The 2009 Bordeaux vintage has lost none of its power to charm and captivate.

A recent tasting in Atlanta showed that most of these wines are still in their first blush of youth, and the best will live for decades.

The intervening years have only confirmed what we suspected even on release – this is among the epochal vintages from Bordeaux.

It represents a turning point in the wines of Bordeaux in so many ways – the warming climate, the changing styles, the fashion for the wines – yet 2009 stands alone.

The chance to revisit these wines was exciting for all the tasters. Michael Davis, principal at Hart Davis Hart auction house in the US, expressed it best when he said that for him 2009 was 'joyful and expressive'.

The alluring 2009 style

There were several top-flight vintages in the first decade of the new century, beginning with superb millennial vintage, the almost unbearably hot 2003 that delivered sybaritic delights; the monumental 2005, still tannic and not yet ready to drink, with the charming 2006 and 2008 just behind.

There are many wine lovers, however, who would argue that the finest vintage of the decade was 2009. The wines are voluptuous, accessible, and hedonistic, yet structured enough to last.

It occurred to me while tasting through these two dozen wines that 2009 resembles the wines from 1982, and I began to think of 2009 as an updated version of 1982 – almost a ‘1982.2’.

The wines in general are substantial and have abundant extract; lots of tannin yet no astringency; enough acidity to give definition but not so much as to make them hard or unyielding; and a sweet, ripe character to the fruit with no sense of it being baked or over-ripe.

The secret to the seductive nature of the fruit in 2009 is that the vines never shut down during the growing season, as they do in the face of excessive heat or drought.

There was just enough water in July and August to keep the vines ripening the fruit throughout the season, and while there were hot days (and plenty of sunshine), the grapes did not suffer the excessive heat spikes that they saw in 2000 or 2003.

The weather behind the magic

The year got off to an appropriate start with a cold, wet winter that plunged the vines into dormancy, refilled the water table, ensuring that budbreak didn't start too early.

There was no hint of spring frost, and although there was a hail storm on 11 May, it did not damage the best vines.

Flowering happened early and finished quickly, setting a large crop on the vines. Crucially, the growing season was hot and sunny, but not so much as to interrupt the grapes gentle ripening.

The region saw moderate rainfall on 18, 19, and 20 September, but there was no further rain until the harvest was complete.

The key to success was to wait until after the rain to pick the Merlot, and to wait until the Cabernet was fully ripe, beginning in mid-October.

Because of the gentle nature of the growing season, the vines ripened to levels not often seen in Bordeaux – mostly over 14% on the Left Bank and up to (and sometimes beyond) 15% on the Right Bank.

If picked at the right time, both Cabernet and Merlot were successful.

Because of the lush, forward character these conditions delivered, these powerful wines are beginning to open up now.

While it is not too early to pull some corks, the best of these wines should continue to improve for decades to come.

From boom to bargain: The market context

When the 2009 vintage came to market, the world was in love with Bordeaux wine. Demand was booming in Asia, and the 2008 financial crisis was disappearing in the rear window.

With consumers in the UK, US, and Hong Kong all avidly chasing top Bordeaux wines, the 2009 primeurs offers were optimistic, and prices seemed dear indeed.

In the intervening 15 years since this primeurs campaign, however, much has changed – Bordeaux wines have lost some of their shine, the global wine market is depressed, and producers are sitting on significant stocks.

As a consequence, prices for these sumptuous wines have not increased greatly, and are, in some cases, lower today than they were upon release.

For a buyer looking for immediate pleasure, long-term cellaring potential, and perhaps smart appreciation, the 2009 vintage represents a wonderful opportunity.

Standout performers

Among the delights of the tasting were second growths that were drinking like firsts, particularly Léoville-Las Cases, Léoville-Poyferré, Pichon-Baron and Gruaud-Larose (as well as perennial overachieving fifth growth Pontet-Canet).

There were also strong performances further down the price ladder like Poujeaux and Malescot-Saint-Exupéry.

Although were some disappointments – I felt that both Lynch-Bages and Pavie should have done better given the conditions – the best wines of the vintage are classics that will long outlive most of us, particularly Margaux and Lafite, with Cheval, Mouton, and La Mission Haut-Brion not far behind.

Bordeaux 2009: 24 top wines from this epochal vintage

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Overshadowed by the first and second growths, the Médoc’s third growth estates are quietly undergoing one of Bordeaux’s most compelling qualitative evolutions – often delivering second growth-level quality but at more approachable prices.

Ironically, the catalyst may be the very classification that’s considered by many as obsolete.

With two notable exceptions, the third growths occupy an uneasy position within the Médoc hierarchy, neither rivalling the established aristocracy of the firsts or ‘super seconds’ (those second growths widely considered now to be performing at potentially first growth standard), nor having their status challenged by any glaringly insurgent success stories emerging from the fifth growths, whose own stars regularly defy official ranking.

Fifths such as Châteaux Pontet-Canet and Lynch-Bages now regularly command secondgrowth pricing, for example.

The 1855 Classification, in other words, has long ceased to function as an immutable ladder of quality.

Instead, the third growths exist in a zone defined less by hierarchy and more by expectation: dependable, historically respected, yet less often thrilling.

But a recent comparative tasting shows how that perception is changing.

Natural progression

For this article, the Maison Héritage restaurant in Sessenheim, Alsace (formerly known as Auberge au Boeuf, holder of a Michelin star from 2015 until early 2026) hosted a horizontal tasting of all 14 Médoc third growths from the 2020 vintage.

Unsurprisingly, Châteaux Palmer and Calon Ségur emerged as clearly the leading wines. More revealing was how the remaining 12 compared.

Pricing data from Liv-ex, a global marketplace for the trade, show that, aside from Palmer and the rapidly ascending Calon Ségur, these estates have traded within a significantly lower band of pricing for roughly a quarter of a century.

Qualitatively, however, divergence has become increasingly apparent. As you can read in the tasting notes, each wine was paired with an older reference vintage, to gauge not only stylistic identity but tangible progress.

Improvements in viticulture, investment in wineries and increasingly precise winemaking have begun to reshape the third growth category from within.

Hive of activity

The framework defining these estates remains frozen in time. Conceived for Napoleon III’s Exposition Universelle de 1855 in Paris, the Classification still governs perception despite more than 170 years of transformation.

Of the 14 third growths, 13 continue to display their classified status prominently on labels, serving as both historical credential and commercial shorthand.

Only Château Palmer declines to display the distinction.

The irony is in the history. Charles Palmer was still assembling vineyards in Cantenac shortly before the 1855 Classification was finalised, meaning the estate that today rivals Bordeaux’s elite had not yet fully taken shape when the rankings were fixed.

Palmer’s third growth status reflects timing rather than intrinsic quality – a discrepancy long since corrected by the market.

Leaps and bounds

If the Classification no longer accurately describes a hierarchy, it continues nonetheless to shape behaviour.

Over the past two decades, that influence has produced something unexpected: competition within the Classification itself.

Across the Médoc region, vineyard restructuring, sustainability initiatives and increasingly refined cellar practices have collectively raised standards.

In St-Julien, Château Lagrange illustrates how long-term investment can quietly bolster stature.

A complete cellar modernisation completed in 2010 nearly doubled fermentation capacity, enabling precise parcel-by-parcel vinification.

Château Langoa Barton, long overshadowed by second growth Léoville Barton, has refined its approach steadily over the past 15 years through careful replanting and increasingly precise gravity-fed vinification, improving tannin quality while preserving its own style of St-Julien restraint.

Château La Lagune, the only Haut-Médoc appellation wine among the third growths, reflects the long-term influence of Caroline Frey, whose tenure from 2004 to 2025 (now managed by sister Delphine Frey) saw conversion to certified biodynamic winemaking alongside the introduction of massal selection (by taking cuttings from existing estate vine stocks) starting in 2008, strengthening vineyard identity and resilience.

Rising tide of quality

Including Palmer, 10 of the 14 third growths come from the Margaux appellation, some better known than others.

Château Ferrière, which impressed many tasting participants (some of whom had never heard of it) continues to pursue certified biodynamic viticulture following cellar renovations in 2013 that have enhanced precision and transparency in winemaking.

Better-known Château Giscours has sustained technical stewardship and, especially since the beginning of this century, it has transformed former inconsistency into one of Margaux’s most compelling contemporary expressions, combining aromatic finesse with structural confidence.

Château Cantenac Brown has entered a new phase of refinement, with 9.5ha of newly acquired vineyard parcels in 2020, additions that contribute greater depth and compositional precision, as well as the installation of completely new cellars, inaugurated in April 2024 (first vintage 2023).

Château d’Issan, known for its parcel-by-parcel winemaking and one of the most appreciated wines in the tasting, also acquired vineyard parcels in 2020, bordering Château Margaux, adding Malbec and Petit Verdot as blending options since that vintage.

At Château Kirwan, a decisive stylistic shift endures, following the arrival of general manager Philippe Delfaut in 2007.

Moving away from later harvesting and heavy oak influence, the estate adopted softer extractions and a more classical expression, consolidated by new cellars opened in 2017 enabling parcel-by-parcel vinification.

Château Malescot St-Exupéry retains a richer, more modern Margaux expression shaped with late consultant Michel Rolland, although the wood regime here seems to evolve toward greater balance, with new oak usage reduced in recent vintages.

Château Marquis d’Alesme shows renewal through both technical and experiential investment.

Cellar renovations completed in 2015 improved vinification precision, while increased Cabernet Sauvignon plantings and the creation of Le Hameau, a tucked-away space for food accompanied by the estate’s wines, have positioned Marquis d’Alesme as an innovator in wine tourism within Margaux.

Unequal progress

Not all estates have advanced equally.

Aside from increasing percentages of Petit Verdot in recent blends, Château Boyd-Cantenac remains austere, while Château Desmirail, another less well-known estate, appears only recently to be translating technical evolution into qualitative momentum.

The inclusion of Petit Verdot from mature vines, advances in pragmatic ecological vineyard management and the addition of truncated wooden vats have allowed more refined maceration and improved structural polish.

Such disparities underline a central paradox: the Classification groups estates together, while modern viticulture increasingly separates them.

Above this transforming field stands Château Palmer, not a static exception but rather a moving benchmark.

Under director Thomas Duroux, biodynamic viticulture, rigorous parcel selection and tasting-led extraction have progressively refined texture and transparency, allowing the estate to redefine excellence within this Classification rank.

Château Calon Ségur represents a different, still unfolding ascent.

Extensive replanting since the mid-2000s has left the vineyard unusually young, yet increases in both vine density and the proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon in the vineyard promise further gains in structure and precision.

Recent vintages, including the 2020, already perform convincingly up against second growth-level wines.

Inspiring to improve

Which brings us inevitably to the enduring question: is the 1855 Classification obsolete?

Undeniably so, if judged as a hierarchy intended to reflect today’s realities. Yet its continued existence has produced a fascinating irony.

Unable to change their historical rank, estates have instead worked to be deserving of it.

Many of the third growths, positioned at the centre of Bordeaux’s most famous classification, consequently now count among the Médoc’s most dynamic properties.

The 1855 Classification may no longer precisely determine quality, but the desire not to fall short of its rankings continues to drive producers’ ambition.

In Bordeaux, history rarely disappears. Sometimes, inconveniently yet effectively, it contrives to keep everyone on their toes.

Médoc third growths: The Panos Kakaviatos (PK) revised ranking

If the 1855 Médoc Classification of grand cru classé estates were revised today, the following are my hypothetical rankings, based on current quality, market perception and qualitative evolution of each estate – listed in their proposed ‘new’ order, and alphabetically within that.

Tasting notes and pricing shown here (average price before tax as shown on wine-searcher.com on 12 April 2026) use the 2020 vintage as a benchmark; pricing among the Médoc third growths reveals how the existing 1855 hierarchy can still dictate market positioning, albeit not always in step with relative quality.

Châteaux Palmer and Calon Ségur are both priced in clear recognition of top performance in 2020.

Then there is the cluster of 12 other current third growths, though not all are equal in quality – in reinterpreting the rankings today, I would create a category similar to the ‘super seconds’, or in this case the ‘thrilling thirds’.

This is to reflect the reality that estates such as Cantenac Brown, d’Issan, Giscours, Lagrange and Langoa Barton are delivering relatively higher quality than the others, at prices that have not yet fully caught up.

By contrast, wines such as Château Desmirail and Boyd-Cantenac appear less compelling in value terms, relative to their peers.

The 1855 Classification appears on all their labels, other than Palmer, but the degree to which the Classification still anchors price, regardless of progress in viticulture and winemaking, creates striking disparities in value within the category.

Château Palmer

Margaux

PK revised ranking: First growth

Directed by Thomas Duroux, Palmer cultivates 66ha under certified biodynamic management, combining meticulous parcel stewardship with advanced research into climate resilience and vineyard adaptation.

Technical expertise underpins precise extraction and ageing, with wines maturing 20-22 months in 50%-70% new oak.

The inauguration of the estate’s Village complex in 2025, including staff facilities and a restaurant, reflects Palmer’s commitment to collective identity, sustainability and long-term cultural as well as technical leadership.

Average bottle price: £243*

Château Calon Ségur

St-Estèphe

PK revised ranking: Second growth

Directed by Vincent Millet, Calon Ségur cultivates a largely unchanged 55ha vineyard representing one of the Médoc’s rare historical continuities.

Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for roughly 57% of plantings here, with restructuring underway to increase its proportion. Ageing extends 18-20 months in new oak.

Average bottle price: £88*

Château Cantenac Brown

Margaux

PK revised ranking: Thrilling third

Under director José Sanfins, this 75ha estate is planted largely to Cabernet Sauvignon.

Since new ownership in 2019, vineyard acquisitions together with major investment – notably an eco-designed gravity winery first used for the 2023 vintage – have strengthened precision and estate coherence.

Wines mature for 16-18 months in about 60% new oak.

Average bottle price: £42*

Château d’Issan

Margaux

PK revised ranking: Thrilling third

Jointly owned by Jacky Lorenzetti and Emmanuel Cruse, d’Issan cultivates 55ha under technical director Eric Pellon.

Careful parcel-by-parcel selection and vinification, reinforced by recent vineyard acquisitions, enhance precision and integration across the estate.

Wines age for about 18 months in 50% new oak.

Average bottle price: £45*

Château Giscours

Margaux

PK revised ranking: Thrilling third

Led by general manager Alexander van Beek, Giscours cultivates 100ha planted predominantly to Cabernet Sauvignon.

Continued refinement in both vineyard and cellar has reinforced consistency and precision across vintages.

Ageing lasts up to 21 months in around 50% new oak.

Average bottle price: £47*

Château Lagrange

St-Julien

PK revised ranking: Thrilling third

Directed by Matthieu Bordes, Lagrange cultivates an unusually continuous 118ha estate dating back to 1855.

A major cellar expansion completed in 2010, which effectively doubled vat capacity, allows extensive parcel-by-parcel vinification and enhanced precision.

Wines age up to 21 months in roughly 50% new oak.

Average bottle price: £38*

Château Langoa Barton

St-Julien

PK revised ranking: Thrilling third

Managed by Damien Barton Sartorius, Langoa Barton cultivates 20ha reflecting a classical St-Julien balance rooted in long family stewardship.

Recent investment has improved parcel precision while preserving traditional proportions.

Wines are aged about 18 months in 60% new oak.

Average bottle price: £36*

Château Ferrière

Margaux

PK revised ranking: No change

Owned and directed by Claire Villars-Lurton, Ferrière cultivates 24ha under certified organic and biodynamic management.

Old massal-selection vines contribute finesse and aromatic precision, reflecting a philosophy centred on terroir expression.

Wines age 16-18 months in roughly 40% new oak.

Average bottle price: £33*

Château Kirwan

Margaux

PK revised ranking: No change

Directed by Philippe Delfaut, Kirwan cultivates 37ha with an emphasis on gentler extraction and greater terroir clarity following stylistic evolution initiated in the late 2000s.

Modern cellars enable detailed parcel by parcel vinification, with ageing lasting 18-21 months in about 50% new oak.

Average bottle price: £40*

Château La Lagune

Haut-Médoc

PK revised ranking: No change

Long guided by Caroline Frey and now managed by her sister Delphine Frey, La Lagune cultivates approximately 80ha planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot.

Biodynamic certification achieved in 2021 reflects sustained attention to vineyard vitality.

Wines age 16-18 months in around 50% new oak.

Average bottle price: £34*

Château Malescot St-Exupéry

Margaux

PK revised ranking: No change

Owned by Jean-Luc Zuger and guided for almost three decades by the recently late consultant Michel Rolland, this 28ha estate cultivates Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot alongside smaller proportions of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

A gradual reduction in new oak seeks greater freshness within the estate’s historically opulent style.

Ageing lasts 16-18 months.

Average bottle price: £39*

Château Marquis d’Alesme

Margaux

PK revised ranking: No change

Acquired by Hubert Perrodo in 2006 and subsequently developed under the leadership of his daughter Nathalie Perrodo, this 14ha estate has undergone extensive renovation since 2015, improving vineyard precision and balance.

Wines age 16-18 months in about 50% new oak.

Average bottle price: £36*

Château Desmirail

Margaux

PK revised ranking: Fourth growth

Now directed by Thierry Lurton, Desmirail cultivates 35ha combining Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with increasing Petit Verdot influence.

Expanded vineyard holdings and updated cellar facilities allow more detailed parcel vinification.

Wines age 16-18 months in about 50% new oak.

Average bottle price: £31*

Château Boyd-Cantenac

Margaux

PK revised ranking: Fifth growth

Owned by Lucien Guillemet, this 17ha Margaux estate cultivates predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon alongside Merlot, Cabernet Franc and increasing Petit Verdot proportions intended to reinforce structure and freshness.

Wines are aged 15-18 months in 80%-90% new oak.

Average bottle price: £36*

Third Growth wines

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Sauternes and Barsac produced a host of pure and luscious sweet wines in 2025.

The Ciron river’s morning mists combined with warm, sunny days and late August/early September rainfall created near-perfect conditions for the spread of rapid and even noble rot; while the clay-limestone and gravel terroirs retained just enough moisture to prevent excessive shrivelling.

The late-August rains refreshed the vines without diluting sugars, and the cool September nights preserved acidity with a window of dry, sunny and windy weather concentrating the grapes towards the end of September and beginning of October.

Château Coutet completed six passes between 17 September and 14 October with homogeneous noble rot each time.

Château Filhot, Château Lamothe Guignard and Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey all noted the ideal mist-and-sun cycles that produced pure, concentrated musts.

The result is wines of remarkable aromatic purity and precision – rich in botrytis-driven notes of quince, apricot, honey and exotic fruit, yet supported by vibrant freshness, refined texture and a saline minerality that gives them lift and ageing potential.

Many estates achieved high residual sugars (140-158 g/l) with excellent acidity and lower pH than in hotter years, producing a classic yet energetic style that sits comfortably between the concentration of 2023 and the harmony of 2015.

Flirting with perfection

Yields in Sauternes are always tiny (25hl/ha is the maximum allowed) but some 2025 crops were wince-inducingly small, such as Château Broustet's 8hl/ha.

Château d'Arche was below average at 11hl/ha but Château Guiraud managed 15hl/ha, and both Château Caillou and Château Doisy-Védrines 14hl/ha.

Pierre Montégut technical director of Château Suduiraut described the 2025 as ‘like 2023 for sugar’ (the 2025 is a very rich 158 g/l), and comparable to the great 2009 and 2010 vintages.

Sandrine Garbay at Château Guiraud (145 g/l residual sugar) said the conditions were ‘great for the vines’ with an ‘early start, no frost and no issues with the weather’.

She added that after the first rain at the end of August and beginning of September, the period from mid-September to mid-October was ‘perfect with humidity in the morning sometimes from rain and then dry in the day’.

This allowed three successful sortings with a ‘high concentration of sugar’ but als, ‘high acidity giving a classic expression not so far from 2023, and from 2015 which was such a perfect vintage’.

What's new

Château d’Yquem: Lorenzo Pasquini officially took over from Pierre Lurton. Pasquini had been estate manager / technical director / operations director since 2020 and was mentored by Lurton who originally recruited him in 2015 for Cheval des Andes. Pierre Lurton remains chairman, focusing on external relations and strategic direction.

Further reading from this report

• Pomerol
• St-Emilion
• Pessac-Léognan & Graves
• Dry whites
• Crus Bourgeois
• Pauillac
• St-Estèphe
• Margaux
• St-Julien

Bordeaux 2025: Top wines from Sauternes

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St-Julien delivered classic poise and personality in 2025.

The appellation’s gravel soils with pockets of clay provided good drainage yet retained enough moisture through the dry summer to support even ripening, while the late-August rains and cool September nights preserved acidity and delivered the vintage’s signature freshness.

Nonetheless, yields were among the lowest ever for some estates (20–28 hl/ha range), but the resulting wines show supple tannins, vibrant colour, stony grip and excellent balance – elegant, structured and age-worthy, with the low pH/fresh acidity and fine tannins that define successful St-Julien vintages.

Sara Lecompte Cuvelier owner of Château Léoville Poyferré highlighted, ‘the unusual balance between concentration, fruit and freshness’ and noted she, ‘didn’t expect low alcohols and so much freshness’.

Mathieu Bordes director of Château Lagrange called the 2025 vintage the ‘fourth warmest ever’ with a ‘cooler September’ leading to their ‘earliest harvest ever’. and noted the smallest berries since 1984, the shortest maceration in 19 years, and a style ‘like 2009 on the attack’.

Tiny quantities

Although yields fell across Bordeaux, a striking fact about St-Julien is how many were lower even than in 2013 – a year marked by poor weather and ruined crops.

Château Langoa Barton recorded a yield of 20hl/ha – ‘worse than 2013’ – with maturation blocked by lack of water until the August rain.

Sister property, Château Léoville Barton, which this year celebrates 200 years of Barton family ownership, likewise produced a yield of 22hl/ha, ‘one of the lowest ever’. Even the poor 2013 vintage conditions produced a yield of 27hl/ha.

Jean-Michel Laporte at Château Talbot reported a yield of 28.3hl/ha – ‘one of the lowest since 2013’.

Part of the issue was berry size, as noted by Mathieu Bordes. At Château Ducru-Beaucaillou recorded grape weights were as low as 0.6-0.8g for Cabernet Sauvignon (in a good year 1.1-1.3g) and 0.8g-1.1g for Merlot (in a good year 1.4-1.6g).

Making wine like it's 1989

Despite a lack of quantity, Jean-Michel Laporte added more hopefully that 2025, ‘could be a year full of great bargains’.

François-Xavier Maroteaux, owner of Château Branaire-Ducru, and president of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB) described the vintage as, ‘a nice ambassador for Bordeaux – a great vintage’ that ‘will be nice for people to drink early if they want to’.

He said it has ‘impressive fragrance’ and a style where, ‘concentration could have given something similar to 2022 but finally the alcohol is not the same and the style of the tannins and freshness is more similar to 2020’.

Nicolas Sinoquet, president director general of Château Gruaud Larose said they had made ‘the wines we like, fresh and silky’.

‘The vines seem to have found the right balance this year,’ he said.

'When you pick at the right time, the wines will be as they should be’ he said, adding that the 2025 style reminds him of 1989 – ‘a wine I love a lot’.

Anniversaries

The 2025 vintage coincided with impressive milestones. Château Gruaud Larose celebrated its 300th vintage and the Barton family reached 200 years at Château Léoville Barton.

