in quality.’

Click here for more scores from the vintage

Related articles

• Bordeaux 2024: Full vintage review and top-scoring wines
• Bordeaux 2024: ‘Marvellous’ Mouton cuts price by a quarter
• Bordeaux 2024: Château Cos d’Estournel price falls by 29%

All Bordeaux 2024 coverage:

Full vintage analysis & top-scoring wines | How the weather conditions shaped the vintage | The growing season month by month | Wine styles: what to expect | Market conditions and pricing strategies 

Appellation analysis to come

St-Julien | Margaux  | Pauillac | Pessac-Léognan | St-Emilion | Pomerol | Dry whites | Cru Bourgeois | Top value | Sauternes & Barsac

St-Estèphe 2024: The best wines punch way above the weight of the vintage with plenty of value picks

Average yield: 33.6hl/ha

Variance from 2023: -42.2% (51.5hl/ha)

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top wines from St-Estèphe 2024

Vintage overview

Even in hot vintages, the northern Médoc appellation of St-Estèphe can still produce wines that are somewhat austere and tight in their youth so I was apprehensive of finding wines a little too rustic, highly acidic or severe given 2024’s ample rain and lack of sunshine.

However, there not only some incredible wines from St-Estèphe but a couple of wines that are highlights of the vintage.

Firstly, St-Estèphe had the largest yield of the big four Médoc appellations at an average of 33.6hl/ha although -29.4% on its 10 year average and 42.2% down from last year’s bumper crop of 51.6hl/ha.

Calon Segur for instance did 45hl/ha but had to temporarily pause their organic viticulture to protect grapes during flowering. For estate manager Vincent Millet 2024 was ‘all about decision making’.

He changed vinification with more infusion (allowing the grapes to macerate slowly in the juice without excessive intervention) and used 20% of press wine in the grand vin to build the mid palate.

Le Bosq had slightly lower yields at 35hl/ha but retained their conversion to organic with 30 treatments as well as heavy investments into caterpillar tractors to access their clay soils when waterlogged.

Phélan Ségur had to resort to manual spraying on three occasions to save their crop ending up with 30hl/ha. 2024 was the first year for the estate to have two vertical presses which covered 100% of production.

Cos d’Estournel managed yields of 30hl/ha, with ‘ripe Merlot harvested ahead of the September rains’ said technical director Dominique Arangoïts.

‘Our gravel soils were helpful in the end, they gave more ‘precocity’ to the vines – it ended up being early at the beginning and late at the end’.

A vibrating table was used to sort the berries, some of which were whole bunch fermented and skin contact was kept short.

A new wine

Montrose also kept its organic viticulture and used cover crops effectively to keep competition between the vine and grass for water. ‘We kept the canopy high and removed unripe grapes from the whole estate – the first time we’ve ever done this. It was unbelievable what we had to do,’ said technical director Vincent Decup.

The team used 100 harvesters to pick each plot at the right moment resulting in a yield of 38hl/ha. This year, the estate also debuted a new wine for en primeur tastings although it won’t be released EP.

Terrasse III is made from a Merlot-Cabernet blend but ‘Terrasse three and four Cabernets aren’t the same’, said Decup. ‘Terrasse three has gravel over sand, it has poor soil with less clay so the roots have to go deep. It creates long, nervous tannins with freshness and powerful energy,’ he said.

The wine was crunchy and amazingly vibrant with a rich texture but also lots of freshness. For those who like to delve further into the world of terroir nuance this is a great example.

Ever reliable, Phélan-Ségur produced an exceptional wine – fermented with 15 different indigenous yeasts taken from across the property.

And Le Boscq, Meyney, Lafon-Rochet and de Pez were all great – so there are plenty of value picks also from this appellation.

Standouts

• Château Montrose
• Château Cos d’Estournel

Highlights

• Pagodes de Cos d’Estournel (red and white)
• Château Phélan-Ségur
• Château Lafon-Rochet
• Montrose, Terrasse III
• Château Calon Ségur

Value

• Château Le Boscq
• Château Meyney
• Château de Pez
• Château Capbern
• Château Ormes de Pez

See the top-scoring St-Estèphe 2024 wines

Search all 700+ Bordeaux 2024 en primeur ratings

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• The Bordeaux 2024 growing season: Punch by punch
• All the latest Bordeaux 2024 En Primeur wine releases