Further reading from this report

• Pomerol
• St-Emilion
• Pessac-Léognan & Graves
• Dry whites
• Crus Bourgeois
• Pauillac
• St-Estèphe
• Margaux
• Sauternes

Bordeaux 2025: Top wines from St-Julien

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Pauillac stood out as one of the most classically powerful yet refined appellations of the vintage.

Its deep gravel soils, which can be unforgiving in pure drought years, benefited enormously from the heavier late-August rains in the northern Médoc (70mm fell at Mouton, 20mm more than normal) and the cool summer nights.

Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy, technical director at Château Mouton Rothschild, explained: ‘It was the earliest water deficit we’ve ever registered here at veraison but the vines didn’t appear to be stressed. In June 2022 we had 115mm of rain at the end of the month, in June 2025 we had 60mm.

'But unlike 2022 where we could see some stress on the leaves, leaf loss and the beginning of dehydration, we didn’t see any of that in 2025. Because of the early deficit the berries grew with the water restriction.’

The late rain arrived at exactly the right moment, easing water stress, moderating sugars without dilution, preserving acidity and allowing perfect phenolic ripeness.

Pierre Montegut technical director at AXA Millésime's estates explained how dryness delivered concentration while the early-September rain was ‘wonderful for the Cabernets’ at Pichon Baron, producing ‘more fruit, more freshness and more elegance’ than 2022.

Frédéric Casteja at Château Batailley called it, ‘quite an amazing vintage’ and one where ‘we had time to wait until each grape variety was ripe’.

The result is classically structured, mineral-driven Pauillac wines with intense colour, graphite, wet stone and liquorice notes, but delivered with unusual freshness, lower alcohols (mostly 12.5–13.5%) and a transparency that can be described as ‘hands-off’ and ‘terroir-led’.

High Cabernet percentages (98% at Mouton the highest ever in the blend) and precise winemaking amplified the precision and energy.

The wines are typically less dense than 2022, they don’t carry the same muscular structures and yet many of the IPT levels are just as high but with lower pHs giving a feeling of intense freshness, coolness and perhaps more streamlined at this point.

Game-changer

Winemakers were unanimous that the late rain completely changed the profile from what was expected at the end of August.

Eric Kohler technical director at Château Lafite Rothschild called it, ‘a vintage of happiness… a symphony of all the perfect parameters’, noting a yield of 27hl/ha and a style ‘closer to 2020 but perhaps more delicate’.

Nicolas Glumineau technical director at Château Pichon Comtesse stressed the dramatic contrast in rainfall, noting that 70mm fell between May-July 2025 while it was 280mm in May-July 2024.

Château Pedesclaux’s director, Christophe Congé, noted the north half of the appellation’s extra rain as an added benefit and one reason behind the unusually low alcohol levels of only 12.5% ‘with such mature tannins’.

As in other appellations, it was an early start for pickers, and the earliest harvest ever at Pichon Comtesse (young Merlots were picked from 28 August)

Meanwhile, the Mouton team finished the harvest on the 20 September, the earliest ever and just one day after Château Margaux started to pick its Cabernets.

Abundant aromas

Winemakers continually mentioned the aromatic intensity and profile of the 2025 wines in their descriptions and comparisons.

Nicolas Glumineau described an, ‘aromatic complexity close to 2020'.

Mathieu Bessonnet, technical director at Château Pontet-Canet said the wine style was ‘like 2023 with aromatics and brightness but a higher quality of tannins’.

Emeline Borie at Grand Puy Lacoste and Hélène Genin, technical director at Château Latour, both emphasised the freshness and abundant aromas.

For Danjoy, 2025, ‘brings us back to “classic” weight, balance and fruit expression.'

It's 'a very complete vintage like 2010, 2016 and 2020,' agreed Glumineau, while Genin said it had, 'the power of 2016 but the elegance and quality of tannins as 2020’.

AXA Millèsimes' managing director, Christian Seeley, summed it up as: ‘The charm of a solar vintage but with the advantages of freshness and slightly lower alcohols… that’s what everyone wants’.

Recent changes

In a personnel change at the group, long-time general manager of Pichon Baron, Corinne Illic, will head to the United States in July 2026 as general manager of AXA’s American properties; Outpost Wines on Howell Mountain and Platt Vineyard in Sonoma.

For the Jacky Lorenzetti-owned properties, nephew Félix Pariente Lorenzetti expanded his role significantly.

Already presiding over Châteaux Pédesclaux (Pauillac) and Lafon-Rochet (St-Estèphe) since July 2025, he is now also director of the family’s fine-wine trading subsidiary LD Vins (the Grands Crus Classés specialist négoce founded by Thierry Decré and Frédéric de Luze).

At co-owned Château d’Issan (Margaux), Edgard Kappelhoff Lançon joined to head commercial and marketing after Augustin Lacaille’s departure to Pape Clément.

Internal technical-director swaps included Vincent Bache-Gabrielsen (now at Lafon-Rochet & Lilian Ladouys) and ex-Lafite’s Christophe Congé at Pédesclaux.

Coming soon

Château Lafite Rothschild (Pauillac, 1st Growth) made its last vintage in the historic cellar before transitioning to a major new stone winery due in time for the 2026 vintage (a 4,500m² extension + 6,000m² renovation by Bernard Quirot and Atelier EGR).

Further reading from this report

• Pomerol
• St-Emilion
• Pessac-Léognan & Graves
• Dry whites
• Crus Bourgeois
• St-Estèphe
• Margaux
• St-Julien
• Sauternes

Bordeaux 2025: Top wines from Pauillac

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Pessac-Léognan and Graves produced wines of striking purity and mineral precision, but the vintage exposed clear differences across the appellation’s patchwork of terroirs – both for styles and yields.

However, Fabien Teitgen at Château Smith Haut Lafitte described 2025 as the third warmest year after 2022 and 2023 but with, ‘more rain in 2025 than 2022’ and cooler minimum temperatures.

Gravel-dominant sites, while well-drained, were more vulnerable to the prolonged summer drought and recorded tighter, lower-yielding crops.

Meanwhile, estates with deeper clay or limestone influence benefited from better water retention and cooler night-time temperatures, delivering more balanced, vibrant wines with fresher acidity and refined tannins.

Despite the, at times intense, heat, Jean-Jacques Bonnie owner of Château Malartic-Lagravière observed that the vineyard, ‘didn’t look like it was feeling the stress… [we] didn’t have the long and tiring heat like in 2022’.

As elsewhere in the region, the late-August rains (lighter here than in the northern Médoc but still transformative) eased hydric stress without causing dilution, while early harvesting for white wines preserved exceptional aromatics and acidity.

The overall result is elegant, terroir-transparent wines – cool fruit, wet-stone and graphite minerality, with Cabernet freshness balancing Merlot roundness – emphasising vibrancy, texture and energy rather than sheer power or opulence.

Many winemakers noted a successful marriage of 2010/2016 structure with 2022 ripeness but without the heat or heaviness, though the vintage required careful extraction and sorting to manage thick, drought-stressed skins.

A paradox vintage

As always, temperature extremes call for more attention in the cellar.

At Château Pape Clément winemaker Matt Turner focused on, ‘texture and energy and vibrancy rather than just power’, using optical sorting and careful extraction on thick drought-stressed skins.

Turner was joined by Pablo Laborde (formerly of Penfolds/Treasury Wine Estates), who as group director in early 2026, overseeing blending and ageing across the portfolio – including a major refocus at Château Pape Clément on its historic heart plots in Pessac (fruit from Martillac is now directed to the second wine, Clémentin)

There were many comparisons to 2022 as well, but with some nuance.

Guillaume Alexandre Marx, commercial director for Domaine Clarence Dillon, the owner of Château Haut-Brion, Château La Mission Haut-Brion, and Château Quintus said: ‘For us 2025 is really in the style 2010, 2016 and 2022 – a combination of the three. We have fruit ripeness and a lot of freshness.’

However, Guillaume Pouthier director of Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion called 2025, ‘a paradox vintage – warm and dry with lots of tannins,’ but ‘there’s less volume in the mouth because of less alcohol and less glycerol’.

He said there, ‘is the same energy as 2022 but the balance is different’.

What's new

In one of the year’s biggest transitions, 90-year-old Bernard Magrez has just handed over leadership of his extensive estate group to his son Philippe Magrez (who has long overseen commercial and export strategy).

Pablo Laborde (formerly of Penfolds/Treasury Wine Estates) joined as group director in early 2026, overseeing blending and ageing across the portfolio – including a major refocus at Château Pape Clément on its historic heart plots in Pessac (Martillac fruit now directed to the second wine, Clémentin).

Smith Haut Lafitte (Pessac-Léognan): Tracey Dobbin MW joined the Executive Board for international strategy earlier this year while Florence Cathiard stepped into a co-chair role alongside her children Mathilde and Alice.

The 2025 vintage was the last for the late Daniel Cathiard who passed away in January 2026 with a special commemorative label already in place for the primeur sample bottles.

Maison Dourthe (owner of Châteaux Belgrave, La Garde, Le Boscq, etc.): Pénélope Godefroy (ex-Artémis Domaines) took over as CEO/Managing Director in May 2025, focusing on international growth.

Coming soon

Château Haut-Brion (Pessac-Léognan, 1st Growth) has its striking Annabelle Selldorf-designed, carbon-neutral winery complex (built with rammed earth using estate soils) nearing completion.

The project includes production areas, a museum/library, and research centre. It opens to visitors in January 2027, so the 2025 wines were made in the existing setup – but this remains a defining milestone for the estate.

Further reading from this report

• Pomerol
• St-Emilion
• Dry whites
• Crus Bourgeois
• Pauillac
• St-Estèphe
• Margaux
• St-Julien
• Sauternes

Bordeaux 2025: Top wines from Pessac & Graves

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St-Estèphe’s clay and gravel mix that defines much of the area proved a major advantage in 2025.

It retained just enough moisture through the intense dry summer to avoid the extreme stress seen on pure gravel sites further south, while the late-August rains (heavier in the northern Médoc) allowed perfect completion of ripening without dilution or overripeness.

Château Cos d’Estournel noted that: ‘70mm of rain at the end of August helped avoid high sugar content and finish ripening of the skins.’

The result is wines with classical St-Estèphe power and structure, but delivered with unusual freshness, lower alcohols (mostly 12.7–13.6%), powdery/chalky tannins and a cool, mineral-driven precision that shows real terroir-transparency.

Overall, the heavier clay soils and extra northern rain delivered the vintage’s signature combination of concentration and lift better than many gravel-dominant neighbours.

This was not the showy, high-octane style some feared after the heat; instead, it is refined, energetic and age-worthy – a vintage where the best estates turned the blending challenge (‘more tannins, less acidity and alcohol’) into an elegant success.

Acceptable yields and early starts

Yields were low but not catastrophic compared with Pomerol (25.9hl/ha) or St-Julien (26.4hl/ha).

Indeed, several estates, like Château Pedesclaux, achieved a relatively generous yield of 41hl/ha thanks to clay's water retention and precise, intra-plot selection.

Pickers were called out early – 3 September at Château Cos d’Estournel, breaking a record set only as recently as 2022. The 2025 vintage was the final year of their organic conversion (certification expected 2026).

It was a little more stop-start at Château Montrose, where the team extended picking to 16 days (normally 11–13) to wait for each terroir and grape variety to be properly ripe.

One of a kind

Winemakers emphasised the importance of balance in what Vincent Millet, technical director at Château Calon Ségur, called a ‘one of a kind vintage'.

He said: 'The key was to get the right balance between power and elegance… we find the tannins of 2005, 2010, 2015 – all great vintages’,

The estate celebrated the first vintage in its brand-new cellar, equipped with smaller vats (10 hl, 25 hl, 34 hl, and one 73 hl) for even greater selection across its key plots.

Winemaking techniques were key in this appellation, which has a reputation for tough and grippy tannins.

Fabrice Bacquey, cellar master at Château Phelan Ségur described how he and his team conducted a short maceration (average 24 days for Merlot and 25 for Cabernet, whereas the minimum time is usually around 26 days) aiming for a style with ‘tannin finesse, balance and freshness like 2020’.

Montrose likewise changed its extraction by stopping mid-alcoholic fermentation for the first time after shortening the average maceration to 18 days (some vats at 15 days).

Montrose's team described the 2025s as sitting, ‘between 2016 and 2020 where you get concentration without the level of alcohol. Not so easy to get both'.

Château Ormes de Pez's new white (first vintage of planted Sauvignon and Sémillon inside St-Estèphe) marked another step in the appellation’s white-wine development.

Further reading from this report

• Pomerol
• St-Emilion
• Pessac-Léognan & Graves
• Dry whites
• Crus Bourgeois
• Pauillac
• Margaux
• St-Julien
• Sauternes

Bordeaux 2025: Top wines from St-Estèphe

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The 2023 vintage has delivered another strong showing for Cru Bourgeois estates.

The first vintage under the new rules of the '2025 classification' (covering the 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027 vintages) sees the label sitting on a more selective group of 170 châteaux compared to 249 in 2020, with lots of highlights among them.

Alcohol levels hover around 13% to13.5%, acidity is bright, tannins fine and classic Médoc freshness shines through – exactly the digestible, food-friendly profile that makes these wines such reliable value.

Among the strongest performers, from a combination of individual estate visits and a large Cru Bourgeois blind tasting, was Château Le Crock (St-Estèphe Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel), 94 points, which stood out for its clarity and precision, pure fruit and tangy acidity. A benchmark success that offers wonderful drinkability at accessible prices (£25-£35 / $32 per bottle).

Two wines stood out at 93 points. Château Lilian Ladouys (St-Estèphe Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel) impressed with its bright profile, high acidity and mineral finish delivering a fun, focused wine with excellent structure and typicity. It is widely available at £17-£20 / $23 per bottle.

Château Arnaud (Haut-Médoc, Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel) also 93 points, offered a fresh and vibrant nose with a juicy and clean core of strawberry and red berry fruits. It has a soft yet lively and invigorating balance, plus a mineral, salty, wet-stone edge, high acidity and bright expression; wonderfully moreish with tension and drive (£15-£25 / $16-$30).

Château Malescasse (Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel) earned 92 points for its juicy palate with excellent texture, filling yet well-integrated tannins, cooling minty blueberry aspect, nuanced layers and a seamless, approachable style (£18-£28 / $22-$28).

Médoc shines for value

The Médoc in particular delivered well, with five regular Cru Bourgeois estates receiving 92 points and several others delivering highly attractive quality at even keener prices, making them excellent value picks for 2023.

These include Château Bourdieu, with its bright blackcurrant fruit; the harmonious texture of Château Saint-Bonnet and Château Tour Prignac's perfumed, fleshy palate and confident personality.

I loved the satisfying, filling texture of Château Vieux Robin and Vieux Château Landon's smooth, cooling blue fruit aspect.

These are generally available from £8-£20 / $12-$25 per bottle.

Conclusions

These estates highlight why 2023 rewards selective buying within the Cru Bourgeois category. Well-managed properties with recent consistency have produced approachable but also ageworthy reds full of Médoc energy rather than blockbuster weight.

With environmental standards now mandatory and the classification tightened, the 2023s represent some of the best value in Bordeaux right now – ideal for both early drinking and short- to medium-term cellaring.

Cru Bourgeois 2023: 26 top-scoring wines

All the Cru Bourgeois 2023 wines that scored 90 points

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Château Montrose, in St-Estèphe, has long been synonymous with powerful, ageworthy reds. Yet, this second-growth estate, acquired by the Bouygues family in 2006, is now unveiling a white wine: Montrose Blanc.

This small-production cuvée will revive a forgotten legacy while embracing innovation. It won’t be just another Bordeaux white – a category that has been steadily rising over the past decade.

The family assert it will be a gastronomic statement, estate-driven and terroir-focused, arriving at a time when white wines are surging in popularity across the Médoc.

Historical connection

White wine production at Montrose dates to 1866, when then owner, Alsatian industrialist Mathieu Dollfus planted Riesling vines for his personal use on land typically reserved for reds.

More than a century later, in the 1980s, the Charmolüe family planted Sauvignon Blanc on clay-limestone soils for a small, private cuvée.

‘Montrose Blanc has journeyed through the ages like a well-kept secret,’ notes the estate’s press materials, emphasising the new cuvée as a continuation of this ‘lineage of transmission’.

A tradition revived

The Bouygues family revived this tradition in 2017, planting Semillon and Sauvignon Gris on a dedicated one-hectare plot.

Technical Director Vincent Decup explained the decision. ‘We started with a blank page. Montrose has a big terroir, but we believe that for what we were looking for, for our style, the Montrose DNA and for the owner, these were the natural grape choices.’

In 2023, the team planted an additional 0.5ha of Marsanne and Roussanne, two late-ripening Rhône varieties that ‘make precious allies’ in the fight against the weather and hydric stress.

‘Rhône varietals offer us a concrete answer to the challenge of climate change,’ says Managing Director Pierre Graffeuille. ‘Marsanne and Roussanne are a choice for the future.’ These will join blends from 2026, preserving freshness amid rising temperatures and drier summers.

The project is owner-driven, reflecting Martin Bouygues’ preference for fresh, aromatic yet structured whites with good ageing potential. As much as he is fond of Bordeaux Blancs, he is also a fan of white Châteauneuf du Pape.

Terroir influence

The key to the character of Montrose Blanc is its terroir; the soils of terrace number three (there are six in total in Bordeaux) is one of the Médoc’s top vineyard sites.

This T3 plateau features well-draining sandy gravels over a deep clay-gravel matrix, creating natural water stress that forces deep rooting.

Traditionally used for high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon, the plot was replanted with whites – a deliberate decision to prove that great whites require great terroir.

Decup notes: ‘T3 offers a natural water constraint… compelling the vines to drive their roots vertically in search of water far below.’

Winemaking here is meticulous. Grapes are picked in several passes akin to the harvests in Sauternes, where colour and ripeness are key.

They then undergo horizontal pressing with four cycles, followed by fermentation (and sometimes malolactic fermentation) in barrels and 12 months’ ageing in French oak (usually 30% new), with regular bâtonnage, or lees stirring, for the first two months.

A key element is the inclusion of press wine – rare in whites – which lends a silky texture and seamless tannins, creating an elegant, tactile structure. Malolactic fermentation isn’t carried out every year, just when desired.

Tasting the inaugural vintages reveals this ambition. The 2022, a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Gris, shows bright citrus and white flowers, with a mineral core and fine acidity – impressive for a debut from this hot vintage, though still evolving.

The 2023, the first to be commercialised this year, elevates it. A blend of 58% Semillon and 42% Sauvignon Gris, it displays a pale-gold hue, precise nose of florals and ripe white fruits, and a generously rich and silky palate with integrated, lifted acidity and persistent minerality.

Proof in the glass

Having sampled both, I’m struck by the 2023’s complexity and balance. It’s serious and structured like a fine white Burgundy, yet distinctly Bordeaux in its freshness.

Different from its sister white, Tronquoy Blanc, made nearby, it’s a more powerful, demonstrative wine full of energy but also texture.

The project aligns with Montrose’s broader innovative ethos where terroir comes first – a vision established by Graffeuille upon his arrival in 2023. Within this framework, Montrose Blanc is no exception, fitting naturally into an estate philosophy where every wine is defined by its place of origin.

Montrose Blanc joins the portfolio alongside the Terrasse III red wine, produced as of the 2023 vintage from the same plateau, showcasing micro-terroir precision. This leaves all of the historic terrace four plots for the Grand Vin.

The estate is also addressing climate change. Vineyard restructuring aims to increase Cabernet Sauvignon to 70% by 2050 and reduce Merlot. At the same time, the estate is testing, through dedicated R&D trials, Rhône rootstocks and higher trunk and canopy heights as possible tools to delay ripening.

The Médoc white appellation

Thanks to Médoc whites gaining traction, an Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AP) for Médoc Blanc was approved last year. But Montrose is opting out.

Although Marsanne and Roussane wouldn’t be permitted under the rules anyway, the team are prioritising brand identity over appellation.

‘The identity of Montrose goes beyond appellation,’ said Decup. ‘We look for a balance, a style, a signature DNA more than an AP.’ The style diverges from typical Médoc whites which are predominantly driven by Sauvignon Blanc, aiming instead for density and gastronomic versatility – especially with the inclusion of Marsanne and Roussanne.

In an era where Bordeaux estates must innovate to stay relevant, Montrose Blanc stands out as a thoughtful evolution. Started years ago, it’s only now ready for release – a classy, serious white that will shine on the dinner table.

Production won’t change the estate’s fortunes – it’s small and likely to stay that way with limited plots on terrace three available. But the white enriches its narrative, honouring the past while eyeing a resilient future, proving the château and the Médoc’s versatility.

A full tasting note and analysis of the 2023 will come later this year, following the official unveiling of the wine.

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Nestled on the highest gravel terrace in the heart of Sauternes, overlooking rolling golden slopes and neighbouring icons like Château d’Yquem, Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey is more than a Premier Grand Cru Classé estate – it’s a serene, transformative escape where history, luxury and the art of living converge.

The property’s roots stretch back over 400 years, with viticulture documented as early as 1618 under Sieur Raymond Peyraguey. Classified as a First Growth in the legendary 1855 ranking, it has long produced some of the world’s most revered sweet wines, born from the magical interplay of morning mists from the Ciron river and the noble rot that concentrates the grapes’ essence.

Visionary ambition

In 2014, Swiss businessman and then Lalique CEO Silvio Denz acquired the estate, infusing it with visionary ambition. To mark its 400th anniversary in 2018, he unveiled the exquisite Lalique Hôtel & Restaurant, a five-star Relais & Châteaux property where four worlds – wine, crystal, gastronomy and hospitality – harmoniously intersect in a celebration of beauty and precision.

The 17th-century honey-coloured château, with its elegant tower and fortified origins dating to the 13th century, has been meticulously renovated under the guidance of designers Lady Tina Green and Pietro Mingarelli.

Lalique’s signature crystal artistry shines throughout: bespoke chandeliers resembling vine leaves cascade from ceilings, panels etched with intricate motifs adorn walls, and one-off pieces – from decanters to furniture – create an atmosphere of refined enchantment. The on-site boutique offers these items for purchase, alongside estate honeys, jellies, and of course a large selection of wines from the property – as well as Denz’ other estates Château Péby Faugères and Château Faugères (both St-Emilion Grand Cru Classé), and Château Cap de Faugères in Castillon-Côtes de Bordeaux.

Intimate wine experiences

Yet the true heartbeat of Lafaurie-Peyraguey lies in its wine experiences. Curated tours and tastings reveal the secrets of this 36-hectare mosaic of gravelly terroirs. Visitors explore the historic ‘enclos’ vineyard, the cellars with their classic oak barrels (including a unique solid crystal barrel by Lalique), and the charming chapel fully decorated with crystal motifs.

Options range from classic visits with tastings of three wines, including the grand vin, to the exclusive ‘Hidden Treasures’ prestige tour for hotel guests, delving into the private historic cellar housing over 350,000 bottles from Bordeaux and beyond.

Day visitors – arriving by car or coach – can enjoy tours and tastings without staying overnight, making the estate accessible.

These intimate, appointment-only experiences demystify the labour-intensive creation of Sauternes – multiple passes through the vines to harvest botrytised berries – while highlighting the estate’s dry whites too.

Exquisite dining

No stay is complete however without dining at the Michelin two-star restaurant, helmed by chef Jérôme Schilling, named Meilleur Ouvrier de France in 2023, who calls himself a ‘cuisinier des vignes’. It was indeed one of the best meals I’ve ever had in my life with impeccable service, incredible food flavours and thought-provoking wine pairings.

His inventive, precise cuisine draws inspiration from the Sauternes terroir, using seasonal local produce to craft dishes that elevate the estate’s sweet and dry wines.

Panoramic views of the vineyards frame meals in the elegant dining room, where golden Sémillon leaf motifs on the ceiling echo the landscape outside. The extensive wine list (over 100 pages) spans France and the wider wine world including deep verticals of some of the most well-known estates (from Bordeaux and beyond) with many including their first ever vintage.

Masterful pairings are created by head sommelier Adrien Cascio unlocking new dimensions in the wines’ complexity. Dinner menus start around €220 for four courses (excluding drinks), with accessible €59-60 discovery lunches in low season for locals. The restaurant is determined to secure a third Michelin star – the first for any Bordeaux restaurant.

In warmer months, the summer terrace offers a more relaxed al fresco option, perfect for lighter menus amid the vines.

Calm elegance

The boutique hotel itself – just 13 rooms and suites across two floors – exudes calm elegance. Each space is uniquely appointed with Lalique crystal accents, high-end fittings and sumptuous fabrics.

Hotel amenities include a bar (with an impressive spirits and cigar selection), lounge, concierge services and complimentary e-bikes for exploring quiet lanes and nearby châteaux like Sigalas-Rabaud or Clos Haut-Peyraguey.

Personalised services from Maître de Maison Pierre Gazeau anticipates every whim – from car hoovering to organising chapel weddings or last-minute helicopter landings (requiring a quick call to the gardener for the field heliport). The hotel also holds two Michelin keys, joining the restaurant’s two stars in prestigious recognition.

In a region with no shortage of impressive estates, Lafaurie-Peyraguey stands apart as an intimate, worthy destination for a tasting, a gastronomic pilgrimage, or a multi-night immersion while enjoying the slow, soulful rhythm of Sauternes.

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Born in 1925, May-Eliane de Lencquesaing grew up in Bordeaux’s Médoc region, daughter of Edouard-François Miailhe and Victoria-Charlotte Desbarats.

Her family ties to wine ran deep. Her father and uncle revived her grandfather’s brokerage business after World War I, investing in the region when confidence and sales were low.

They bought and ran Bordeaux estates including Château Palmer, Château Ducru-Beaucaillou and Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande.

‘I grew up among the vines – I learned by listening to my father and uncle,’ May-Eliane recalls. ‘I have loved everything about grapes and wine since I was a child. It’s in my blood.’

Scroll down to see notes and scores for 12 superb wines from Glenelly

Family influence

Her Bordeaux was one scarred by the vine-root louse phylloxera, two world wars and low demand.

‘I understood not just the wines but the climatic problems and economic uncertainties as well. I knew difficult times – for the wines and the markets.’

In the 1940s, May-Eliane’s university studies were cut short by her father, who decided she should work in the family office in Bordeaux city, where she learned business, teamwork and management.

An admired yet authoritarian figure, her father was to prove a key influence in her life, although her paternal uncle Louis – more relaxed, less controlling – and her four grandparents also shaped her early interests, between them instilling a love of soils and a passion for conversation, music and literature that would stay with her all her life.

In early May 1948, May-Eliane was introduced to Captain Hervé de Lencquesaing, and her father arranged for them to be married just six weeks later.

She left Bordeaux aged 23 for a life as an army wife, seemingly never to return to the gravel croupes, bustling chais and stately châteaux of her youth.

Return to Pichon Comtesse

Her years with Captain de Lencquesaing were eventful beyond wine, and included time in the USA which she enjoyed immensely, finding great warmth and intelligence in the post-war Midwest.

He retired as a general in 1974, and they were ready for a settled life in Pas-de-Calais in northern France, where May-Eliane was engaged in local politics.

But there was still the issue of her father’s estate.

After nearly 20 years in probate (he died in 1959, aged 61), the inheritance included châteaux, a Champagne house, real estate in Paris and tracts of Landes woodland.

‘The most iconic lot, Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande in Pauillac, fell to me through the luck of the draw,’ May-Eliane recalls. ‘It was precisely what I had hoped to avoid, knowing the responsibility it entailed.’

It was far from her only challenge. ‘I was the first woman,’ she says. ‘There was no one else.’

Corinne Mentzelopoulos had not yet joined Château Margaux; Philippine de Rothschild would not arrive at Château Mouton Rothschild for another decade.

The Médoc wine world was profoundly hostile to the idea of a woman in charge. ‘I had to rely not on truthful men but on the men who lied to me the least,’ she recalls. Her experience in French politics helped, however.

‘In their eyes, I knew nothing. When I joined their conversations, they would stop talking. But when they realised I wasn’t going away, they had no choice but to accept me.’

Work ethic

May-Eliane recognised the need to study modern winemaking if she was to earn respect in the Médoc, and aged 53, she enrolled at Bordeaux University, studying under Professors Emile Peynaud and Pascal Ribéreau-Gayon.

‘I was in Pichon, leaving at 6am for classes, returning at 6pm to work on the administration,’ she says.

Her wines enjoyed great commercial and critical success, from the inaugural 1978 onwards, and she engaged in an intense programme of travel and tasting. ‘I was the one presenting the wines, pulling the cork. It was important that I was there,’ she insists.

But away from her husband and family, she struggled.

‘I was anxious and terribly lonely. My children did not understand my work at all. They thought I was having fun, living in a beautiful château, having dinner parties. My family did not support me; neither did my neighbours in Bordeaux.’

Eventually, General de Lencquesaing joined her in the Médoc, and Pichon Comtesse became a key property in the story of Bordeaux’s renewal in the 1980s.

She was hands-on and in charge of every detail, bringing to bear the fortitude and attention to detail of an army wife with the work ethic and business acuity of her father and uncle.

‘I knew how the flowering had been, and the budding and the maturation. I was never in Arcachon [on the nearby coast] in the summer like everyone else.’ She soon gained the epithet La Générale.

In this busy period she was the recipient of many honours and awards, and at the age of 69 was chosen as the 1994 Decanter Woman of the Year (since renamed the Decanter Hall of Fame award).

No one could have known then that, a decade later, she would be embarking on a new project on the other side of the world, or that she would subsequently be celebrating the conclusion of the 2025 harvest with her winemaking team at Glenelly, in Stellenbosch, at the age of 100.

Uprooting

By the early 2000s, despite its success, the future of Château Pichon Comtesse was uncertain.

The family’s jewel since 1925 (by chance, the same year as May-Eliane’s birth), it was to be sold in a move that surprised many.

‘It was a very difficult decision,’ she says. ‘My son Hughes could have taken it on, but he and his wife decided to stay in Paris. My daughter Violaine had an excellent palate but did not have a relationship with the workers.’

May-Eliane’s respect for her staff at Pichon was a crucial aspect of her time there.

‘If I have been successful it is because I always had a strong relationship with the workers. I would fly back from Chicago or Los Angeles and I would see them in the pouring rain in the vineyard, soaking wet and covered in mud.

‘I was full of admiration. “Thank you for doing the work you do,” I told them, “I’m going to tell you about the work I have been doing.” We talked. I knew them, I knew their families.’

Pichon Comtesse was finally sold to the Roederer Champagne group in 2006, and subsequently May-Eliane was able to devote herself to the development of the Glenelly estate in South Africa, which she had purchased in 2003.

Prior to this, May-Eliane’s first venture beyond Bordeaux had been a collaboration with Washington state’s Château Ste Michelle in the 1990s, though she withdrew from the proposed arrangement when the parent company demanded a fixed annual production volume in the contract.

Glenelly, Mandela & the Huguenots

As president of the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) in the 1990s, May-Eliane met many South African winemakers who were winning trophies with their Bordeaux blends, and Nelson Mandela’s victory in the nation’s 1994 presidential elections deeply moved her.

Her successor at the IWSC, Anton Rupert, a major name in South African wine, urged her to consider the Cape for her new project, pointing out its French Huguenot roots.

‘I told him I couldn’t start planting a vineyard at my age. He said, “Do it in honour of Mandela.” So I did.’

She chose Glenelly in Stellenbosch’s Simonsberg zone (pictured, above), drawn to its decomposed granite soils, varied slopes and reliable water supply – a foresight that proved crucial given the challenges of drought in the Cape winelands.

Though it had previously been planted with vines, Glenelly was a fruit farm when she bought it, and this allowed her to start from scratch with the knowledge she had gained in Bordeaux.

She hired young winemaker Luke O’Cuinneagain as cellar master and (much to his surprise) retained long-time agronomist Heinrich Louw, whose deep understanding of the estate she knew would prove invaluable.

Now living in Switzerland, May-Eliane still travels to Glenelly for several months each year. With her grandchildren helping in its running, it’s likely to remain in family hands.

In 2022, Dirk van Zyl took over as cellar master, maintaining important winemaking tenets such as wild yeast fermentation, while taking the bold move to pick not on the basis of technical analysis, but on the taste of the berries in the vineyard.

‘Heinrich is doing everything right in the vineyards in terms of sustainability, cover crops and so on,’ May-Eliane notes, ‘but if we are going to find more finesse in the wines, it will be through Dirk.’

A century into an exceptional life, May-Eliane de Lencquesaing continues to question and refine. Even now, her work is defined as much by what might still be possible as by what she has already achieved.

At 100, she’s still looking to the future.

See Jason’s pick from Glenelly’s admirable portfolio

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There’s been a radical shift within the Sauternes region over the past decade. A producer once told me: ‘As an indulgence, you can take a mistress or buy an estate in Sauternes. But nobody can afford to do both.’

He was alluding, of course, to the completely uneconomic proposition of producing Sauternes.

Scroll down for notes and scores of nine superb Sauternes wines

Swimming against the tide

Yields are minuscule – one third of those for red Bordeaux, if you’re lucky – and its production is entirely dependent on the caprices of the climate.

Unripe grapes, the lack of noble rot (Botrytis cinerea), rain at harvest, insect infestation – all can wipe out, or diminish, a crop.

Moreover, it’s hard to sell, thanks to a misconception that Sauternes is heavy and syrupy.

Those who relish a fine wine from Château Climens or Sigalas Rabaud among others, will know that the wine’s richness and sweetness are balanced by bracing acidity that refreshes the palate.

The heavy, tarry wines that existed some decades ago are very much a thing of the past.

In order to boost revenue, many producers are reducing the quantities of sweet wine they make and stepping up the production of fashionable dry styles.

Consequently, only the best sites within an estate are now reserved for the sweet wine, and quality has risen even as the number of bottles has shrunk.

Style and substance

Sauternes ages like a dream, but climatic conditions strongly influence the style of each vintage.

Below, I explore three, all of which can be drunk now but are categorised as: a ‘best enjoyed young’ – the 2020 vintage; an ‘approachable now but will keep for some years’ – the 2018; and one ‘close to indestructible’ – the 2009.

Lighter styles offer pleasure as aperitifs, while richer Sauternes works well with foie gras, sweetbreads, blue cheese and fruit.

One famous estate pairs each course with a differently aged Sauternes, showing its versatility.

However, while it’s true that some such pairings can succeed, it ignores the fact that Sauternes has a strong personality of its own that can dominate the table. It needs to be appreciated as great wine in its own right.

For this task, I’m comparing three stellar estates. Château Doisy Daëne is in Barsac, where the limestone soils usually deliver a fresh, intense style of Sauternes; it’s generally aged in just one third new oak, unlike many other classed growths, which use 50% or more.

Château Coutet, also in Barsac, offers a richer style. And Château Suduiraut is a very consistent first growth that usually produces more opulent wines.

There’s little difference in ageing potential between the three.

2020

A year that demonstrates a great vintage for red Bordeaux isn’t necessarily a stellar one for Sauternes.

First, a difficult flowering followed by mildew complicated the growing season, although the summer was hot and very dry, so that noble rot didn’t arrive until late September.

The first picking was of shrivelled (passerille) grapes without botrytis, while the botrytised grapes were picked in October until heavy rain halted the harvest.

Yields varied from about 8hl/ha to 16hl/ha, but the problem was a lack of concentration in the wines.

Most of them are of good quality but lack persistence and staying power. In short, it’s a vintage to consume fairly young while there’s still some energy on the palate.

Scrupulous selection at harvest ensured that quality was surprisingly high, but the wines lack the structure of a long-lived vintage.

2018

Although the summer was sunny and warm, the vintage was not without its difficulties.

Mildew in May and June, as well as sporadic hail in mid-July, severely reduced yields at estates such as Guiraud, and Yquem’s crop was 40% below normal.

September was warm and dry, which prevented noble rot from attacking the grapes. Eventually, showers in mid-October brought botrytis. Picking continued into early November.

The wines showed varying degrees of concentration with moderate sugar levels, but some acidities were low, which is why this is a medium-term vintage.

Some colours seem quite evolved, but there are few signs of early oxidation. It shows more depth and unctuosity than 2020, and can be approached now with much pleasure.

2009

This was a great year for reds, but also, unusually, for Sauternes.

A trouble-free flowering ensured a good crop, and was followed by a sun-drenched summer, with timely showers and storms to refresh the grapes.

A mixture of rain and warm nights in mid-September led to ample noble rot and a relatively straightforward harvest that was mostly over by mid-October.

If anything, the fruit was too ripe, and producers needed to work on curbing sugar and alcohol levels by blending lots of varying ripeness.

Château d’Yquem thought the vintage had the potential to outshine the superb 2001, and it was certainly of the highest quality.

Clearly, it can be drunk now, but like all the great Sauternes vintages, it has the potential to age further.

Nine Sauternes wines spanning three vintages

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Georgie Hindle, Vincenzo Arnese and Robert Mathias MW tasted 55 wines, with 11 Outstanding and 28 Highly recommended

Médoc grand cru classé 2016: Panel tasting scores

55 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 11

Highly recommended 28

Recommended 16

Commended 0

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their 2016 vintage red wines from any appellation in the Médoc, including grand cru classé and second wines

Scroll down to see the top-scoring wines from the Médoc grand cru classé 2016 tasting

Positive outlook

It’s fair to say that expectations were high going into this Left Bank grand cru classé tasting, with the 2016 vintage hailed as one of the region’s finest in recent decades, celebrated for its balance, structure and ageing potential.

What began as a wet, soggy spring turned into a long, hot and exceptionally dry summer with refreshing rains just before ideal harvest conditions set in.

The result: concentrated reds with ripe tannins, bright acidity and intense fruit, drawing comparisons to 2005 and 2010 but distinguished by vibrant freshness.

A clearly successful tasting, with 20% of wines achieving the Outstanding rating, reassuringly identical to the St-Emilion GCC 2016 panel tasting in our 2023 Bordeaux guide (with 11 outstanding out of 59 wines).

Robert Mathias MW noted: ‘There’s a really good minimum level of quality. I maybe expected a little more charm, but equally I do like the seriousness of the 2016s.

‘Tannins are a bit chunky, sometimes heavy-handed in extraction and oak, yet freshness and balanced alcohol were positives. The best were excellent. I think 2016 is the first vintage in the new “modern” era of Bordeaux.’

Secondary rewards

Mathias highlighted St-Julien’s consistency and northern Médoc’s strength (Margaux was more variable), adding: ‘Second wines are drinking now, for sure, and for another five years, which is impressive, while the grands vins are more muscular and tightly coiled.

‘These are impressive wines which are fun to open to see how they develop in the glass,’ he continued. ‘But there’s not necessarily a rush to pull the cork on many of the top cru classé wines – in fact they’re quite closed.’

Vincenzo Arnese agreed: ‘Second labels are more approachable and ready now. There were a few dry wines but also real freshness across the board, with low alcohols. Some wines truly shone – and they’ll have impressive ageing abilities.’

The tasting underscored 2016’s excellence, and yet not everything was perfect.

Roughly 10% of the wines showed faults, notably cork taint and oxidation – a significant reminder of the challenges posed by traditional closures, even at the highest level.

See all recommendations from the Médoc grand cru classé 2016 tasting

What to eat with Médoc 2016, by Fiona Beckett

Given the judges’ conclusion that many of these wines are still quite closed, it’s going to be a question of what food would go best with the second wines at the moment.

Does the ‘new era of Bordeaux’ mean a new era of food pairing? Not necessarily – it’s still hard to beat the classics – but there is a growing realisation that many of the cuisines that might have been regarded as inimical to appellations such as St-Julien, Margaux and Pauillac are no longer so.

Dishes like Korean bulgogi or braised short rib, for instance. Of course, there’ll always be a place for these wines with what I would call gentleman’s club food: homely dishes like steak pie and shepherd’s pie.

Top Bordeaux can shine with a fair amount of rusticity, too. I’ve enjoyed Pauillac with cassoulet.

Traditional options are so familiar that it’s easy to overlook the elements that can throw or skew a mature wine.

An over-reduced jus, a hotter-than-usual horseradish sauce or a strongly flavoured vegetable such as red cabbage can all take their toll on a good bottle. Avoid if you can.

Médoc grand cru classé 2016 panel tasting results

Wines were tasted blind

The judges

Georgia Hindle is Decanter’s Regional Editor for Bordeaux, and Editor of Decanter Premium online

Vincenzo Arnese is the director of wine at Raffles London at the OWO. Born in Naples, he worked at top hotels in Italy, Switzerland and Australia, and later Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester. A DWWA judge, in 2022 he won the coveted title of Taittinger UK Sommelier of the Year

Robert Mathias MW is senior buyer at wine merchant Lay & Wheeler, having previously worked in similar roles for Bordeaux Index and Bibendum Wine. He is a Senior Judge for Bordeaux and Burgundy at the DWWA

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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 | 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

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Appellation analysis to come

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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

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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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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

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Appellation analysis to come

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Pauillac 2024: The best wines transcended the difficulties of the vintage

Average yield: 29.5hl/ha

Variance from 2023: -45.9% (47.2hl/ha)

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top wines from Pauillac 2024

Vintage overview

It was a tricky vintage overall for Pauillac producers with the lowest yield of all the main four Médoc appellations.

‘It was extremely difficult in the beginning of the growing season,’ said Lafite Rothschild’s technical director Éric Kholer who commented on the very wet and warm spring and high disease pressure.

‘2024 was the fifth vintage out of seven with a high pressure for mildew’ he said, although thanks to the team’s reactivity the estate lost between 10-15% of their eventual yield.

‘Summer was the best we could have hoped for’ he continued noting that they had only 15mm of rain between July and August.

The team picked under the rain at the end of September and because of the homogeneity of the grapes it was ‘more labour intensive to sort the berries’. Overall yields nevertheless were 32hl/ha.

Mouton equally picked during the rainy conditions with more than 400 harvesters on call.

‘We had to be present in the vineyard every day,’ said technical director Jean-Emmanual Danjoy. ‘If you could control mildew early you could relax until veraison. A few years ago we started spraying in mid May and in 2024 we started in the first week of April’.

He added that on 10 different occasions tractors needed to be dragged back out of the muddy soils. The team picked non-stop for two weeks and then used a densimetric bath for sorting for the first time at Mouton.

‘Some grapes were three weeks behind others and 10 days before the harvest the majority had a potential alcohol of 5.5%’, Danjoy continued.

Fighting spirit

Pontet Canet’s technical director Mathieu Bessonnet emphasised the ‘fighting spirit’ needed in 2024 and said it was ‘all about teamwork’. The estate sprayed 31 times and said they ‘almost didn’t lose any fruity because of mildew.

‘The key was to pick ripe. We could have picked earlier, but for what we want to do with only one wine, the only way is to take risks’.

They certainly paid off as Pontet is only of my favourite wines of the vintage with freshness, purity ripe tannins and a sense of completeness.

Latour was also excellent, and even more impressive, given their tiny 11hl/ha yields due to ‘missing some key spraying windows’.

Technical direct Helen Genin compares the wine to 2017 in aromatics and structure and said: ‘It will gain in plumpness and sweetness with the barrels adding additional muscle to the wine.’

Both Pichon Baron and Pichon Comtesse achieved 20hl/ha with the latter’s technical director Nicholas Glumineau said, ‘2024 was exhausting. There was a new decision to be made every day’.

He compared the vintage to 2008 – ‘straightforward Cabernets’ but also 2001 and 1998 ‘but the difference is the way we’ve treated the 2024s – less extraction, more gentle and precise maceration.’

The best Pauillac wines of 2024

There are certainly some great wines from Pauillac in 2024 but fewer exciting wines than in St-Estèphe or Margaux.

The wines are mostly straight and firm, with precision but also a sense of strictness, some with harsh tannins and a lack of fruit to balance the high acidities.

Highlights

• Château Mouton-Rothschild
• Château Pontet Canet
• Château Lafite Rothschild
• Château Latour

Standouts

• Château Pichon Baron
• Château Pichon Comtesse
• Château Lynch Bages
• Château Pedesclaux
• Château Grand Puy Ducasse
• Château Duhart Milon
• Château Haut Bages Libéreal

Value

• Château Fonbadet
• Château Pauillac

See the top-scoring Pauillac 2024 wines

Search all 700+ Bordeaux 2024 en primeur ratings

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Cheval Blanc 2024 was released on Tuesday (6 May) at €276 per bottle ex-négociant. Data from Liv-ex, a global marketplace for the trade, showed it is the lowest en primeur release price for this famous grand vin since the 2008 vintage. 

UK merchants offered Cheval Blanc 2024 at around £1,650 per six-bottle case in-bond (IB), around 29% below the debut price of the St-Emilion estate’s 2023 vintage in last year’s Bordeaux en primeur campaign.

Other top names released on Tuesday included Château Lynch-Bages, Château Smith Haut Lafitte and Château La Lagune.

To follow all of Decanter’s comprehensive en primeur coverage, subscribe to Premium today with the code BORDEAUX24 for 20% off an annual subscription

Cheval Blanc and Lynch-Bages lead way on discounts

Cheval Blanc and Lynch-Bages joined Angélus and Lafite Rothschild in releasing their 2024 en primeur wines as one of the cheapest available vintages on the market. 

Liv-ex said Cheval Blanc’s 2021 vintage was currently available for slightly less; £3,240 (12x75cl IB), compared to £3,300 on the 2024 en primeur wine. 

However, it noted that Cheval Blanc 2024 has received relatively strong praise from critics in a tricky vintage, and it said the volume of grand vin produced was down 35% year-on-year.

Farr Vintners offered Château Lynch-Bages 2024 at £360 (6x75cl IB) on Tuesday.

‘This is 25% down on last year and the price is at least 10% below that of any other vintage of Lynch Bages in the market today,’ it said.

‘It’s been a long time since we last saw a £60 bottle of Lynch-Bages.’ 

Liv-ex said Lynch-Bages 2024 was €60 per bottle ex-négociant, down 14% year-on-year and marking a return to its 2014-vintage release price.

Consultancy group Wine Lister said Lynch-Bages 2024’s price and strong brand ‘might make for an attractive proposition, depending on which critic you follow’.

A subdued early campaign?

Cheval Blanc and Lynch-Bages are often among the most sought-after names during Bordeaux’s annual en primeur campaign.

While it is too soon to judge demand this time around, their arrival comes amid a sense of the 2024-vintage release season still searching for a spark.

Matthew O’Connell, CEO of the LiveTrade trading platform at Bordeaux Index, told Decanter last week that the group saw good demand for Lafite 2024, although buying activity was not ‘frenzied’.

Miles Davis, market expert with Vinum Fine Wines, wrote on LinkedIn, ‘In a normal year [Lafite ’24] would have flown out of the door, but this is no normal year.’

He added: ‘We have been selling Lafite, just not as much as we would have liked.’ 

He said several factors may have contributed to a relatively subdued start to the Bordeaux 2024 en primeur campaign, from challenging fine wine market conditions to the trend for releasing early – ahead of scores from some major critics.

However, there is plenty of time to go. Prices are broadly in the right place and will be interesting to watch – particularly as more quality scores and tasting notes for the wines emerge. 

Davis told Decanter on Tuesday that Vinum Fine Wines had seen early demand for Cheval Blanc. Of the early campaign in general, he added, ‘The gestures [on price] are being made, there’s no question.’

Debuts for Smith Haut Lafitte and La Lagune

Among other releases on Tuesday morning was Château Smith Haut Lafitte (red) 2024, at €62.4 per bottle ex-négociant.

Liv-ex said it is the cheapest release from this Pessac-Léognan star since the 2015 vintage, which debuted at €60 per bottle ex-négociant.

In the UK, Smith Haut Lafitte 2024 was released at the equivalent of £744 per 12-bottle case (IB), although several merchants have been offering en primeur wines in six-packs. 

‘There are several less expensive vintages available on the market,’ said Liv-ex, highlighting the well-regarded 2019 vintage.

Some recent vintages were more expensive, in pound sterling terms, such as the 100-point Smith Haut Lafitte 2022, which carried a Liv-ex market price of £960 (12x75cl IB)

Farr Vintners also offered Smith Haut Lafitte’s 2024-vintage white wine at £643 (6x75cl IB). 

Château La Lagune 2024 was also released on Tuesday, at €20.4 per bottle ex-négociant, which translated to a UK offer price of around £244 (12x75cl IB).

‘The 2024 is one of the least expensive vintages available on the market,’ said Liv-ex.

Coming soon: Our full report on Bordeaux 2024, to be published exclusively for Decanter Premium subscribers

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Pessac-Léognan and Graves suffered from it all in 2022 including frost, bordering wildfires and serious drought.

Vineyards received the least amount of rain from veraison to harvest compared to the other major appellations, as much as -50.7% compared to the 10 year average.

Scroll down for the top-rated Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2022 in bottle

Hot but balanced

It also had the hottest summer temperatures meaning irrigation was exceptionally permitted as a recourse to battle the elements.

Of course not all vines suffered the same so expect wines covering a multitude of styles from opulent and heady to lean and tense depending on the terroir.

The best have a wonderful vein of zesty acidity which counters the concentration.

Alcohols are generally low with a handful of wines at 14.5% and only one at 15% of the ones I tasted.

A top duo

My top two wines, in very different styles, were the 100-point Château Smith Haut Lafitte and Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, both of which wowed in their own way.

Smith’s is broad and powerful with plump fruit and persistent salinity, while Les Carmes is concentrated yet full of energy, focus and finesse.

Both wines present the signature of their estates with exceptional winemaking on show.

Château Haut-Brion and Château La Mission Haut-Brion were both impressive, with the former presenting an almost understated expression, it was more relaxed and open compared to LMHB at this point.

Both will be extremely enjoyable in a few years and will age well.

Mineral markers

For me, wines displaying terroir markers of minerality, salty stone, slate and graphite were particularly enjoyable.

These include the wonderful Domaine de Chevalier with richness and power but silky smooth tannins and bite as well as the rising-star estate Château La Garde with its limestone soils imparting succulent acidity with energy and tension.

Château Haut Bailly and Château Malartic Lagravière were also impressive.

I think that Château Trigant is a top buy and Domaine de la Solitude is another great pick to enjoy now.

All Pessac & Graves 2022 in bottle scores

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Tasting notes for all 800 Bordeaux 2022s

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BORDEAUX 2022 IN BOTTLE SCORE TABLE: Top-scoring wines with 93 points or above

Individual appellation analysis and top-scoring wines

Pauillac 2022 | Margaux 2022 | St-Julien 2022 | St-Estèphe 2022 | Pomerol 2022 | St-Emilion 2022 | Cru Bourgeois 2022 | Dry and Sweet whites 2022 | Best value 2022

Top-rated Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2022 in bottle

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St-Estephe was battered by hail and drought in 2022 causing widespread damage in the ‘hail corridor’ running through the appellation as well as stressing the vines during the height of summer.

Scroll down for the top-rated St-Estèphe 2022 in bottle

Low yields as a result gave way to many highly concentrated, fully charged wines which are still a little more firm than in other areas of the region.

There’s plenty of power and grip on show and in the best cases lots of vibrant acidity and freshness too.

In general, once these wines settle, and any remaining oak is integrated, they will provide excellent drinkability as well as ageability.

Top picks

Château Montrose and Château Cos d’Estournel were my top picks, with both bottles upgraded by a point from their En Primeur score.

Montrose particularly is one of the most impressive wines of the vintage with a sumptuous and seductive palate full of heady fruit but with gorgeous lifted acidity as well as mineral terroir markers.

Its second wine Dame de Montrose is also a fabulous wine and one of the best second wines in 2022.

Cos equally shone, presenting the vintage conditions in the weight and texture of the wine but with such elegance and finesse.

Château Lafon-Rochet (the first full vintage with ex-Lafite winemaker Christophe Congé in charge) and Château Le Boscq are both fantastic.

As of 2022, the team at Vignobles Dourthe took ownership of the vines at Le Boscq instead of renting and began the first year of organic conversion due to be completed this year.

Château De Pez impressed showing the continued work happening at this estate as well as being the first wine produced in the new cellar.

It’s a top buy with a muscular structure alongside great energy and focus. The Cru Bourgeois estates of Lilian Ladouys and Le Crock are also well worth seeking out.

All St-Estèphe 2022 in bottle scores

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Tasting notes for all 800 Bordeaux 2022s

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BORDEAUX 2022 IN BOTTLE SCORE TABLE: Top-scoring wines with 93 points or above

Individual appellation analysis and top-scoring wines

Pauillac 2022 | Margaux 2022 | St-Julien 2022 | Pomerol 2022 | Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2022 | St-Emilion 2022 | Cru Bourgeois 2022 | Dry and Sweet whites 2022 | Best value 2022

Top-rated St-Estèphe 2022 in bottle

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Both St Julien’s proximity to the moderating effects of the Gironde river, and its homogenous gravel on clay and limestone soils, helped produce some stellar wines in 2022.

The wines really showcase the vintage’s ripe fruit with muscular frames alongside purity, clarity and striking vibrancy.

Scroll down for the top-rated St-Julien 2022 in bottle

Power play

The wines in general are slightly less soft and charming at this point than some other appellations with many still tightly knitted, firm and shy.

Indeed, for the top-scoring wines, I consistently noted the ‘power’, ‘muscles’, ‘grip’ or ‘strength on show’ in my tasting notes and commented on ‘ageing potential’ as opposed to immediate or soon drinkability.

However, if you’re looking for low alcohols in 2022 this is the place to come with all but two wines at 14% ABV or under.

Both Lagrange and Talbot’s grand vin clock in at 13.5% ABV and Talbot’s second wine Connteable is 13% ABV.

Upgrades galore

More than half the 22 St-Julien wines tasted scored 94-points or above with the top-scoring estate, Château Léoville Las Cases, upgraded from 98-points en primeur to 99 in bottle.

It’s extremely well crafted showcasing undeniable power with energy and focus. The estate has been renovating its winemaking cellar – joining the grape reception and barrel cellar – to allow the team to do more parcel by parcel, gravity-led vinifications.

Châteaux such as Ducru-Beaucaillou, Gruaud-Larose, Branaire-Ducru and Léoville Barton also shone, as did Lagrange and Léoville Poyferré.

In terms of relative value, Branaire looks like a top pick with 97-points at around €50 (£42) a bottle.

The estate is on the rise under the helm of owner François-Xavier Maroteaux and winemaker Jean-Dominique Videau and the prices have yet to climb to those of its fellow classified estates, which are at the upper end of €100.

Lagrange and Langoa Barton are also around the €50 mark.

For second wines, Pavillon de Léoville Poyferré is good buy at around €25 with succulence, juicy acidity, layers of complexity and a finessed feel.

All St-Julien 2022 in bottle scores

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Tasting notes for all 800 Bordeaux 2022s

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BORDEAUX 2022 IN BOTTLE SCORE TABLE: Top-scoring wines with 93 points or above

Individual appellation analysis and top-scoring wines

Pauillac 2022 | Margaux 2022 | St-Estèphe 2022 | Pomerol 2022 | Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2022 | St-Emilion 2022 | Cru Bourgeois 2022 | Dry and Sweet whites 2022 | Best value 2022

Top-rated St-Julien 2022 in bottle

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St-Julien is the quintessential expression of red Bordeaux, displaying grace and power without being overbearing.

It’s also the smallest of the major communes of Bordeaux and the one with the largest percentage of classified growths, as measured by acreage.

Indeed, 90% of the vineyards belong to the classified growths. St-Julien also claims to have the lowest average yield of all the major Médoc appellations, according to noted Bordeaux-authority Jane Anson.

Although Château Talbot is not the most prestigious property in St-Julien – that likely goes to Château Léoville Las Cases – Château Talbot is as characteristic of St-Julien as St-Julien is to Bordeaux.

And, as the tasting notes show, Talbot is an estate that is upping its game.

Scroll down for 14 tasting notes and scores of Château Talbot 2020-1966

Old Talbot

The estate is supposedly named after Sir John Talbot, the 1st Earl of Shrewsbury – Shakespeare’s ‘Old Talbot’, also known as ‘the English Achilles’ and ‘Terror of the French’.

A veteran of the later campaigns of the Hundred Years War and the last English lieutenant of the Duchy of Aquitaine, he was killed at the Battle of Castillon in 1453.

This disaster of English arms effectively ended the century-long conflict, and resulted in the French taking control of Bordeaux after 300 years of English rule.

The estate has passed through only a handful of owners down the centuries. A map of 1785 marks an area of St-Julien as ‘Talbot’ and there is a house (which likely became the château), owned by the Delage family.

Not long afterwards it was bought by Jean-Jacques d’Aux de Lescout and passed down to his son, Henri-Raymond, who did much to expand the property. In 1899 Arnaud d’Aux sold the estate to Albert Claverie, and Désiré Cordier purchased it in 1918.

The Cordier family still owns Château Talbot, with Nancy Cordier-Bignon and her husband Jean-Paul Bignon being the current directors. Eric Boissenot consults.

Château Talbot, classified as a 4th growth in the Médoc Classification of 1855, is one of St-Julien’s largest estates, encompassing about 110ha, in one single block around the estate.

Vines & winemaking

At about 25 metres above sea level, it is ‘high elevation’ for the Médoc. Talbot’s plantings reflect what’s grown in St-Julien in general: roughly 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot.

There used to be Cabernet Franc in the blend but it was pulled out in 2007 by then-general manager Jean-Pierre Marty. His successor, Jean-Michel Laporte agrees with this move, believing that, unlike on the Right Bank, Petit Verdot is a better ‘complementary variety’ for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot than Cabernet Franc.

The grapes for Talbot come from vines that average 40 years old. They are harvested entirely by hand.

The harvesters do an initial sorting in the vineyard, eliminating diseased parts of bunches. In the cellar, the grapes are destemmed.

Then, state-of-the-art optical and densimetric sorting removes single berries that are not up to snuff.

After fermentation, the grand vin ages in oak barrels for about 16 months in an architectural gem of a barrel cellar.

Ahead of the curve

Talbot started producing a second wine, Connétable, beginning with the 1979 vintage, before many other Médoc producers adopted that practice.

Connétable typically comes from younger vines, but still averaging 30 years old, or those situated in less desirable parcels with sandy soils.

In contrast to the grand vin, Connétable is vinified in stainless steel tanks. It usually comprises about 40% of Talbot’s annual 400,000 bottle production.

Five of Talbot’s 110ha are devoted to white grapes, Sauvignon Blanc (80%) and Sémillon, from which it makes Caillou Blanc.

The blend of the wine typically follows the proportion of each in the vineyard. Although the vines lie within the St-Julien appellation, Caillou Blanc carries the Bordeaux Blanc appellation because regulations for St-Julien only permits red grapes.

Flying under the radar

Château Talbot frequently flies under the radar and fails to receive the accolades it deserves, perhaps because it is such a large estate with such a large production.

Whatever the reasons, it is a boon for consumers because the wines are widely available and the prices, at least compared to other cru classé, are reasonable.

As you’ll see from the tasting notes below, the wines of Château Talbot have become more refined and polished over the last two decades.

Jean-Michel Laporte, who ran La Conseillante for nearly a decade and has been the general manager and winemaker at Talbot since 2018, attributes the enhanced refinement to changes that his predecessor, Jean-Pierre Marty, made – starting with the 2006 vintage.

Laporte notes that Talbot was, ‘late to embracing new technology’ and explained that Marty and his team took a more ‘modern and cleaner approach to winemaking’ at Talbot.

Laporte emphasises that when he took over at Talbot he ‘didn’t want to change the style’. He just wanted to add slightly ‘more depth to the mid-palate’.

Laporte adds modestly that he ‘adjusted some details’ in the vineyard and the cellar. His aim in general, whether at Conseillante and now at Talbot, is ‘to preserve balance, have ripe tannins, and avoid astringency’.

In the vineyard, Laporte removed leaves from the vines earlier in the growing season to achieve better maturity of the grapes and reduce the chance of disease.

He notes now that while overall average yields were fine, he found that decreasing yields in a few of the plots improved quality.

Savoury & savoured

In the cellar, he started the pumping over earlier during fermentation, when the alcohol level is low, to extract softer tannins from the skins instead of more astringent ones from the seeds.

He also slightly increased the amount of new oak barrels for ageing, from 50% to 60% to bring softer, more refined tannins to the wine.

In addition to greater refinement of the wines over the last two decades, the tasting notes indicate that the wines from Château Talbot develop beautifully with bottle age.

They deliver an engaging and alluring combination of fruitiness mixed with that illusive ‘not just fruit’, woodsy, savoury character.

Another lesson: even mature wines evolve in the glass, so they should be savoured, not rushed.

Château Talbot: 14 notes from 2020-1966

Wines are listed in order of descending vintages.

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At just 30 years old, Alexis Leven-Mentzelopoulos stepped into a role that most could only dream of: CEO of a Bordeaux first growth estate – the family-owned, centuries-old Château Margaux no less.

It would be easy to assume that he was guaranteed this role, groomed to take over and freely ‘given the keys’, as it were, by his mother Corinne Mentzelopoulos, who was at the helm of the property for 43 years before retiring in 2023.

But that’s not how the story goes, and he exhibits no sense of ego or flippancy when it comes to his task.

‘Château Margaux has been part of my life since I can remember,’ Alexis says when we catch up with him, a year on from his promotion. ‘But I wasn’t forced into continuing the family business – if anything it was the opposite.’

Growing up, Alexis’ time was divided between Paris and Margaux, accompanying his mother to international wine events from a young age. These early experiences would become foundational, nurturing his connection to both the estate and the people who love to drink its wines.

‘I was just eight years old, attending masterclasses and dinners with my mother, even travelling to China, New York and Korea,’ he recalls.

‘At that age, you don’t understand what a first growth is, but you see how people react to Château Margaux – you feel the excitement.’

These formative years planted in Alexis a love for Margaux and a desire to be part of its story. Yet, his path to CEO wasn’t one of familial obligation but of choice – and determination.

‘My mother never pushed me or my sister into the business [Alexandra joined the company in 2012 and is currently president of the holding company’s supervisory board]. She shared her passion for Margaux, but it was never about us deciding whether we would work there,’ he says.

Instead, it was more like, ‘if you want to work for us, then you have to prove that you’re able to and that you’re going to bring something to it’. This challenge simply made Alexis want it even more.

Pressure & motivation

After earning a Bachelor of Arts in global communications from the American University of Paris, Alexis completed a Master of Science in vineyard and winery management at Bordeaux Sciences Agro to deepen his understanding of winemaking.

Alexis’ journey to CEO was sequential yet fast-tracked, marked first by a role as business development director in early 2020 then deputy general manager in charge of strategy and development in 2021, before assuming full leadership last year.

‘Did I deserve it?’ he muses. ‘No, because in three to four years, nobody deserves having this massive responsibility, especially at such a young age. But if, as was the case, my mother wanted to retire and wanted operations to stay in the family, I was the right pick, in collaboration with my sister. Now it has been done, it has brought more stability to the family and to the estate.’

Alexis acknowledges the enormity of his task, and while trying to balance Margaux’s traditional values with a fresh, dynamic outlook, he demonstrates a leadership approach marked by equal measures of humility, enthusiasm and ambition.

‘Every day is different,’ he says. ‘Some days you’re in the cellar tasting, then you’re in the vineyard seeing the pruning, then you’re abroad meeting local importers or in the office looking over the balance sheet or talking to the IT team to see how we can improve bottle authentication and traceability.’

The family business

Alexis is in charge of more than 100 full-time staff and travels between the Paris office and Margaux estate every week, as well as flying overseas to meet distributors and collectors. It’s a dizzying schedule and one that doesn’t leave much room for downtime.

An understanding long-term girlfriend (who is also interested in wine) helps, and annual winter ski trips and summer holidays to Greece – staying in the house his grandfather built in a country with which he maintains a close connection, given his Greek heritage – plus the odd game of tennis where time allows.

Yet his busyness seems to energise him. ‘There’s pressure to perform, but at the same time a lot of motivation,’ he says, adding that while he may lack experience now, when he’s older he may lack the energy and desire. ‘You never get to have it all, but no matter your competence levels, you need to do everything you can to make Margaux succeed almost by any means necessary.

‘Thankfully,’ he continues, ‘I’m surrounded by a great team’, and he speaks with his mother every day. ‘We’re a close family, so it’s not always about work, but my mother led Château Margaux for 43 years. Everything we have is thanks to her. I’m definitely not the type to come in and say, “Okay, thanks, goodbye.” ’

She remains a confidante, but what was her advice when she passed the baton? ‘Be humble towards Margaux.’ This meant not arriving and suddenly changing age-old processes, but equally not resting on his laurels. Keep up with the changing world but understand that ‘you’re at the service of Château Margaux’, rather than the other way around.

Positive outlook

It’s this guiding principle of respect for Château Margaux’s history and identity that seems so deeply ingrained. And it’s when Alexis talks about the estate – be it addressing contemporary difficulties, such as global shifts in wine markets, changing consumer trends, the general Bordeaux identity and sales crisis, or introducing new initiatives at the estate – that he’s at his most engaging.

It’s no secret that Bordeaux, among other regions, is currently struggling (see Andrew Jefford’s feature, ‘The problem with Bordeaux, and how to fix it’, October 2024 issue – and the reader responses to it). But while even first growths aren’t immune, Alexis’ outlook remains positive and steadfast.

‘There are always ups and downs, and yes, it affects us. It’s going to be a low-turnover year, so we’ll have to be careful for a few years because costs don’t decrease. But we still have demand and we’re selling more today than we were after the economic crisis of 2008.’ It’s a case of ‘sit tight and wait’ to see what happens with the global economic situation.

Ultimately, ‘we won’t take any big risks and will try to remain optimistic’. For investors, Alexis says, Margaux is still a ‘good buy’, in terms of average price increases from en primeur to the secondary market over time.

As to Bordeaux’s general appeal, Alexis thinks it’s a ‘shame’ to say that the wines are boring and old-fashioned because ‘we are the oldest in some ways’. Such wines, he says, ‘may be less trendy, because they have been around so long, and it may be more fun to go into a store and buy a random label from an appellation you’ve never heard of’ – but, he maintains, those who are fortunate enough to try some of Margaux’s old vintages become ‘fans for life’.

A personal favourite for Alexis is the 1953, although he admits he hasn’t tried them all… ‘You can taste great young wines everywhere in the world, but an 80- or 90-year-old wine that brings so much pleasure, so much freshness, so much elegance? That is a Bordeaux first growth – that is Château Margaux!’

No magic tools

As for engaging younger consumers, ‘there are no magic tools’. Alexis assures that the grand vin won’t be changing in style to appeal to changing tastes but, as part of stricter selections, and to bring in a new audience via more accessible and earlier-drinking wines, the family have introduced two new labels over the years: a third red wine Margaux du Château Margaux in 2009, and more recently the white Pavillon Blanc second wine released in December 2023.

And they won’t be investing in a new estate elsewhere. In a market where diversification is often touted as essential, Alexis is resolute in focusing exclusively on Château Margaux. ‘We have one estate, one focus, and that’s what keeps us grounded,’ he says.

This singular dedication reflects the family’s belief that Margaux alone is vast enough to offer a lifetime of work. ‘There’s enough here to keep me – and the team – busy every day. Plus, whatever we buy wouldn’t be as good.’

The big difference? ‘Terroir – this is why we’re a classified growth. You can have the best technical team in the world, but if you don’t have great terroir, you’ll never be able to make great wine,’ he says.

Securing the future

Under Alexis’ leadership, Château Margaux is making architectural changes to the estate, finding ways to respond to environmental challenges in the vineyards and becoming increasingly technologically efficient in the winery.

The team is experimenting with rootstocks, trialling taller vines in order to withstand summer heat and winter frost, incorporating shading techniques and mineral clays to protect vines, and planting new grape varieties – including Carmenère, Malbec and Castets – to better adapt to climate change.

They use sheep for eco-grazing and are gradually removing pine trees – to reduce soil acidity and fire risks – while planting 1.6 km of hedges to enhance biodiversity. They make their own compost and use almost no plastic.

There has also been heavy investment in R&D, with nearly 10,000 bottles dedicated solely to a process of experimentation.

‘There’s a lot going on behind the scenes,’ Alexis says, adding that a new cellar master, general services manager and communications director will all be joining shortly.

Another of the estate’s significant (and long-term) projects involves gradually reorienting the vineyards to optimise sun exposure and minimise heat stress. ‘It will take 40 to 50 years to complete, but it’s an investment in the future of our terroir,’ he explains. It’s hard to imagine being so excited about something you may never see finished – such is life in this industry – but he clearly is.

Staying true

Looking ahead, Alexis envisions a Château Margaux that remains at the forefront of quality and relevance. ‘In 30 years, if people list the top wines in the world, Margaux should be part of it,’ he says. ‘We want the quality to stay the same, maybe even improve, but it’s all about keeping Margaux true to itself.’

I wrongly assumed that a key perk of being CEO would be raiding the cellars at will – a 1961 here, a 1982 there – but even Alexis has to wait until Margaux offers the chance to buy the wines once a year.

‘Every bottle is accounted for, so there’s none of that,’ he says.

Alexis sees himself more as a custodian than an owner, aware that Margaux ‘was here before us and will be here long after us’. His role, he says, is to ‘protect and enhance the estate, ensuring it continues to bring people joy for generations’. For lovers of its wines, the good news is that the estate is in reliably safe hands.

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Not that long ago, Margaux seemed an appellation of grab-bag quality. It is the Médoc’s largest communal appellation, that accounts for one-third (21) of all its classified wines, spanning first to fifth growths.

Among their number were previously underperforming estates like fourth growth Château Pouget and second growth Château Rauzan-Gassies, as well as top-notch properties, such as Château Margaux, Château Palmer and Château Rauzan-Ségla.

Since the 21st century however, quality and consistency have risen across the appellation, with most classified estates upping their standards – often with competitive pricing.

One such estate is third growth Château Cantenac Brown, one of three classified châteaux with the commune ‘Cantenac’ in its name.

Another is the also much-improved second growth Château Brane Cantenac, which crafts wines of aromatic finesse from vines atop a 12 metre-deep gravel plateau.

And the third is another third growth, Château Boyd Cantenac, which (sadly) still lags behind the other two somewhat.

Tasting notes and scores for Château Cantenac Brown

What has changed

Over the last 40 years, Cantenac Brown has seen no less than four different owners, each introducing changes and modifications, capped most recently with a new cellar first used for the 2023 vintage.

A stable presence over most of these years is José Sanfins, hired in 1989 by then-owner AXA Millésimes as technical director. He’s been there ever since.

In visiting the new cellar this year, Sanfins explains that in the early years this century, there was a tendency to focus ‘more on production rather than selection’, and that more careful selections – starting in 2012 – have contributed to improving precision and depth in the wines.

‘We decided to work harder and began to notice that it was important to select more,’ Sanfins remarks.

‘Starting with the 2012 vintage, we went from producing around 60% of the harvest for the first wine to 50%,’ he explains.

Another significant recent change came shortly after the Le Lous family purchased Château Cantenac Brown in 2019.

They purchased some 14 hectares of mostly old vine Cabernet Sauvignon that has added more depth to the wine, from the 2020 vintage.

Sanfins continues: ‘In March 2020, the estate decided to add more plateau-based grapes, with the acquisition of vines that had belonged to Margaux estates Château Charmant and Château La Galiane.

‘From that first year, 70% of these vines contributed to our first wine, yielding a more than promising result.’

The results are clear in the wines themselves. The estate’s wine from the otherwise superlative 2010 vintage, for example, seems a little woolly compared to the very impressive 2020.

Château Cantenac Brown: Key facts

Owner: Tristan Le Lous

Director: José Sanfins

Vineyard manager: Hervé Martin

Consultant: Eric Boissenot

Size: 75ha with 64ha in production

Second wine: Brio de Cantenac Brown (launched in 2001)

White wine: Alto de Cantenac Brown (launched in 2011)

Location, location

The vines are mainly found on the plateau just outside Margaux, extending as far as the commune of Soussans, and, although covering two communes, they are located on the same plateau, ‘thus guaranteeing continuity of terroir,’ Sanfins adds.

Here the 50-year-old Cabernet and Merlot vines planted on gravelly soils have deep roots, making them less sensitive to climate vagaries and yield small, dense and concentrated berries, which, Sanfins stresses, ‘is exactly what we are looking for in our great wines’.

Like many other Médoc estates, Château Cantenac Brown has plans to increase the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in its blends, having decided to uproot four hectares from the recent acquisition to replant only Cabernet Sauvignon.

‘This restructuring is necessary to optimise vineyard work and homogeneity of maturity during the harvest,’ explains Sanfins.

The estate has been less intrusive in extracting tannin, as recent vintages have proven richer and riper, requiring less pumping over and other forms of extraction, Sanfins adds.

To more gently extract tannins during fermentation, his team uses a tool that creates an air bubble in a vat by blowing air, or air enriched with carbon dioxide, under the cap to draw wine upwards over it.

It is also possible to not pass the wine over the cap, but simply exchange the juice in contact with the skins.

This allows for gentle extraction, known as ‘infusion’, he says, ‘a technique that we increasingly favour, particularly during particularly concentrated vintages’.

New cellar, more precision

The most recent and drastic change was the construction of a state-of-the-art, €20m cellar.

In 2020, owner Tristan Le Lous and Sanfins called on architect Philippe Madec to create the new cellar, which was needed to complete the final stage of the production overhaul.

Construction lasted from 2021 to 2023, just in time for last year’s harvest.

The new 5,000m² installation more than doubles the number of stainless-steel fermentation vats: from 33 to 70, ranging in size between 50 and 120 hectolitres, which better reflect the parcel-by-parcel selections of the harvest.

The new cellar also contains needed space to age intermediate vintages, ‘so that we will be able to age wines longer than just 16 months, as sometimes you need more time for the oak to integrate into the wine,’ says Sanfins.

It also meets high environmental standards. Sanfins explains that the cellar walls are one-metre thick, a mix of brick and compacted ‘raw earth’.

This helps ensure that humidity levels are kept stable, meaning barrels are kept in optimal conditions without the need for air conditioning.

He also points out how the building design ensures that the grapes follow a gravity flow into the vats, for utmost care in the winemaking process.

‘We now are also better able to emphasise preservation of fruit.’

Timeline

1754 – Nobleman Jacques Boyd acquires land in Cantenac.

1806 – John Lewis Brown, a Frenchman of Scottish origin, who has owned vines in Cantenac since 1803, acquires the estate at an auction.

1843 – John Lewis Brown declares bankruptcy with the estate ‘Brown of Cantenac’ split into two parts: the largest part (58 hectares) is acquired by a banker named Gromard and the rest (8ha) is taken over by Jean Verrière, future mayor of Margaux, under the name Château Boyd.

1855 – The Bordeaux Classification ranks both estates as third growths.

1860 – The larger estate definitively becomes Château Cantenac Brown after Gromard sells it to Bordeaux merchant Armand Lalande (1820-1894), deputy mayor of Bordeaux.

1866 – The Tudor-style château design is finalised.

1968 – Purchased by the Du Vivier family after a long, challenging period, spanning phylloxera, war and depression.

1987 – The Compagnie du Midi acquires the estate, and begins to renovate the cellars

1989 – AXA Millésimes acquires the estate, and continues cellar renovation work and invests in a new drainage system, also hiring José Sanfins as technical director.

1997 – Vat room renovated with stainless steel vats.

2005 – Simon Halabi, a British investor of Syrian origin acquires the estate, and José Sanfins takes over as manager.

2019 – The Le Lous family acquires the estate.

2021 – Construction of new cellar space.

2023 – First vintage using the new cellar space.

Making the original estate more visible

In addition to the new cellar, whose colours and style echo the original estate, the owners are now renovating the interior of the old château, beyond just coats of paint.

‘We were less visible as part of AXA, which counted a galaxy of wines, such as Pichon Baron (among its portfolio),’ Sanfins says.

Guiding me through the high-ceilinged château rooms with balconies that offer beautiful views, Sanfins spoke of the need for higher visibility, with plans for future events to be held once renovation work is completed.

The estate’s spectacular Tudor-style architecture, with its four-centre arch, decorative half-timbering, a steeply pitched roof, high and narrow doors and windows and towering chimneys, already makes it a rare and memorable must-see among Bordeaux’s parade of more classical façades.

Furthermore, tucked away behind the estate is a small garden and meadow and a forested area, which is all being maintained in a manner that promotes biodiversity.

Efforts paying off

Jeff Zacharia of Zachy’s in New York City says: ‘I have been very happy and excited to see the quality of Cantenac Brown increase significantly over the past 10 years.

‘It is wonderful to see producers really make significant efforts, and those efforts paying off.’

With the new cellar set to further improve quality, the future looks bright for Château Cantenac Brown, which means that Bordeaux fans have yet another excellent Margaux to discover – or rediscover – in a unique setting.

Château Cantenac Brown modern vintages

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Bordeaux estate Château Pichon Baron has become the latest property in the region to launch a white cuvée.

The Pauillac cru classé announced that the first vintage of its new white wine – from the 2023 vintage – would be made available through a ‘selected number of chosen négociants’ from October this year.

Les Griffons de Pichon Baron, Grand Vin Blanc Sec is a 100% Semillon and will be priced between £45 and £48 per bottle.

The estate made a massal selection of Semillon from Château Suduiraut, its sister property in Sauternes, back in 2018.

The cuttings were then grafted onto 20 year-old vines in a cool, chalky part of the Pichon Baron estate in Pauillac, a vineyard site known as ‘Boua’.

The wine was made with whole bunch pressing and then vinified in one-year-old barrels. It did not undergo malolactic conversion and was aged for nine months in oak with regular lees stirring.

Given current restrictions in current classification laws, it will be bottled as an AOC Bordeaux Blanc Sec.

‘We are extremely pleased with the result, which confirms both our faith in the quality, character and individuality of the Semillon we selected but also our confidence in the quality and suitability of this parcel for making dry white wine at the highest level,’ said the estate.

Growing offering

Pichon Baron’s announcement makes it just the latest in a growing list of Médoc estates adding white wines to their offering.

It was recently announced that Château d’Issan was picking the grapes for its first white cuvée this harvest – albeit from varieties typically found in the Rhône not Bordeaux.

And Decanter also recently examined the development of a new appellation for Médoc blanc which is currently under consideration.

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Although designated a Fifth Growth in the 1855 Classification, Château Grand-Puy Ducasse is unlikely to feature high on a list of most desirable purchases for Pauillac fans.

Perhaps this is down to its location (the château is situated in ‘downtown’ Pauillac) so doesn’t conform to the classical image of names such as Château Latour, Château Lafite or Château Mouton-Rothschild, graced by elegant buildings and surrounded by glorious vineyards.

Or perhaps it is simply down to the fact that the wine has a reputation for failing to deliver the same intensity and excitement as many other Pauillac classed growths.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for Andy Howard MW’s picks of recent Grand-Puy Ducasse vintages

Work in progress

At a recent masterclass in London, Director and Winemaker Anne Le Naour led a group of sommeliers through the 10-year project which Grand-Puy Ducasse has named ‘Renaissance.’

The work started in 2011 and reached a significant point in 2023, with the first harvest vinified in the new winery.

Initial impressions are that the team seem to be on the right track, although this is more of a ‘work in progress’ rather than the finished article at this stage.

The estate originated in 1675 with the acquisition of a family home on the Left Bank of the Gironde River, followed by expansion of vineyards over the next century, culminating in 1820.

One hundred years after being classified a Fifth Growth, Grand-Puy Ducasse launched its second-wine, Prélude, in 1955.

But, despite many changes, the estate and vineyards fell into decline, leading to the sale in 1971 to Mestrezet-Preller (a wine merchant connected with Cordier).

It is fair to say that, in recent decades, the wines of Grand-Puy Ducasse have failed to excite writers and consumers.

In 2003, Hugh Johnson wrote that, ‘the wines here have often lacked flair.’

Things had not improved in 2012, when Stephen Brook commented that Grand-Puy Ducasse was, ‘a wine that plays safe and rarely sets the pulses racing.’

Renaissance

In 2005 Grand-Puy Ducasse was purchased by Crédit Agricole Grands Crus, leading to significant investment in both vineyards, vinification and the tourist experience.

In the same year Crédit Agricole acquired Château Meyney in Saint-Estèphe, transforming it into a property which today substantially over-delivers.

The team are aiming to weave this same magic at the Pauillac estate. The highly respected Le Naour (along with Estate Manager Benjamin Cassoulet) are clear that the key to the Renaissance project involves a dual approach.

Investments in new production facilities are allowing the team to fully express the differences of the diverse plots which make up Grand-Puy Ducasse’s vineyards.

The estate has five key sectors all, according to Le Naour, having different roles to play both now and in the future.

The northern sector (adjacent to Pontet-Canet and Mouton-Rothschild) lies on gravelly hilltops, with the classic Grand-Puy sector to the west of the Gironde being characterised by gravelly sandy soil over a clay base, with many outcrops of pebbles.

Further west, the Artigues terroir is dominated by Merlot, while younger Cabernet Sauvignon vines (planted in the Pichon sector to the south) point to the future.

Finally, south-west of Pauillac, the Batailley sector is home to Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot – a variety Le Naour has high hopes for.

The right direction

Work to completely change the château and winery took 10 years to gain planning permission, given its location in the centre of Pauillac.

The newly expanded vat room now hosts 46 double-skinned steel vats ranging from 30 hectolitres to 129hl, together with seven concrete vats for blending/ageing.

A focus on individual plot selection is seen as key, with Merlot still playing a key role in the distinctive style of Grand-Puy Ducasse.

The masterclass confirmed that the changes are moving the estate in the right direction.

And while Grand-Puy Ducasse remains ‘under the radar’ there should be potential for some smart buys over the next few years.

This is a Fifth Growth to keep a close eye on.

Grand-Puy Ducasse: Pick of recent vintages

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So much has been written in recent years about growing consumer demand for lighter, lower alcohol wines, and at the same time, according to the ‘Focus’ report released by the OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine) in early December last year, white and rosé now account for more than half of global wine consumption.

Such a backdrop perhaps gives context to a decision by Bordeaux’s Médoc region, so long celebrated for its world-class reds, to be jumping on the bandwagon with an application to introduce regulations for white wines as part of the existing Médoc appellation.

Opinions vary, it must be said, over a ‘Médoc Blanc’ designation, which is currently still under consideration by the French national appellation authority INAO. The Médoc has long been known for its Cabernet-driven reds from warm gravel soils.

However, it also has pockets of clay and limestone – as well as cooler microclimates in its northern reaches nearer the Atlantic – that are amenable for crafting dry white wines.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for 17 brilliant dry whites from the Médoc

Tasting dry whites from the Médoc this past spring, merchants and winemakers based in Strasbourg, Alsace professed elation over the ‘surprising freshness’ of the wines. ‘Coming from Bordeaux, I was expecting oaky wines,’ said Sylvain Girard, who hosted the tasting at his wine boutique Cave à Terroirs in the city.

The Médoc, Haut-Médoc and Listrac-Médoc ODG wine producers’ council supports the application and according to its director Hélène Larrieu, such a designation would ‘highlight the terroirs and the knowhow of Médoc vintners, guaranteeing the Médoc location for wines whose characteristics are distinguished from [the rest of] Bordeaux by their notes of exotic fruits with a certain minerality and salinity, given the proximity of the Gironde estuary and the Atlantic ocean’.

Why Médoc blanc?

The best-reputed Bordeaux whites come from the classified Graves region – specifically from the Pessac-Léognan appellation created in 1987, which lies within it. Given Pessac-Léognan’s established prominence, industry observers might reasonably be dubious about the Médoc Blanc proposal.

‘A well-behaved Médoc must always be red,’ says Washington DC-based wine educator and former Washington Post wine columnist Ben Giliberti. ‘Not a single white wine was included in the 1855 classification of the Médoc, and over the centuries, the word claret has become synonymous with the Médoc: well balanced, well structured, and red,’ he tells Decanter. ‘For as long as Graves continues to exist, white Médocs are the answer to a question that nobody asked.’

But, evidently, backers of Médoc Blanc have asked that question, and they point to the region’s long history of white production, reaching back to the 18th century. Furthermore, of the four first growth estates in the Médoc, two – Châteaux Margaux and Mouton Rothschild (in Pauillac) – craft dry whites.

The former was already making white wine by the 18th century, says managing director Philippe Bascaules, although its Pavillon Blanc brand was established in 1920. Château Loudenne, in St-Yzans-de-Médoc further north along the Gironde estuary, bills itself as the oldest continual producer of dry whites, with yearly production having started in 1880.

Taste of the future

Historically, the Médoc made more white wine than readers might imagine. According to comprehensive background research presented by the ODG regional body, by 1929, the Féret guide (a well-known French Bordeaux wine directory) recorded 1.7 million litres of white wine production, or 2.2 million bottles.

On the other hand, in the past, whites from the Médoc ‘were not dry’, says Christophe Gouache, who acquired Château Loudenne in early 2022. ‘It would be wrong to believe that the white wines originally produced were dry,’ he says. ‘On the contrary, the taste was for semi-dry or even sweet wines until the 1960s.’

During the 20th century, red wine came to dominate production in the Médoc. By 1969, the Féret guide cites white wine production decreasing to just 180,000 litres. Fast-forward to 2023, however, and the ODG reports that figure having grown to more than 500,000 litres – and all thoroughly dry.

Other estates more recently started producing dry white wine commercially, including Château Mouton Rothschild, where Baroness Philippine de Rothschild decided the 1991 would be the first release of its Aile d’Argent white

While Médoc white wines account for only 3% of the total production of dry whites across Bordeaux, the number has increased dramatically over the last decade: in 2023, according to ODG figures provided by Hélène Larrieu, 89 producers across the eight major appellations of the greater Médoc region crafted dry white wines from 208ha under vine – more than double the 90ha of vines (and only 50 producers) back in 2017.

Market demand is a factor, says viticulture director Etienne Charrier of Château Prieuré Lichine in Margaux, which has a five-year objective of doubling the current surface area for white grape vines. José Sanfins of Château Cantenac Brown says the estate planted 1.8ha of 90% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Semillon for its first vintage in 2011, but it has more than doubled in size with three new hectares planted in 2022 to be first used for the 2025 vintage.

At Château Loudenne, out of 9ha currently planted with white varieties, only 6.5ha were in production in 2023. However, the estate is bringing new varieties into its range, Gouache says, having already planted 1ha of Chardonnay in 2023, with plans to add 1ha each of Chenin Blanc and Viognier in the coming years.

The rules: what will Médoc Blanc be?

In 2023, the Pauillac-based Médoc, Haut-Médoc and Listrac-Médoc ODG wine producers’ council submitted the ‘cahier des charges‘ (dossier) for a Médoc Blanc AOP designation. If approved by INAO, the new appellation’s stipulations will allow for varietal flexibility: blends will have to include a minimum of 85% of the traditional Bordeaux white wine grapes Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, Sémillon and Muscadelle.

But Médoc Blanc will also allow for a maximum of 15% Chardonnay and/or up to 10% of other varieties, including Floreal, Sauvignac, Souvignier Gris, Liliorila, Alvarinho and Viognier.

‘No one can predict what varieties will be planted in our vineyards in 20-30 years’ time,’ says Hélène Larrieu, the ODG council’s director. ‘So our cahier des charges application is at once ambitious and humble, in terms of allowing for more grapes while also acknowledging we cannot know what our experience of changing conditions and the climate will dictate.’

Hand harvesting will not be a requirement. Existing practices mean that more than 80% of Médoc white-grape vineyards are already harvested by hand, Larrieu explains, so this hasn’t been made a stipulation of the proposed appellation rules. Larrieu adds that machine harvesting does have its advantages, such as enabling more efficient harvests in the cool of the morning.

Required maturation time: At least six months; at least 30% in oak. ‘This is not because we want oak flavours in the wines,’ Larrieu says, but because it proves ‘essential’ for palate structure. Tasted blind, many wines that had not been aged in oak at all ‘did not emerge as characteristic of the Médoc, due to a lack of structure on the palate’.

Location: Only from vines in the eight Médoc appellations – Médoc, Haut-Médoc, Listrac-Médoc, Moulis en Médoc, Margaux, St-Julien, St-Estèphe and Pauillac.

Maximum yield: 55hl/ha

A fresh take on styles

When I joined merchants to taste more than 15 wines for this article, the notion that was held among the group – that Médoc white wines would intrinsically be oak-dominated – is based on Bordeaux’s well-known use of barrel-ageing for its wines.

And in the recent past, the wines were indeed more influenced – including, for example, a Blanc de Lynch Bages 2004 tasted some years ago. But when, in 2007, Jean-Charles Cazes took over direction of Château Lynch-Bages, he reduced the percentage of new oak for ageing of the white wine. He also reduced the proportion of Sémillon in the blend to favour Sauvignon Blanc – in order to increase palate tension, he says.

At Château Lagrange (St-Julien), changes took place at about the same time. ‘After my arrival, from the 2007 vintage,’ recalls general manager Matthieu Bordes, ‘I immediately worked to protect the grapes during pressing and the musts during vinification with carbon dioxide in the form of gas or dry ice. We are now equipped with a bottling line under inert gas (nitrogen), and I have lowered the percentage of new barrels from 80% to 40%-50%.’

In a recent tasting at Château Mouton Rothschild, technical director Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy explained how the estate had also progressively lowered its new oak for ageing for white wines, from about 60% to 40%.

Beyond the oak aspect of Médoc whites, styles vary. Some estates use more non-traditional varieties than others. Both Château du Tertre and Château Retout include percentages of grapes such as Gros Manseng in their blends that would not fit the specifications for the proposed Médoc Blanc AOP.

Some estates choose to pick earlier than others, to preserve freshness in the wine, even though it may increase the risk of attaining more prominent greenish tones characteristic of the varieties used, particularly in the case of Sauvignon Blanc.

Others opt for a richer style. Château Talbot’s Caillou Blanc, which started in the early 1950s, has evolved over the past 15 years, under the leadership of cellar master Jean-Max Drouilhet.

‘From a classic Sauvignon style, today we produce more of a gourmet white,’ explains Jean-Michel Laporte, Château Talbot’s general manager. ‘And we harvest the whites late, generally a week or so after our colleagues, in order to obtain maximum fat, especially with the Semillon, and to degrade the volatile thiol aromas [commonly associated with tropical fruit characters] of the Sauvignon.’

Pros & cons

Producers appear split over the Médoc Blanc proposal. Those with strong existing brands are neutral or unenthusiastic. In the 2022 vintage, Château Margaux introduced a second dry white wine – Pavillon Blanc Second Vin. The selection for its Pavillon Blanc is incredibly strict, but the winemakers decided the remaining grapes were too good to waste.

‘The reputation of the Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux is such today that the appellation is not essential, so if the name of it were to change it would probably not have a big impact – for it to continue as Bordeaux Blanc would be perfectly acceptable,’ Bascaules told me.

Michel Reybier, owner of St-Estèphe second growth Cos d’Estournel – whose first white wine vintage was 2005 – is more open to the idea: ‘We strongly believe in the potential of these terroirs to produce great white wines, and the question of a Médoc appellation for white wines deserves to be asked and studied,’ he says, ‘even if in certain cases a wine’s brand has largely overtaken the appellation as a benchmark for the end consumer.’

On the one hand, says Château Clarke’s technical director Fabrice Darmaillacq, a new designation could ‘make Médoc wines distinct from Pessac-Léognan or Bordeaux, offering an alternative with a Blanc du Médoc style, unique and in tune with the times’, and it would ‘create a family identity and common recognition for these wines’.

On the other hand, he adds: ‘The new designation could further complicate consumer understanding in an already complex market, particularly in the face of New World wines, and imposing additional specifications may not be accepted by all producers, thus leading to division within the industry.’

An increasing number of Médoc estates are crafting fresh dry whites with fruit purity that are not over-oaked and are appreciated by the wine trade and by consumers. It now remains to be seen if a specific Médoc white wine style can emerge from the symphony of expressions currently on offer.

See notes and scores for 17 of the best dry whites from the Médoc

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Gareth Birchley, Arthur Coggill and Melody Wong tasted 66 wines, with 31 Highly recommended.

Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2018: Panel tasting scores

66 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 0

Highly recommended 31

Recommended 32

Commended 3

Fair 0

Poor 0

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their 2018 vintage of any Pessac-Léognan or Graves designated red wine, including cru classé

By late April 2018, London was already melting, and there was wall-to-wall sunshine well into October. Bordeaux had a different spring. Record March rainfall led to humidity in the vineyards and a real concern of rot before the buds had even burst.

Unusual as it was, it was July before our cousins in Aquitaine felt the benefits of any kind of heatwave. From then on, by contrast, the stage was set and Bordeaux experienced one of the hottest periods in half a century.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores from the Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2018 panel tasting

On the basis of this tasting, what was produced in 2018 in the Graves and Pessac Léognan – to the south and southeast of Bordeaux city – was very much a mixed bag. Curiously, the two regions generally didn’t differ vastly in qualitative terms, but stylistically were polar opposites.

While the wines from Graves seemed curiously lean and lighter than we expected from such a warm vintage, both Melody Wong and Arthur Coggill agreed that the Pessacs were clearly much richer in body and texture and on the verge, in some cases, of being over the top.

Coggill put the ‘fruit-forward’ nature of many of the wines down to a ‘reflection of market demand’. With none of the wines peaking at more than 14.5% alcohol, it does seem strange that there were so many voluptuous examples. ‘I feel like the winemakers were trying too hard,’ Wong concurred.

We were all stumped as to how exactly two regions that are so similar geographically and geologically could make such consistently different expressions. Without doubt, those searching for freshness should save their pennies and buy the cheaper Graves wines, but those in pursuit of longevity should stick to the richer examples from Pessac-Léognan, which generally had ripe tannins that were well integrated but sometimes felt excessive.

See all the wines from the Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2018 panel tasting

I’ve often said that with Burgundy prices through the roof, in 2024, Bordeaux is the best value region around if you’re spending more than £50 per bottle – mainly because there’s great availability of mature vintages at similar prices to much younger wines.

Flipping that on its head, young, slightly disjointed wines feel overpriced compared to other regions. This tasting showed that in Bordeaux, paying more is key. Sadly, at the lower end, the quality doesn’t seem to be there and the wines lack identity and a sense of place. I’ll be curious to follow these wines over the coming decade.

In summary, there were no bad wines, but no outstanding examples either. There were notable omissions from the upper echelon of these regions, which would, no doubt, have pulled the average scores up dramatically. I know for sure that wines such as châteaux Haut-Bailly and Les Carmes Haut-Brion were stunning in 2018.

That being said, Wong noted that, in some cases, the ‘overall quality does not reflect the respective price-tags’. Coggill concluded that: ‘You wouldn’t be disappointed if you bought these wines… but at the same time, you’re not getting something amazing for the price.’

Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2018 panel tasting scores

Wines were tasted blind

The judges

Gareth Birchley is buying director at London-based Burns & German Vintners. After arriving in London in 2006, he worked in sales and senior buying roles at Bordeaux Index and Berry Bros & Rudd, before joining Burns & German in 2019.

Arthur Coggill is head of business development at London-based merchant Hatton & Edwards. Having joined Goedhuis & Co in a fine wine sales role in 2013, he ran its investment fund Vintage Capital for eight years before moving solely to buying in 2021, joining Hatton & Edwards in 2024.

Melody Wong is director of wine at The Peninsula, London. An experienced sommelier and wine buyer, she has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants and top hotels across the UK. In 2022, she was nominated in the GQ Food & Drink Awards Best Sommelier category.

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The Bordeaux 2010 vintage stands as a landmark year, one of the most celebrated in recent memory. Superb across the entire region, red wines reached optimum maturity with bright acidity and firm tannins.

Small berries produced concentrated wines with many having increased percentages of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blends, leading to a slight advantage for the Left Bank over the Right.

Often talked about alongside the equally brilliant but contrasting-in-style 2009 vintage, 2010 offered less hedonism but more homogeneity with excellent red, dry white and sweet examples.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for our top 2010 Médoc reds

Tale of the vintage

Almost 14 years later, the finest 2010 reds are shining examples of what Bordeaux can do at its best: structured, classical and fresh. And while they have taken their time to come around after being initially quite closed, many of the wines are now reaching the start of their drinking windows.

To quickly recap the weather at the time, a cold winter and dry early spring in 2010 delayed the initial vine growth, slowing and disrupting both bud burst (starting a few days later than in 2009) and flowering, which led to problems with millerandage and coulure (poor fruit set resulting in undersized berries in gappy bunches), particularly in the Merlot.

March saw less rain than average, then low rainfall in April and May led to a water deficit ahead of an exceedingly hot and dry summer. Although rain prevailed somewhat in June, only 50mm fell on average across the region July to September, according to data from the ISVV Bordeaux Institute, with no localised variations as in some years.

The year was drier than both 2009 and 2005. Long sunny days were fortunately offset by cool nights, vital in preserving acidity in both reds and whites, and there was a uniform spread of botrytis in Sauternes.

Overall, Pauillac is the most Cabernet-oriented appellation in 2010, and there were some great, almost unsurpassable wines produced there; St-Julien delivered some ‘quintessential clarets’, with each estate able to produce wines reflecting its own individual style and terroir. Indeed, in our tasting for this feature, those two appellations produced four of the five top-scoring wines.

Renowned for their depth, intensity and precision, these wines were lauded for their impeccable balance of fruit, tannin and acidity, as well as their potential for long-term ageing.

As such, en primeur release prices were set largely too high – as a reaction to the already-risen 2009 vintage, particularly for the first growths and their second wines – with the aim being to capitalise on interest from Asia at the time.

With the 2010s up an average 23% on the 2008 vintage, the secondary fine wine market suddenly fell out of love with Bordeaux and crashed a month or so after the spring 2012 primeurs campaign ended, heralding a fall in value for the 2010 vintage over the next five years.

The vintage remains one of the most expensive in recent times, and this has had the effect of largely overshadowing its greatness – but as the wines approach their drinking windows, these prices should now start to make more sense, relative to the market in general.

Fluctuating fortunes

As in all vintages, there have been winners and losers in terms of investments. According to Liv-ex, a global marketplace for the wine trade, the returns and margin for 2010 wines in its Bordeaux 500 index were down -11% two years after en primeur release and currently by -12%.

The average ex-château release price per bottle of the 2010s was €211, the ex-négociant release price €255, and ex-London release price €282; two years later the market price had dropped back to €250, and the current market price remains at €248.

Of the 2010s, the best performers in terms of the percentage difference between release price and current market price are Le Pin at +144%, Calon Ségur at +70%, Smith Haut Lafitte +68%, Beychevelle +67% and Petrus +63%. There are 30 estates from the top 500 that show positive figures, ranging from +2% to +144%.

For some wider context, Liv-ex’s figures for current average return on en primeur release pricing reveal that the 2009 vintage is currently down -13%, as is the 2017, with 2019 at +13%, 2020 -10%, 2021 -9% and 2022 -5%.

Liv-ex maintains that: ‘Bordeaux offers plenty of value to buyers – just rarely en primeur’, adding: ‘Decades of poorly priced campaigns means that the relative value comes from well-priced back-vintages, often from leading estates.’

However, collectors with 2010 wines in their cellars – and even buyers looking to purchase bottles today – will be rewarded at almost any price point. Lots of wines are now ready to drink, but many are also capable of ageing further.

The best still need at least a decade longer but will have at least 20-30 years ahead of them after that, steadfast in their charm and approachability.

Hitting their stride: 40 top Médoc 2010 reds to seek out

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All Bordeaux 2023 coverage:

Verdict & top-scoring wines | How the weather conditions shaped the vintage | Decoding the yields | Wine styles: what to expect

Appellation analysis

St-Estèphe | St-Julien | Pauillac | Margaux | Pessac-Léognan | St-Emilion | Pomerol | Dry whites | Top value | Sauternes & Barsac

Médoc, Haut-Médoc, Moulis & Listrac 2023: A variable vintage

Scroll down to see notes and scores for the top Médoc, Haut-Médoc, Moulis & Listrac en primeur 2023 wines

Vintage overview

When tasting red wines from the Listrac region, I found that the few and far between dry whites performed better: a sign for this catch-all category, as properties in the other appellations also produce a few dry whites.

While some estates with the means to remove mildew-affected Merlots did well, others showed tell-tale signs of mildew damage: green, stemmy falvours and hard tannins. Care is needed when considering these four broader Médoc appellations, with ‘variable’ an apt description.

On a general basis, properties benefitting from cooler climates further north – such as an outstanding Château Sociando Mallet along with fine performances from Château Les Ormes Sorbet (Médoc), Château Bel Air Gloria (Haut-Médoc), Château Larrivaux (Haut-Médoc) – tended to surpass properties in the south.

But that generalisation does not count when it comes to estates that were unable to sort out mildew-affected grapes or did not wait to harvest ripe Cabernets.

Some estates further south, such as Château Poujeaux in Moulis or Château Clarke in Listrac did manage the conditions well and their efforts stand out from the rest.

Other names to look out for in these fringe appellations include most of the classified growths from the Haut-Médoc, including Château Belgrave, Château de Camensac and (especially) Château La Lagune.

See the top-scoring Médoc, Haut-Médoc, Moulis & Listrac 2023 en primeur wines

Search all 550+ Bordeaux 2023 en primeur ratings published

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All Bordeaux 2023 coverage:

Verdict & top-scoring wines | How the weather conditions shaped the vintage | Decoding the yields | Wine styles: what to expect

Appellation analysis

St-Estèphe | St-Julien | Pauillac | Margaux | Pessac-Léognan | St-Emilion | Pomerol | Haut-Médoc | Dry whites | Top value

Sauternes & Barsac: Sheer excellence

Average yield: 12.2hl/ha

Variance from 2022: -14%

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top Sauternes & Barsac en primeur 2023 wines

Vintage overview

From Château Coutet in Barsac to Château Suduiraut in Sauternes, the botrytised sweet wines of Bordeaux had a fine vintage.

Although the Barsacs have a slightly flintier edge compared to the richer Sauternes, the difference between the two appellations is not as clear cut in 2023 as it sometimes is, says Sauternes expert Bill Blatch.

Unusually, both appellations were picking at roughly the same time – between October 2-12 – when Barsac usually harvests first. The extra ripeness means that the traditionally lighter Barsacs have a more Sauternes-like heft and unctuousness in 2023.

Sauternes suffered from virulent outbreak of mildew in June, seeing 45% more rainfall than normal that month and with higher-than-normal daytime temperatures. Hotter weather in late August and a hotter-than-normal September led to concentrated grapes, but with little botrytis.

Initial September pickings featured mostly raisined grapes with just some botrytis, accounting for only 15-20% of everyone’s total harvest. Finally, significant late rainfall allowed the development of considerable amounts of noble rot.

For Bordeaux oenologist Axel Marchal, ‘harvesting botrytised grapes with a good level of concentration was not a problem in 2023’, and he classifies many wines as ‘outstanding’.

For Blatch, Sauternes and Barsac reflect the richness of the 2022 vintage, but with more pronounced acidity.

Some wines proved flabby or lacking intensity, but most – and from different price points – convey opulence, botrytis spice and freshness. These include two standout Barsac wines in Château Coutet and L’Extravagant de Doisy-Daëne, and Château de Fargues, Château Guiraud, Raymond-Lafon and Château Suduiraut in Sauternes.

See the top-scoring Sauternes & Barsac 2023 en primeur wines

Search all 550+ Bordeaux 2023 en primeur ratings published

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Major Bordeaux 2023 en primeur releases today (21 May) have included Domaine de Chevalier and St-Julien fourth growth Château Beychevelle, following from Ets. Jean-Pierre Moueix wines yesterday, including highly rated Bélair-Monange 2023.

These three releases at a glance

• Domaine de Chevalier 2023 red | 95pts (Decanter) | €45.6 per bottle (ex-négociant), down 17% on 2022 | UK price £549.60 per 12x75cl in bond (IB).
• Château Beychevelle 2023 | 94pts | €60, down 11% | UK price £720 (12x75cl IB).
• Château Bélair-Monange 2023 | 98pts | £590 (6x75cl IB).
  Ex-négociant price data source: Liv-ex.

Prices have continued to drop year-on-year for a Bordeaux 2023 vintage that is emerging onto a challenging fine wine market.

Some 2022-vintage releases were relatively expensive, however, and the availability and pricing of back-vintages at each individual estate remains an important part of the relative value equation for 2023 en primeur wines.

See Decanter’s full verdict on the Bordeaux 2023 vintage, plus ratings and tasting notes on the top-scoring wines

At £720 per 12-bottle case in bond (IB), Château Beychevelle 2023 was positioned cheaper than several back-vintages of this highly regarded St-Julien fourth growth, according to Liv-ex data. 

This was despite only dropping in price by around 11% versus the 2022-vintage release, ex-négociant – demonstrating once again that year-on-year price comparisons provide just one of several useful metrics for considering whether or not to buy new-release en primeur wines.  

Decanter’s Bordeaux correspondent, Georgie Hindle, rated Beychevelle 2023 at 94 points. ‘Really excellent and very accessible, juicy and elegant,’ wrote Hindle, adding that it has the highest-ever proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, at 61%. 

UK merchant Farr Vintners said, ‘This property always gets their price right and, once again, this ticks the en primeur box by reaching the consumer at a lower price than any other vintage in the market today.’ 

It also described the Domaine de Chevalier 2023 (red) price of around £550 (12x75cl IB) as ‘sensible’, noting, ‘This estate delivers second growth quality without the hefty price tag.’

However, Liv-ex said, ‘At this price, today’s release is one of the most expensive vintages available on the market.’ Its data suggested the 2023 vintage was similar in price to the 2016 wine (96pts, Decanter).

Decanter’s Panos Kakaviatos, who co-tasted hundreds of Bordeaux en primeur wines alongside Georgie Hindle, rated the Domaine de Chevalier 2023 en primeur wine at 95 points.

‘A serious Domaine de Chevalier red that needs at least five years of cellaring to fully reward you,’ wrote Kakaviatos.

Ets. J-P Moueix wines

UK merchant Corney & Barrow announced the release of the Ets. Jean-Pierre Moueix stable of wines at the beginning of this week, including top Right Bank names La Fleur-Pétrus, Bélair-Monange and Latour à Pomerol – among others.

Commenting on the early level of customer demand, Will Hargrove, head of fine wine at Corney & Barrow, told Decanter, ‘The Moueix wines have been well received. Not only because of the quality of the wines (most importantly) but because they have listened to the market on price.

Bélair-Monange 2023

‘It is difficult to ignore the enthusiasm that exists for Bélair-Monange and of course La Fleur-Pétrus, but there is also strong demand across the wines – Latour a Pomerol is as much an insiders wine as ever.’

Corney & Barrow offered Château Bélair-Monange 2023 at £590 per six-bottle case (IB), or £600 for a case of three magnums (3x150cl IB). 

St-Emilion’s Bélair-Monange is one of the best wines of the Bordeaux 2023 vintage, according to Decanter’s Hindle, who gave the still-in-barrel wine 98 points after tasting it en primeur.  

‘A fabulous showing for Bélair this year,’ Hindle wrote. ‘Delicious, minty, racy and chiselled; lots of power but so well balanced, charming and sophisticated.’

A 98-point rating puts the 2023 wine level with Bélair-Monange 2022 in terms of pure quality, but slightly below Bélair-Monange 2019 and 2020, which have seen been scored 99 points in-bottle.

Analyst and consultancy group Wine Lister said the price per 75cl bottle was around 31% lower than the 2022-vintage release last year, and 13% down on the 2021-vintage debut, as well as 6% cheaper than Bélair-Monange 2019.

La Fleur-Pétrus 2023

Château La Fleur-Pétrus 2023 has been among the other major releases of recent days. It was released at the equivalent of £1,500 (12x75cl IB), which Liv-ex said was down by nearly 34% on the debut price of the 2022 vintage.

Decanter’s Hindle rated the 2023 vintage at 96 points after tasting it en primeur, below the 98-point La Fleur-Pétrus 2022. ‘Lots of drinkability and charm on offer in equal measure,’ she said of the 2023 wine. ’It has power with a cherry chocolate core, minerality and lots of cool menthol elements.’

Wine Lister said, ‘The 2023 enters the market below all vintages going back to 2014. With small quantities available as per usual, this discount will no doubt help the latest release find demand amongst its loyal followers (and beyond).’ 

Other releases

Other releases in recent days have included Château Gazin 2023 at £582 (12x75cl IB). Its ex-négociant price was €48 per bottle, down around 27% year-on-year, although Liv-ex note that the 2019 and 2020 vintages could be interesting options for buyers looking at the estate’s back catalogue.

In Sauternes, Suduiraut 2023 was released en primeur on 17 May at around £519 (12x75cl IB). It was €43.40 per bottle ex-négociant, down 10% on the 2022-vintage release, but it was still one of the most expensive Suduiraut vintages on the market, showed Liv-ex data. 

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All Bordeaux 2023 coverage:

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Appellation analysis

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Pauillac: The best wines showed an extra level of rare opulence

Average yield: 47.1hl/ha

Variance from 2022: +36%

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top Pauillac en primeur 2023 wines

Vintage overview

The very first tasting we did for the en primeurs this year was at Château Duhart Milon with Saskia Rothschild, CEO of Domaines Barons de Rothschild and winemaking director Eric Kohler, where we also tasted the Château Lafite Rothschild stable of wines.

In addition to recounting the challenges of mildew in June, Kohler explained that the heat waves in late August and early September proved beneficial to concentrating the grapes, without which the wines ‘would have been too light’.

This proves a fascinating contrast with Château Margaux, further south, where the heat waves led to some sunburnt grapes that needed to be sorted out from the harvest.

Another key factor for Pauillac proved to be harvest times regarding rainfall on 21 September. Estates that picked their Cabernets before the rain risked having somewhat harder tannins, but the rule was not hard and fast as Lafite Rothschild picked ripe Cabernets between 18-20 September and crafted one of the very best wines of the vintage.

But Château Mouton Rothschild had an even stronger showing. Only one-third of the harvest had been picked by 23 September, and the barrel sample exhibited a more sumptuous profile for the vintage, despite a blend with one of the highest ever percentages of Cabernet Sauvignon at 93% Cabernet Sauvignon.

There wasn’t so much of a missing ‘Merlot richness’ as at other estates, given a rather gentle tannic frame, but the wine exhibited concentration and tannin – the IPT being about 75 – with cool blueberry, graphite, ripe cassis and much depth.

Overall, Pauillac has a wide variety of styles, including a forebodingly powerful Château Lynch Bages, which showcased a whopping 95 IPT of tannin. One finds more balanced, linear efforts in a precision-focused Château Latour and a structured yet suave Château Pichon Baron.

The best estates however had an extra level of opulence that was rather rare in 2023, and they include Mouton Rothschild but also a wonderful Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, blending 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc.

Even though one almost wants a bit more Merlot richness, the wine exhibits classy lead pencil and crushed mint with subtle dark chocolate, long on the finish, elegant and with mid-palate grip and juiciness. The good news is that mid-range classified brands succeeded too, including fine performances from Château Batailley, Château Clerc-Milon, Château Duhart Milon, Château Haut-Bages Libéral and Château Pedesclaux, for example.

As in other parts of Bordeaux, sorting and more sorting proved essential. Helène Genin, technical director at Château Latour, explained how the estate used a triple-row sorting table for the first time ever to remove lesser grapes with the utmost care, whether mildew affected, sunburnt or underripe.

See the top-scoring Pauillac en primeur 2023 wines

Search all 500+ Bordeaux 2023 en primeur ratings published

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St-Julien: Between power and elegance

Average yield: 50.3hl/ha

Variance from 2022: +45%

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top St-Julien en primeur 2023 wines from

Vintage overview

As with the rest of the Médoc, the wines often had firmer-than-usual tannins, with Merlot not as qualitative for final blends.

St-Julien is the smallest of the top Médoc appellations, but with the highest proportion of classified to non-classified wines, and as such tends to perform well in most vintages, with 2023 no exception.

However, as with the rest of the Médoc, the wines often had firmer than usual tannins, with final blends lacking their usual proportion of Merlot. Château Beychevelle for example, had its highest proportion ever of Cabernet Sauvignon, according to the estate.

Some estates such as Château Branaire Ducru and Château Lagrange stressed especially gentle extractions to craft lighter than usual styles of St Julien, while others, like Château Beychevelle and Château Lévoille Las Cases, opted for a more powerful style.

Château Léoville Las Cases, which featured the lowest percentage ever of Merlot in the 2023 blend, succeeded especially in that style, resembling the linear finesse, precision and subtle power of its neighbour over the border in Pauillac, Château Latour.

Others walked a tight rope between power and elegance, some succeeding more than others, with Château Léoville Barton and Léoville Poyferré both performing well in that vein.

But an overall favourite – especially in terms of price/quality ratio – is Château Gruaud Larose, a stellar 2023 whose powerful yet supple palate is imbued with both black and red berry fruit and seashell and floral freshness: a top wine for the appellation.

See the top-scoring St-Julien en primeur 2023 wines

Search all 500+ Bordeaux 2023 en primeur ratings published

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This region was severely impacted by the frost in early 2021 with the lowest yields of the major appellations across Bordeaux. Quality is uneven but there are still some lovely wines that showcase ripe fruit, high acidities and lots of estate signature – usually exemplified by a wet stone, graphite minerality and clean, lean texture which is straight and not at all plush.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top Pessac & Graves 2021 in-bottle wines

Lower alcohols are common across the board as is an easy charm with some savoury accents adding to the fruit.

Smith Haut Lafitte, Haut Brion and Les Carmes Haut-Brion are excellent as is La Mission Haut Brion, Domaine de Chevalier and Malartic-Lagravière.

Many other wines are juicy and fragrant and will be suitable for early enjoyment.

Dry whites

Cooler years tend to produce great white wines in Bordeaux and 2021 was no exception with plenty of lively acidities, citrus fruit and lean textures on offer.

Some whites are still masked by oak and others have green fruit and lack some juiciness but the best fall into two categories – those that are slightly richer and more oily with hints of fatness and acidity and those that are razor sharp and direct. Both have their place for lovers of dry whites in Bordeaux so choose the producer style you like.

The whites from Smith Haut Lafitte, Haut-Brion and La Mission were very impressive as were those from Domaine de Chevalier, Couhins-Lurton, Malartic-Lagravière and Larrivet Haut Brion.

Outside of the Graves, Margaux’s Pavillon Blanc, Lafleur’s Les Champs Libres and Grand Village Blanc really wow.

BORDEAUX 2021 IN BOTTLE SCORE TABLE: Top-scoring 133 wines with 93 points or above

Individual appellation analysis and top-scoring wines

St-Estèphe 2021 | Pauillac 2021 | Margaux 2021 | St-Julien 2021| Pomerol 2021 | St-Emilion 2021 |

See tasting notes and scores for the top Pessac & Graves 2021 in-bottle wines

Wines are listed in score order white then red

See all Bordeaux 2021 in-bottle wines in score order

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Proximity to the Gironde estuary meant that adverse effects from frost were a little less damaging here than elsewhere, with a slightly higher yield in 2021 than 2020, but mildew still caused problems for the Merlot, with a reliance on strict selection, and Cabernet (Sauvignon and Franc) as in other appellations.

Yields were around 20-30% lower than previous years in some cases.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top St-Julien 2021 in-bottle wines

I absolutely love the Ducru-Beaucaillou and Léoville Las Cases in-bottle wines with both displaying invigorating acidity, nuance and detail with lots of terroir signatures on show – both were also quite calm and relaxed, not trying to show off which is what the best wines in 2021 have to offer.

Gruaud Larose, Léoville Barton, Branaire Ducru, Talbot and Beychevelle also performed well during the recent tastings – perhaps not to the same extent as in 2020 or 2022 with their essential natures just dialled down a touch, but all offer lovely, easy drinkability with lots of freshness and appeal.

BORDEAUX 2021 IN BOTTLE SCORE TABLE: Top-scoring 133 wines with 93 points or above

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St-Estèphe 2021 | Margaux 2021 | Pauillac 2021| Pomerol 2021 | Pessac & Graves 2021 | St-Emilion 2021 |

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A tale of two halves here in 2021 with some spectacular wines produced, but also winemakers having to contend with a barrage of problems.

Merlot in general suffered from frost and mildew, and rains in mid- and late-September meant some estates harvested quickly and before full phenolic ripeness.

Those who managed the stresses of the year well and waited until October to harvest, went on to produce some stellar Cabernet- dominant blends – many above 90% Cabernet – albeit with low yields, some at 15hl/ha.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top Pauillac 2021 in-bottle wines

Château Lafite Rothschild is an absolute standout, the general ethereal nature of their wine suiting the 2021 vintage with a roundness, intensity and sense of completeness with juicy acidity and lots of subtle power. It’s a wine that will last and last and will always offer enjoyment.

Latour and Mouton Rothschild are also incredibly impressive with more density, concentration and character. Both are still displaying really youthful flavours so will need a few years before opening but they will be brilliant.

Pichon Comtesse, Pichon Baron, Duhart Milon, Grand-Puy-Lacoste are also very impressive, producing structured wines with plenty of life and lift.

BORDEAUX 2021 IN BOTTLE SCORE TABLE: Top-scoring 133 wines with 93 points or above

Individual appellation analysis and top-scoring wines

St-Estèphe 2021 | Margaux 2021 | St-Julien 2021| Pomerol 2021 | Pessac & Graves 2021 | St-Emilion 2021 |

See tasting notes and scores for the top Pauillac 2021 in-bottle wines

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A relatively strong performance in 2021 with some great wines produced, particularly those on clay-limestone soils: clear terroir markers show through in the best.

Despite 15% less rain than in 2020, and September temperatures the highest in 100 years, yields were almost identical, with many estates having been spared the spring frosts. Some wines are now displaying quite austere tannins and rustic edges, but there are some highlights, too.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top St-Estèphe 2021 in-bottle wines

Château Montrose is a specific highlight from this appellation in 2021 with tension and direction, lots of focus and energy as well as concentration. They seem to manage the weather conditions and the ageing really well, producing a very ‘classic’ Bordeaux in the best sense.

Cos d’Estournel and Calon Ségur are also impressive as are some of the non-classified wines from the region including Phélan Ségur, de Pez and Meyney which should offer easy and early drinkability and relative value too.

The worst wines seem to amplify the rusticity that St-Estèphe sometimes offers with dry tannins, some green fruit and harsh finishes. Some wines will need time for the oakiness to wear off and some others should be drunk and enjoyed young.

BORDEAUX 2021 IN BOTTLE SCORE TABLE: Top-scoring 133 wines with 93 points or above

Individual appellation analysis and top-scoring wines

Pauillac 2021 | Margaux 2021 | St-Julien 2021| Pomerol 2021 | Pessac & Graves 2021 | St-Emilion 2021 | 

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The court ordered the Cordier group to pay Lacombe €202,072.30 (£172,774.85) in damages for buying the wine at below cost price. The Ginestet négociant was also hit with a €152,704.10 (£130,564.30) fine after the Bordeaux commercial court ruled in Lacombe’s favour.

‘When David knows he is smaller than Goliath, he can make himself bigger,’ said Lacombe after emerging victorious. ‘David can turn against Goliath when he trusts himself, is proud, respects himself and he has cojones.’

The Bordeaux court’s ruling represents the first judicial application of loi egalim since it was introduced in 2019. The law was introduced to protect French farmers and curb the pricing power enjoyed by large supermarkets and wholesalers. It followed nationwide protests by producers of vegetables, fruit, meat and dairy, who railed against promotions in supermarkets.

However, loi egalim can also be applied to négociants purchasing wine from producers in any French regions. Specifically, article 442-7 of the Commercial Code defines ‘the harm caused’ to producers if a wholesaler charges ‘an abusively low transfer price’.

Lacombe, who recently sold his Château Bessan-Ségur estate in Civrac-en-Médoc, said that it cost his company approximately €1,600 per barrel to produce the wine in question. The Cordier and Ginestet négociants purchased it for an average bulk price of €1,200 per barrel, 25% below the cost of production.

Lacombe argued that ‘low prices are destroying a region which is hampered by submissive and accepting people’. The court ruled in his favour this week, stating: ‘These price differences, noted for each of the defendants, characterise an abusively low price that they charged, without respecting the formalism imposed by law, to the Rémi Lacombe farming civil society for all of the disputed markets and that it will be appropriate that the latter be compensated for his damage.’

Négociants now fear that this landmark decision could open the floodgates, leading to a raft of similar cases across the country. Indeed, Lacombe hopes that other winemakers can ‘benefit from my audacity’, although he is braced for an appeal from the négociants.

One négociant told Vitisphere: ‘There is a risk of insecurity for any signed contract if we can return to a transaction two years later for the motivation of abusively low prices. This could block the entire market for agricultural raw materials.’

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An initial press conference on 9 November at Château Haut Brion, Pessac-Léognan Premier Grand Cru Classé, yielded news of ‘repositioning’ Bordeaux’s youngest appellation, Pessac-Léognan, with a new logo and publicity campaign that de-emphasises its link to the larger Graves region, while underscoring its Bordeaux city origins.

Pessac-Léognan: L’Esprit Bordeaux is meant to clearly communicate that Pessac-Léognan’s 70 châteaux with 1,880 hectares under vine ‘flank the outskirts’ of the Aquitaine capital, making ‘our wines quintessentially Bordeaux’ – so goes the text in a branded brochure that highlights the appellation’s soils and climate, its red and white wines, its family-owned wineries and its proximity to the city of Bordeaux.

Speaking at the conference, Jacques Lurton, president of the Pessac-Léognan wine association, explained that although the appellation was created in 1987, ‘it is developed on an ancient terroir where the first wines were cultivated 2,000 years ago, less than half an hour from Bordeaux city centre’.

‘The idea was to effectively define our strengths, and what we want to become, or where we want to go in the future,’ said Lurton during a second event at the end of November.

‘We wanted a new logo first, and then a new tagline,’ which was put forward by branding consultant Pascal Beucler and inspired from answers given during a survey of wine industry professionals.

‘The idea is that we are an urban appellation within the city of Bordeaux so we have to look towards, and associate, it with our communication’ said Lurton. ‘We are proud of the connection and we want to bring the spirit that links us to the fore,’ he added.

‘It was something quite strong for us to choose this, but we chose it together. It’s important for us to support Bordeaux too’, said Severine Bonnie of Château Malartic Lagravière.

‘We have done many things over the last four decades,’ said Domaine de Chevalier owner and winemaker Olivier Bernard, ‘and now it’s time to take the next step.’

The campaign is less about new initiatives but rather recognises work achieved over the last 35 years, said Beucler. Using a French play on words: Après le faire, c’est le faire savoir, he said.

In the past three decades Pessac-Léognan has pursued a dynamic promotional policy including hosting open house weekends in December and June for 25 years, organising wine tastings in major European cities and around key dates such as the Avant-Première des Primeurs evening in April. There is also the Pessac-Léognan trophy for sommelier students as well as ongoing research with the ISVV and Bordeaux wine schools.

The new bi-lingual English and French brochure is ‘like a manifesto of what we are today and what we’d like to be tomorrow,’ said Bonnie who was part of the committee agreeing the new guidelines.

While the group admits; ‘it’s not a revolution’ – they affirm it’s more an ‘evolution’ while emphasising the production of classified Bordeaux red and white wines as ‘unique’.

Pessac-Léognan counts 14 classified growths from the Graves appellation of 1953 in 10 communes from the northern part of that region, but Graves has become associated with lesser quality further south. As Ben Giliberti, wine educator for importer Calvert Woodley in Washington D.C., put it: ‘The vast majority of classified growth buyers now recognise the importance of the Pessac-Léognan designation’ as opposed to what he calls ‘the swill that’s made in the rest of the Graves’.

Pessac-Léognan has more stringent rules for vineyard planting density and yields and its estates are more innovative for organic and biodynamic winemaking.

Muting the link to Graves reflects a practice that consumers may not have noticed in recent years. Most of the 14 classified estates, including eight for white wine, have removed references to Graves. The front label of the 2010 vintage of Château Malartic Lagravière, for example, indicates ‘Grand Cru Classé de Graves’. But the 2020 label only shows ‘Grand Cru Classé’ with the appellation designation of Pessac-Léognan.

‘It’s a bit of an emancipation’ – un affranchissement – from the Graves origins, since the classification was set before the creation of Pessac-Léognan, said Lurton. Those keeping the Graves reference now wonder whether they should also remove it. ‘With this initiative, we may consider cutting the umbilical cord (to Graves) by also removing the specific reference, but it must be done with the consent of the entire family at the château,’ added Edouard Kressmann of the classified Château Latour Martillac.

Branding consultant Beucler draws a parallel with another famous Bordeaux region, saying that Château Latour does not advertise so much the Médoc – even if it’s a classified First Growth from the 1855 classification bearing the Médoc name – but rather as Pauillac, the more specific appellation within the region. Industry observers like Giliberti agreed: ‘Replacing Cru Classé de Graves with just Cru Classé makes sense to me as they are all Pessac-Léognan anyway.’

‘We are coming from the Graves, but where others focus solely on their appellations, we are doing the same,’ said Bernard. ‘Pessac is born in the Graves, today we are still part of it, but our communication is not to be as close as we’ve been in the past. It’s not to forget the Graves but Pessac-Léognan has its own story,’ he added.

As for the Crus Classés they are ‘happy to have a strong base’ and to benefit from the new branding, said Bonnie.

The new logo will be mainly used for social media and promotional purposes but may be added to wine labels – front or back. It will be up to châteaux owners to decide.

It is not clear how important this initiative is for end consumers – strong brands like Haut Brion, Haut Bailly, Domaine de Chevalier and Smith Haut Lafitte sell well whatever logo or appellation identity but the group hopes to strengthen the ties between the appellation and Bordeaux city as its ‘strongest supporter’.

‘We all share the same idea and the same goal – that’s not so easy but we’re all working together’ to continue to improve among other things; the quality of the wines, the tourism efforts and the overall image of Pessac-Léognan.

‘We have the only vineyard in Bordeaux you can reach by tram, and others by bike’, said Lurton and there are plans underway to develop wine routes by boat.

‘Now is the right time to make a new step,’ Bernard concluded.

Additional reporting by Georgie Hindle.

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March was a starry month for Bordeaux’s Pessac-Léognan, but most wine lovers didn’t even realise it. Backstage at the glamorous 95th Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood, nominees and winners sipped La Clarté de Haut-Brion, a white wine made by first growth Château Haut-Brion in Pessac-Léognan. Yet few wine lovers outside France know that appellation name, or that in 1987 it was carved from the northern part of the wider Graves region south of Bordeaux.

Wildly energetic Jacques Lurton, who became the president of the Syndicat de Pessac-Léognan last year, aims for global awareness. He says: ‘I want to shake the tree. Pessac-Léognan should be one of the best-known names in Bordeaux, like Margaux in the Médoc and St-Emilion on the Right Bank. Our identity is our wines’ high quality. Our style is elegance and balance, not excess.’

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores of 12 top Pessac-Léognan wines

You could argue it’s the most dynamic wine spot in Bordeaux.

A recently opened cellar is the region’s ultimate in eco-consciousness. Winemakers are experimenting with new grapes and wines. A vibrant tourism scene includes Bordeaux’s first ‘forest bathing’ tasting, and much more.

Lurton likes to talk about the future, but Pessac also has a long, illustrious wine history, and for centuries was more important than the Médoc. The warm local climate, partly shaped by the pine forests sheltering vines from wind and humidity, and a range of terroirs make it special for both reds and whites. Yet it was only Château Haut-Brion in this region that was classified in the 1855 classification. The Crus Classés de Graves, a group of 16 top châteaux, wasn’t created until 1953. All are in Pessac-Léognan.

Lurton’s father André, who died in 2019, fought to establish the appellation. Now, after spending 20 years making wine all over the globe before returning to his Bordeaux roots to run Vignobles André Lurton, Jacques Lurton is presiding over an appellation in the throes of change. Here’s what’s new.

The ultimate eco-cellar

Nothing symbolises today’s environmental era in Pessac-Léognan better than the gorgeous innovative chai at Château Haut-Bailly, which opened to visitors in 2021. Grand architectural-statement cellars dot Bordeaux, but Haut-Bailly’s looks like a tree- and shrub-covered hillock that blends into, rather than dominates, the landscape.

It’s constructed in the shape of a circle, the best way, says managing director Véronique Sanders, to match a building with the land. Two-thirds is underground; a curved window like an eye lets in natural light. Above the domed ceiling a roof garden, with dogwood, pine trees, plants and grasses able to survive without extra watering, keeps the cellar temperature stable. The Jardin du chai won a silver medal at the Victoires du Paysage 2022, a national competition that rewards the most beautiful landscaping of the year.

‘It’s also a cellar for tomorrow, able to cope with climate change,’ explains Sanders. Like the appellation’s other recently opened cellars, at Châteaux Latour-Martillac and La Garde, it’s designed for precision winemaking with small vats, to save energy, and to conserve water and recycle waste.

Wine discoveries

The region’s white wines typically feature Sauvignon Blanc solo or blended with fuller-bodied Semillon, and sometimes Sauvignon Gris or Muscadelle. But there’s a new fascination with Semillon, which requires warmer temperatures so is well suited to a changing climate.

At Château Latour-Martillac, Semillon is the historical variety, with many different clones preserved in the property’s oldest plot. The Kressmann family spent more than a decade identifying the best three for a tiny parcel, whose grapes first went into the 2014 vintage.

Lurton is also a fan, for Semillon’s ability to age, and for its Bordeaux origins. He’s started planting Semillon at his Châteaux La Louvière and Rochemorin and launched a varietal example under his new brand Diane.

Pessac-Léognan reds are generally blends of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc or Petit Verdot, but Château La Garde, owned by Maison Dourthe, has launched a new Mosaic line of single-varietal wines from single terroirs, available to buy at the property. The numerous vats in its brand-new cellar enable the separate vinification of grapes from its vineyard’s 27 soil types. And in its new tasting room, you can purchase a collector box of six of those wines with art labels: Merlot on gravels, Merlot on limestone, Merlot on clay, Merlot on clay and limestone, Cabernet Sauvignon on deep gravels, and Cabernet Sauvignon on gravel and clay.

As in other parts of Bordeaux, châteaux are ageing some wines in clay amphorae. At La Garde, global brand director Valentin Jestin says using them for the new varietal line ensures that the purity of the fruit will reveal the true character of the terroir.

The ever-innovative Lurton, too, is playing around with terroir and amphorae at Château Couhins-Lurton with two new wines called Acte II. For the white (100% Sauvignon Blanc), he selects clay and gravel plots whose characteristics are different from those used for the grand vin, and ferments and ages it mostly in horizontal sandstone amphorae, using 70% amphora and 30% barrel. The Château Couhins-Lurton regular white reverses the percentages.

The new tourism

The first time I visited Château La Mission Haut-Brion’s famous vineyard, I was taken aback by how urban it was: streets, houses, schools and city buildings surrounded it. But as wine tourism booms, Pessac-Léognan is pushing its proximity to downtown Bordeaux as a plus that offers city visitors easy access to nature.

Wine lovers can hop on a tram or bus, ride a few stops, and be a short walk from Châteaux Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Pape Clément and several others with gorgeous gardens and vineyards to stroll in. At Pape Clément, you can (since 2017) purchase olive oil from the estate’s thousand-year-old olive trees.

One of the most intriguing new nature and wine experiences is Château Olivier’s Bain de Forêt, or forest bathing. Inspired by Japanese sylvotherapy, the estate initiated it last year, with the aim of helping visitors discover the château’s vast park of century-old trees. Jean Clauzel, the château’s head of oenotourism, says: ‘The immersion is walking and soaking up the forest as far as the eye can see to experience a real moment of escape.’ The guided tours include feeling tree bark and walking without shoes, and culminate in a tasting of the château’s white wine.

Starting this spring, Châteaux Carbonnieux and Larrivet Haut-Brion have joined La Bulle Verte low-carbon wine road, which is an itinerary for tastings, lunches and outdoor picnics that you can explore on foot or with electric bikes or scooters.

Almost all of the region’s 75 châteaux are family-owned, and today’s innovative tourism culture owes a lot to the new generation. At Château Larrivet Haut-Brion, the three daughters in the Gervoson family are behind a series of unusual projects, including a collection of painted concrete eggs, a chance to create your own wine blend, escape games in the cellar and, this summer, Saturday morning yoga.

The first in modern Pessac-Léognan to understand the importance of wine tourism was the Cathiard family of Château Smith Haut Lafitte, whose luxury hotel Les Sources de Caudalie has just been completely refurbished. They have also launched a label in the Napa Valley, earlier this year.

The newest luxury place to stay, though, is Château Léognan, which opens this summer with glamorous rooms in the château, tower and renovated stables, featuring views of surrounding pine forests, and unique cabins and treehouses in the heart of the woods.

Collector appeal

Château Haut-Brion has always been the star of the appellation, and owner Prince Robert of Luxembourg has been upping its presence around the world for a decade. Now he’s opened Le Pavillon Catelan, a super-elegant visitor centre with 19th-century decor between Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion. The vaulted cellar with its own patio is a grand wine boutique where collectors can purchase rare verticals.

Naturally, a couple of estates offer NFTs (non-fungible tokens). Château Pape Clément, Bordeaux’s oldest wine estate, instituted an NFT club last year to celebrate 770 vintages, from 1252 to 2022. The membership card entitles the buyer to a specially labelled bottle of the great 2016 vintage, a numbered digital artwork and VIP experiences.

And at the beginning of Bordeaux en primeur week in April [first tastings of the new 2022 vintage], Château Malartic-Lagravière launched NFTs linked to engraved and numbered magnums of its 2022 vintage. The estate, owned by the Bonnie family, became the first Bordeaux château to partner with new, exclusive and very expensive private wine society the Osiris Club. Members spend a day blending their own red with the winemaker, touring the cellar and eating lunch at the château.

Climate change and sustainability

Lurton, like other château owners, feels the most important challenge for Pessac-Léognan is finding ways to fight climate change. The eco-pioneer is Château Smith Haut Lafitte, which has long farmed organically (officially certified in 2019) and biodynamically, and boasts a ‘stealth winery’ (Chai Furtif – dedicated to the estate’s young vines) which houses the world’s first system to recycle CO2 from fermentation. This year the Cathiards have added the first llamas to munch grass between the vines.

Organic vineyards are increasing; others moving that way include Château de Fieuzal and Domaine de Chevalier.

Non-traditional grape varieties are also on the rise, with adaptation to a changing climate in mind. At Pape Clément, drones now measure water stress and vine health, while robots routinely weed vineyards.

But the key centre for research in Pessac-Léognan is cru classé Château Couhins, owned by a research institute. INRA, the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, acquired it in 1968 as an experimental site. It developed a ‘GreenSeeker’ sensor to assess and map vines’ vigour plant by plant. They’re studying ways rootstocks and varieties interact and testing 52 grapes’ adaptation to climate change. So far, says château director Dominique Forget, whites that show promise include Petite Arvine, Roussanne, Chenin Blanc and even Assyrtiko.

For Pessac-Léognan, the future looks bright.

Defining a region: McCoy’s pick of 12 from Pessac-Léognan

Wines are listed in colour order, white then red, by score

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When was the last time you opened a bottle of sweet Sauternes? Perhaps Christmas, or maybe with some cheese at a dinner party? Have you one in the fridge, ready to enjoy as and when the weather warms? I hope the answer’s yes, but the likelihood is it’s not.

As consumer tastes and preferences shift towards drier and lighter wines at lower alcohol levels and less sweetness, in recent years, bottles of Sauternes have unfortunately been relegated to the confines of dusty cellars or (wrongly, in my opinion) opened solely at the end of meals. But, as the saying goes, ‘necessity is the mother of invention’, and Sauternes producers are now finding opportunities for diversification and market demand for their growing number of terroir-influenced dry white styles.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 18 dry white wines from Sauternes to seek out

While sweet wines will inevitably (and should) remain the focus in Sauternes, there’s a strong case for dry whites, too: world-class winemaking know-how and facilities, heavy investment in top-quality grape production resulting in large quantities of beautiful old-vine Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, and terroirs that are perfect to show both freshness and power. ‘They also have ageing potential, which puts them in the category of fine wines,’ say Jean-Jacques Dubourdieu and David Bolzan, co-directors of the appellation’s management body.

‘Other sweet wine-producing areas – Jurançon, Vouvray and Germany – all produce dry whites, so why shouldn’t Sauternes?’ asks ex-négociant and long-term proponent of Sauternes, Bill Blatch. ‘Historically that was the case, and the beauty is that it’s adaptable.’

Dry Sauternes whites are made using the same grapes allowed in the production of sweet wines but picked before, or in the absence of, the onset of botrytis (noble rot, the fungus that concentrates grape sugars and flavours in the fruit, resulting in the traditionally luscious, rich and complex sugary styles) and then fermented to dryness.

Wine of the times

The dry whites are typically blends, as the sweet wines are, often with a majority of Semillon, the most widely planted grape (80%) in the Sauternes region, known for its full-bodied texture, low acidity and honeyed flavours. Sauvignon Blanc is added for its high acidity as well as herbaceous aromas and citrus and orchard fruit flavours. The grapes are complementary, creating a balanced wine with freshness, complexity and body, as well as ageing potential.

There are exceptions in the dry wines, however, with single-varietal bottlings made from Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Small amounts of Sauvignon Gris and Muscadelle can also be used to add aromas of stone fruit and spice, as well as extra florality.

Harvesting early (as soon as mid-August) ensures the grapes retain higher levels of acidity and lower levels of sugar, resulting in wines that are crisp and refreshing, with lower alcohols than their sweet cousins. Early picking for dry whites also ensures the producers of a harvest, meaning they can offset the risk of a season in which the onset of botrytis (for the production of sweet wines) isn’t wholly successful – something which is beginning to happen more often with climate change and increasingly unpredictable weather.

Where the grapes for dry whites come from and what the viticultural practices are can vary. Some pick early from the same vines used to make sweet – such as Châteaux Climens, Coutet and Sigalas-Rabaud – while others plant vineyards specifically for dry whites.

See a selection of more recently tasted dry white wines from Sauternes, including 2o from the 2022 en primeur spring tastings

Estate identity

In his Clos des Lunes range, Olivier Bernard, owner of Domaine de Chevalier and Château Lespault-Martillac in Pessac-Léognan, produces three dry whites based on different blends, ageing methods and soil types. The grapes are sourced from vineyards not suitable for Sauternes production and grown in the same way as Bordeaux’s white wine-producing areas of Entre-deux-Mers, Pessac and Graves.

Having a dedicated vineyard for dry whites is easier to control and less labour-intensive to harvest, while picking earlier effectively reduces the potential quantity of grapes that could go towards making a sweet wine. Both approaches carry different commercial and stylistic implications, though generally fermentation and ageing is carried out in barrels or wooden vats, with some estates wanting the signature of and connection between their sweet and dry wines, even favouring a touch of botrytis and residual sugar (as at premier cru supérieur Château d’Yquem) or opting to enhance certain terroir expressions of minerality and salinity (first growth Château Rieussec).

Pockets of limestone, favourable for growing Sauvignon Blanc, can be found across the Sauternes region, along with areas of deep gravel and gravel over clay, as well as limestone and alluvial deposits left by the nearby Garonne river, all adding to the rich tapestry of potential terroir expressions to be had.

Leading by example

Dry white production is not an entirely new phenomenon, with a few estates ahead of the curve. Second growth Château Doisy Daëne released its first bottle of dry white wine in 1949, followed in 1959 by Yquem with Y d’Yquem (‘Ygrec’ in French). However, the wider move to high-quality dry white production since 2000 is thanks to the late Denis Dubourdieu, a leading winemaker-consultant and champion of dry white wines in Bordeaux.

For Christian Seely, managing director of AXA Millésimes, which owns the first growth Château Suduiraut, economics is one of many motivators. ‘The sweet wines have never been as great as they are today; technically speaking everyone is performing extremely well,’ he begins. ‘The commercial reality however is that, though there is a core of a fairly small number of enthusiastic consumers around the world, the demand for great sweet wines is less than we’d like it to be, and less than it has been, so it’s logical to adapt.’

Alongside technical director Pierre Montégut, Seely made the estate’s first dry white, called S de Suduiraut, in 2004. ‘We believed in the potential of our premier cru terroir to make a serious dry white wine,’ Seely adds – the wine is based on terroir-sensitive Semillon, which comprises 90% of the Suduiraut plantings.

Since then, the pair have been honing their dry white offering. In 2020, they launched two wines: Vieilles Vignes Grand Vin Blanc Sec, replacing S de Suduiraut, made with grapes from the estate’s oldest and best vines usually reserved for the sweet grand vin; and Pur Sémillon, a small-production varietal wine showcasing the estate’s signature grape. ‘Our underlying strategic plan is that, in 10 years, Château Suduiraut will be known as a great property with two grands vins: sweet and dry,’ Seely says. ‘It’s in no way an abandonment of making the best sweet wine that we can, but the aim is to make two great wines from one great property.’

Increasing the production of dry whites would inescapably mean sacrificing the amount of sweet wine, but according to Seely that isn’t necessarily negative. ‘If Sauternes has a problem, it’s that we’ve had a succession of great years – there’s a lot of good Sauternes around,’ he argues. ‘If the leading properties reduce the amount of great sweet wine they make, but maintain at least the quality of today, and make a great dry white too, I think it will make economic sense for the region. The wines are thrilling, so for consumers we’re giving two aspects of what Sauternes can do.’

At Château d’Yquem, the idea is similar. ‘It’s not simply to make another wine,’ says estate manager Lorenzo Pasquini; ‘it’s to give another version of the terroir and carry the link and signature of Yquem, while expressing the vintage as graciously as possible’. While botrytis is the ‘miracle’ and remains the focus, Pasquini calls the dry white production ‘a philosophical exercise that serves the cause of Yquem’.

Positive moves

Questions over the possibility of a ‘Sauternes Sec’ designation – to move the wines away from their current labelling as Bordeaux Blanc, and stop them being compared with those other wines and priced as such – have mostly been dismissed, not least because there’s not widespread support for it, but also a lack of consensus as to what it may entail. ‘There are other elements to focus on before considering developing a new appellation,’ says Jean-Marc Dulong, director of Crus et Domaines, the fine wine entity of Les Grands Chais de France. It markets the 22 properties of the Helfrich family, including Château Bastor-Lamontagne in Sauternes, which carries styles under its name from the dry B de Bastor and Confidence wines to sweet grand vin and less-concentrated, more easy-drinking SO.

‘We have to revitalise the customer base and that’s not going to happen just by swapping names on a label,’ says Dulong. ‘Sauternes is well known, but Bordeaux is the main category, and Bordeaux dry whites already have a good image. The development of a dry white is a good idea commercially. We have to attract people in different ways and each château has its way.

‘As long as the final target is the same, then it’s possible, and there’s no doubt of the renewed interest in the region and more inclination to work together, which is a positive sign for everybody.’

Renewing a region

Sweet winemaking is a labour of love and one that doesn’t always pay off, yet it must be protected. ‘It took centuries of knowhow to reach the level of exceptional sweet wines that we have today,’ say Dubourdieu and Bolzan. ‘Prices for generic Sauternes haven’t been so high for 23 years and stocks never so low, but there is still so much to do to make the wines known to as many people as possible.’ Dry whites from Sauternes can be a wondrous vehicle for this, putting this dynamic region back into the spotlight and bringing characterful, refreshing, versatile and site-specific expressions into homes and restaurants.

Due to the limited production in Sauternes – the vineyards cover only 2,200ha, according to the appellation body, with 150ha reserved for dry whites – these ‘Sauternes Secs’ are rarities. Demand is still relatively niche but growing, with collectors and enthusiasts enamoured by the complexity, quality and distinctiveness of this renowned winemaking region.

Taste of the future: 18 dry Sauternes whites to try

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Just ahead of the April barrel tastings for the 2022 vintage in Bordeaux, I visited Château Phélan Ségur in St-Estèphe. The estate has been working since 2020 to ensure that only indigenous yeasts are used to ferment each parcel of vines harvested. The team reported promising results, as those yeasts have made the wine brighter.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for St-Estèphe selection of wines

Phélan Ségur is one of many quality-minded châteaux from the northernmost of the Médoc’s prestige appellations, which sometimes seems cast in the shade, partly because it does not have as many famous ‘brands’ as other regions, partly because it is the furthest drive away from Bordeaux city. But St-Estèphe is imbued with a sense of solidarity. I was told during my visit that the châteaux have agreed to work with special balloons that diffuse calcium chloride and sodium chloride in storm cells, which could limit conditions for hail formation. In June last year, hail ripped through vineyards in St-Estèphe, prompting this team effort.

Getting to St-Estèphe may take a bit more time, but it is worth making the effort. One can start with its three most celebrated estates. Driving north from Pauillac along the Médoc’s D2 Route du Vin, the wonderful sight of the exotic sandstone pagodas of Château Cos d’Estournel greets you, perched 20m up across from Pauillac first growth Château Lafite Rothschild. The unique architecture – inspired by trips to Asia by founder Louis Gaspard d’Estournel in the 18th-19th centuries – is matched by impressive wine, rated ‘second growth’ in the enduring 1855 Médoc Classification. Often sumptuous, the wine can match first growth quality. The estate has leapfrogged to new heights via intricate soil studies, and increased harvesting and vat room precision under the ownership of entrepreneur and hospitality supremo Michel Reybier since 2000.

St-Estèphe boasts another wine that matches first growth quality: Château Montrose. Rather than using the D2, you can head north out of Pauillac along the Boulevard Maritime, adjacent to the Gironde estuary, and this will permit you to admire its impressive sloping vineyards overlooking the charming stilted fishing huts known as carrelets along the riverbank. Vineyards that ‘see the river’ benefit from a microclimate that can better prevent spring frost or freshen summer heat. Along with great terroir – the vineyard resembles the famous ‘clos’ of Château Latour in Pauillac – Château Montrose has upped its game via cellar renovations and greater harvesting and winemaking precision since Martin and Olivier Bouygues acquired it in 2006. Pierre Graffeuille, who proved his talent previously at Château Léoville Las Cases in St-Julien, was named director in 2022.

The excellent third growth Château Calon Ségur, in the north of the appellation, is another star, especially since planting density has increased over the last 15 years. More Cabernet Sauvignon in recent blends makes for superb structure, power and refinement (the heart on the label makes for ideal romantic dinners).

St-Estèphe at a glance

Appellation Created in 1936

Soils Varied, from clay, sand and limestone to gravel. Cooler clay soils have assumed greater importance for climate change

Producers 62 estates (only five officially classified under the 1855 ranking, but numerous excellent non-classified wines); plus 17 cooperative wine-growers

Area planted 1,180ha under vine – third largest after Margaux and Pauillac of the Médoc’s six communal appellations

Yields Maximum 57hl/ha (although averages at 45hl/ha – in 2020 it was 41hl/ha)

Grapes planted 49.35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43.2% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3.2% Petit Verdot, 0.25% Côt (Malbec) & Carmenère

Beyond the big names

Outside these famous brands, St-Estèphe seems overshadowed by the other three main communes further south: Pauillac, St-Julien and Margaux. It has the fewest 1855 classified growths – just five when you add fourth growth Château Lafon-Rochet and fifth growth Château Cos Labory. The smaller St-Julien boasts 11.

For too long, St-Estèphe wines have been known as merely sturdy and powerful. Nicolas Glumineau of Château de Pez and Claire Ridley of Château Le Crock talk of high acidity levels from colder soils that can accentuate tannins in their wines compared with wines further south. But these and other St-Estèphe estates have become smoother and more nuanced. While that can be explained partly by innovation at estates such as Phélan Ségur, another reason is better tannin extraction. And climate change.

Château Haut-Marbuzet owner Henri Duboscq says that wines over the last 10 years have ‘benefited’ from global warming. Colder soils in previous years often meant inadequate ripening, but cold water-retaining clays common to the appellation have become a virtue: ‘They better resist [the] increasing heatwaves in recent years,’ he says.

Bernard Audoy, former co-owner until its March sale (see ‘estates to watch’ below) of Château Cos Labory, recalls: ‘St-Estèphe wines were hard and acidic, because we harvested too early – and grapes were not completely ripe.’ But more recently, ‘warming allows for very ripe Cabernet Sauvignons, which have the same alcoholic degree as the Merlots.’

Extra acidity? Again, a virtue, lending freshness to wines from ‘solar’ vintages – with wines marked by the heat of the summer – such as 2015, 2018 and 2019. So dry was 2022 that the Pessac-Léognan, Pomerol and St-Emilion regions were allowed to irrigate, but not St-Estèphe. Véronique Dausse, managing director at Château Phélan Ségur, remarks: ‘Having spent 15 days of August 2022 in the Médoc, and despite a significant water deficit in the spring, I attest to the ability of our vineyard to overcome a summer heatwave.’

Readers should note that the hot summer of 2022 was the driest recorded so far this century – this could be good news for the vineyards in St-Estèphe which are normally cooler. The deeply coloured wines, packed with dark berry aromas and floral and spicy notes, should count among the most striking of the vintage as tasted from barrel. If you’re visiting, whoever the owner, be sure to ask for a sample of the 2022 vintage.

Travel: Enjoy a St-Estèphe tour

Take advantage of wine tourism developing in the appellation. Michel Reybier of nearby Château Cos d’Estournel opened La Maison d’Estournel in 2019. Surrounded by vines and century-old trees, the 14-room property has an 18m-long swimming pool. After a dip, enjoy lunch on the terrace of the hotel restaurant, a Travellers’ Choice 2022 winner on Tripadvisor.

You can stay at the gorgeous 18th-century home adjacent to the Château Ormes de Pez cellars, close to the village of St-Estèphe, or at Château Laffitte Carcasset, another historic estate first referenced in 1759: both feature outdoor pools to escape the summer heat. Château Phélan Ségur offers lunches in the château salons, stressing the link between wine and gastronomy.

Be sure to make reservations before you visit any of the châteaux. In July and August, take advantage of free tastings on Wednesdays 2pm-6pm, when vintners welcome visitors at St-Estèphe’s Maison du Vin in town by the church of St-Etienne. Call the reception team for more tips. saint-estephe.fr

A word on whites

As elsewhere in Médoc, some St-Estèphe estates produce dry white wines. ‘We are rediscovering that the Médoc is a great white wine terroir, yielding freshness and tension,’ notes Pierre Maussire of cru bourgeois supérieur Château Laffitte Carcasset, who in 2020 planted Chardonnay on calcareous plots, with the first harvest scheduled for this year. Since 2011, one hectare at Château Tronquoy-Lalande has been used to craft its Blanc dry white that has many admirers (2018, £40 Lay & Wheeler). Château Cos d’Estournel has 17 years of experience with white wines. ‘We strongly believe in the potential of these terroirs to produce great whites,’ remarks technical director Dominique Arangoïts. A recent movement to create a separate Médoc Blanc appellation ‘deserves to be studied’, although he believes that in some cases a specific brand would outshine any new appellation.

St-Estèphe: know your vintages

2021 2.5 stars Complicated vintage with light to medium body.

2020 5 stars Solar vintage, but lower-than-expected alcohol levels make for truly classic wines.

2019 4.5 stars Solar vintage, high alcohol but balancing acidity translates into big wines with verve.

2018 4 stars Extravagant opulence makes the Médoc reflect California, but cooler St-Estèphe often has excellent balance.

2017 3 stars Solid, if somewhat unexciting.

2016 5 stars Benchmark vintage combining refined classicism, depth and freshness.

2015 4 stars Rich, savoury and sometimes ‘big’, but not as refined as 2016.

2014 4 stars Less rain here than in the southern Médoc resulted in a robust vintage with tannic finesse.

2013 1 star Weak vintage: drink up.

2012 3.5 stars Warm, inviting attack and full mid-palate, but lacks the length of a great vintage.

Raising the profile: St-Estèphe estates to watch

The St-Estèphe region includes delicious ‘non-classified’ wines of Bordeaux – and many bargains. The appellation’s gravel terroir runs to elevations up to 20m high, which enables Cabernet Sauvignon to shine bright at, for example, Château Beau-Site, where quality has improved in recent years but the price remains very friendly.

Consumers can find classified wine quality at Château Phélan Ségur, where selection of individual parcels has made the wine more precise in recent years, with fermentation tanks as small as 5hl used to match selected harvests, according to director Véronique Dausse. And if you visit the mighty Château Montrose, do not miss neighbour Château Meyney, which also has an impressive slope overlooking the Gironde estuary. Owner CA Grands Crus has invested in replacing fermentation vats to better reflect harvest selections.

With vines near both Phélan Ségur and Meyney, Château Capbern is better than ever, with more Cabernet Sauvignon in blends and more precise harvests. Still quite inexpensive – great news for consumers – the estate benefits from the direction of Vincent Millet, who crafts Château Calon Ségur.

St-Estèphe has witnessed important ownership changes involving classified growths, including the purchase earlier this year of Château Cos Labory from the Audoy family by Château Cos d’Estournel owner Michel Reybier, bringing together two major properties in St-Estèphe.

Cru bourgeois exceptionnel Château Lilian Ladouys benefited from the purchase in 2018 of 34ha of vines from Châteaux Clauzet and Tour de Pez, which increased the vineyard area to 80.5ha. The Lorenzetti family owners also acquired the impeccably run Château Lafon-Rochet in 2021 (previously owned by the Tesseron family). Each estate of the Lorenzetti family has its own dedicated team with Lafon-Rochet now run by Christophe Congé, previously at Château Lafite Rothschild (not Vincent Bache-Gabrielsen as the Bordeaux Guide 2023 incorrectly stated, who actually manages Château Pédescleaux, Pauillac fifth growth and also part of the Vignobles Cruze-Lorenzetti stable).

Quality & value: The St-Estèphe selection

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• Bordeaux 2022: Our en primeur verdict and top-scoring wines
• St-Estèphe 2020 in bottle: overview plus top-scoring wines
• Investment: will 2023 see a resurgence for Bordeaux?

Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2022

Average yield:

• Average yield for both Pessac & Graves was 35.7hl/ha in 2022, -7.3% relative to the 10-year average of 38.5hl/ha.
• Pessac-Léognan 2022 yield was 35.7hl/ha. Slightly higher than the 2021 yield of 33.2hl/ha which was a decrease of 3% from 2020.
• Graves 2022 yield was 41.1hl/ha – much higher than the 2021 yield of 23.7hl/ha which was a decrease of 38% from 2020.

Rainfall during the vintage in mm and % relative to the 10 year average

• Pre-budburst (Nov-March) 445mm (-8.4%)
• Véraison to harvest (August-October) 57.7mm (-50.7%).
• Total: 764.4mm (-14.6%)

What you find from the 2022 wines

Frost, fire, drought and the least amount of rain compared to other major appellations affected Pessac and Graves to various degrees in 2022.

It also had the hottest summer daytime temperatures that adding to the lowest winter rainfall presented extremely dry and hot conditions, so much so that irrigation of individual plants was exceptionally permitted.

Given the early onset of hydric stress some vines adopted straight away and coped extremely well by creating deep root systems and pacing themselves for the long journey ahead. The June storm saw almost 100mm fall across the region though onto arid soils which caused much to run off and a crucial dose more in August as well as cool nights helping preserve some freshness.

Expect to find some beautiful wines albeit many showing the stress of the vintage and more plush characters than some of the cooler neighbours.

Nevertheless, there are some sublime wines including a clear candidate for wine of the vintage at Château Les Carmes Haut Brion as well as lots of excellent value picks too – more so in reds but where the whites are crisp and crunchy they’re brilliant. See the top dry whites from 2022 here. 

See all 62 red Pessac-Leognan and Graves 2022 wines tasted en primeur

Top picks:

• Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion (98-100 points)
• Château Smith Haut Lafitte
• Château La Mission Haut-Brion
• Château Haut-Bailly
• Château Malartic-Lagravière
• Château Haut-Brion
• Château de Rouillac 
• Domaine de Chevalier
• Château Pape Clément
• Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte
• Château Brown
• Château La Louvière
• Château Couhins-Lurton
• Château Larrivet Haut Brion
• Château Bouscaut
  

See the top-scoring Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2022 en primeur wines

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St-Estèphe 2022

Average yield:

• Average yield 31.5hl/ha, -27.4% relative to the 10-year average of 43.4hl/ha.
• Yield in 2021 40.7hl/ha. A decrease of 3% from 2020.

Rainfall during the vintage in mm and % relative to the 10 year average:

• Pre-budburst (Nov-March) 415mm (-14.6%)
• Véraison to harvest (August-October) 74.4mm (-40.3%).
• Total: 889.3mm (-1.1%)

What you find from the 2021 wines

A hailstorm in June damaged between 30-80% of some vineyards in the north-eastern part of the appellation in what is known as the ‘hail corridor’. Localised impact was then followed by intense heat waves from May to September causing hydric stress and concentrated grapes as across the whole region. May specifically saw -76% rainfall in St-Estephe compared to the 30-year-average however the appellation ended up at just 1.1% under the 10 year average.

The vines were ahead of schedule at every step with the earliest ever harvests.

Limestone terroirs and clay-rich sub-soils combined with the moderating river as well as smart choices made by winemakers helped produce a range of excellent wines in 2022.

Low yields but high concentration and intensity of flavours yet still giving appellation typicity with wines representative of their place in terms of minerality and salinity.

See all 34 St-Estephe 2022 en primeur wines tasted

Top picks:

• Château Montrose
• Château Cos d’Estournel
• Château Calon Ségur
• Château Phélan Ségur
• Château Lafon-Rochet
• Château Clauzet
• Château Tronquoy
• Château Lilian Ladouys
• Château Le Crock
• Château de Pez
• Château Cos Labory
• Château Le Boscq
• Château Ormes de Pez 
  

See the top-scoring St-Estèphe 2022 en primeur wines

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 Sauternes & Barsac 2022

Average yield:

• Sauternes: 4hl/ha. A decrease of 71% from 2020.
• Barsac: 1.5hl/ha. A decrease of 86% from 2020.

What you find from the 2022 wines

Winemakers were tested in 2022 having to wait nervously for the onset of Botrytis after such a long hot and dry summer and only when crucial rain and wind arrived in the middle of October did the noble rot progress quickly.

Yields were much healthier than in 2021 and the resulting wines tend to be in one of two camps; intensely rich with high residual sugar or a little light and watery and lacking in acidity.

Some wines however manage the perfect combination of intensity, lusciousness and balancing acidity giving them such lovely, early drinking appeal.

See all 34 Sauternes and Barsac 2022 wines tasted en primeur

Top picks:

• Château Doisy-Daëne, l’Extravagant de Doisy-Daëne
• Château de Fargues
• Château Suduiraut
• Château Doisy-Vedrines
• Domaine de L’Alliance
• Château de Rayne Vigneau 
• Château Bastor-Lamontagne
• Château Doisy-Dubroca
• Château Guiraud
• Château Raymond-Lafon
• Château Coutet
• Clos Haut-Peyraguey
• Château Sigalas Rabaud
• Château Rieussec
• Château Doisy-Daëne 
  

See the top-scoring Sauternes & Barsac 2022 en primeur wines

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St-Julien 2022

Average yield:

• Average yield 34.3hl/ha, -14.5% relative to the 10-year average of 40.1hl/ha.
• Yield in 2021 35.2hl/ha, an increase of 2% from 2020.

Rainfall during the vintage in mm and % relative to the 10 year average:

• Pre-budburst (Nov-March) 364mm (-25.0%)
• Véraison to harvest (August-October) 61.3mm (-47.7%).
• Total: 780.2mm (-12.2%)

What you find from the 2022 wines

A raft of brilliant wines from St-Julien benefitting from the moderating effects of the river and the appellation’s homogenous gravel on clay and limestone soils helping to produce wines with elegance, finesse, purity, clarity and striking vibrancy.

Both Cabernet and Merlot were able to ripen fully, coping with the intense heatwaves and drought. Harvests were lower on average with small, concentrated berries giving high tannic indexes and deep, vivid colours in the glass. Some truly exceptional – and age worthy – wines worth looking out for.

Château Leoville Las Cases is a candidate for my Médoc wine of the vintage. It has also found favour among a high number of other critics and has been highlighted as the wine to have the most potential perfect scores in En Primeur history!

See all 29 St-Julien 2022 en primeur wines tasted

Top picks:

• Château Léoville-Las Cases
• Château Branaire-Ducru
• Château Gruaud-Larose
• Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
• Château Léoville Poyferré
• Château Léoville Barton
• Château Beychevelle
• Château Langoa Barton
• Château Lagrange
• Château Saint-Pierre
• Château Talbot 
  

See the top-scoring St-Julien 2022 en primeur wines

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Pauillac 2022

Average yield:

• Average yield 34.8hl/ha, -27.4% relative to the 10-year average of 39.7hl/ha.

Rainfall during the vintage in mm and % relative to the 10 year average:

• Pre-budburst (Nov-March) 364mm (-25.0%)
• Véraison to harvest (August-October) 61.3mm (-47.7%).
• Total: 780.2mm (-12.2%)

What you find from the 2022 wines

A remarkable year for Pauillac with some stunning wines from all across the appellation showing refined power, finesse, energy, seduction, complexity and strength. But there is equally a mixture of styles from wines that are graceful and juicy to those that are more tannic and plush.

Drought occurred early in the season like much of the left bank although Pauillac received crucial rainfall in both April and June helping top up moisture levels and reviving thirsty vines. The appellation’s deep gravel soils also helped cope in the extreme conditions.

Hot days and cool nights allowed the grapes to ripen slowly keeping freshness and acidity in the resulting wines. Grapes were small and concentrated with thick skins and almost all harvests were concluded by the end of September, unprecedentedly early.

Yields were low given the lack of rain with strict selection also reducing percentages of grand vin production.

Top picks:

• Château Mouton Rothschild (98-100 points)
• Château Lafite Rothschild
• Château Latour
• Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
• Château Pichon Baron
• Château Pontet-Canet
• Château Lynch-Bages
• Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste
• Château Duhart-Milon
• Château Haut-Batailley
• Château Haut-Bages Libéral
• Château d’Armailhac
• Château Clerc Milon
• Château Pédesclaux
  

See the top-scoring Pauillac 2022 en primeur wines

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