Chateau Le Crock
(Image credit: Bernard Choquet)
At a glance: Crus Bourgeois

The 2025 Cru Bourgeois classification includes 170 châteaux in Médoc, among them 14 Exceptionnel and 36 Supérieur, with a total vineyard area of 3,400 hectares, 21% of the total Médoc vineyard surface.

From the southern Château de Taillan, on the edge of the Bordeaux metropolitan area, to the northernmost Château Noaillac, the distance is about 70km – more than an hour’s drive.

In the hot and dry 2025 vintage, vineyards with clay or limestone subsoils had a better chance of avoiding hydric stress, which can shut down the vines, stop photosynthesis, and hinder tannin ripening, resulting in bitter, astringent wines.

Even the rain at the beginning of September did not help much in vineyards on very free-draining sandy or gravel soils, where water drained away quickly.

On clay soils, however, vines were able to retain more water, slightly increasing berry size, lowering concentration, and marginally improving yields, which are extremely low this year.

Some Cru Bourgeois estates harvested as little as 17hl/ha, a level that is not financially sustainable in the long term.

A question of quality

In terms of quality, some estates in St-Estèphe, where clay content is higher, performed particularly well.

With many partially shrivelled berries, strict sorting was key to success. As most Cru Bourgeois estates harvest by machine, much has depended on technical parameters and financial possibilities.

Given the already low yields, sorting was often limited, which in some cases resulted in coarse tannins and cooked fruit.

Surprisingly, despite the hot vintage, alcohol levels are almost universally moderate, barely exceeding 13.5%, due to the vine shutdown and the consequent pause in sugar accumulation.

Overall, as elsewhere in Bordeaux, 2025 was a heterogeneous vintage for Cru Bourgeois estates, with both very successful wines and others that struggled.

The range of scores clearly reflects this.

Further reading from this report

Bordeaux 2025: Top wines from the Crus Bourgeois


Château de Malleret, Haut-Médoc, Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, Bordeaux, France 2025

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Attractive nose of violets, black berries with a hint of tobacco and coffee. Sweet fruits on the palate, along with robust structure and concentration, all...

2025

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Château de MalleretHaut-Médoc

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Château Lilian Ladouys, Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, St-Estèphe, Bordeaux, France 2025

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A perfumed and floral aroma. Supple and lively, a lovely relaxed cool blueberry and fresh mint aspect with bright acidity in the background, nothing tart,...

2025

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Château Lilian LadouysSt-Estèphe

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Château la Fortune, Margaux, Cru Bourgeois Supérieur, Bordeaux, France 2025

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Fresh nose of violets with a hint of mint and fresh herbs. The palate is juicy and bright with chalky tannins and crisp acidity backed...

2025

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Château la FortuneMargaux

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Château Le Crock, St-Estèphe, Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, Bordeaux, France 2025

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Shy on the nose, some dark berries, yet to develop fully. Precise palate, creamy tannins, great breadth and length, very classy. Not loud but present....

2025

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Château Le CrockSt-Estèphe

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Château Mongravey, Margaux, Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, Bordeaux, France 2025

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Smoky and floral with violets and dark chocolate. A lot of class on the palate, beautiful concentration, dark berries, coffee, chocolate and floral notes. Complete...

2025

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Château MongraveyMargaux

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Château Laffitte Carcasset, St-Estèphe, Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, Bordeaux, France 2025

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Sour cherries and red plums on the nose, very fresh. Smoky and woody on the palate, but in good balance with creamy dark berries like...

2025

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Château Laffitte CarcassetSt-Estèphe

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Château Cissac, Haut-Médoc, Cru Bourgeois Supérieur, Bordeaux, France 2025

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Spicy and linear nose, showing a great breed. Excellent concentration of fruit on the palate. Classic cassis, graphite and mint notes. Precise tannins and vertical...

2025

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Château CissacHaut-Médoc

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Château La Cardonne, Médoc, Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, Bordeaux, France 2025

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Relatively pale ruby colour, but shiny and bright. Red fruits and blue flowers on the nose, already very appealing. Juicy on the palate, with pleasant...

2025

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Château La CardonneMédoc

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Château Tour des Termes, St-Estèphe, Cru Bourgeois Supérieur, Bordeaux, France 2025

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Blueberries, cola and liquorice tones on the nose with floral touches too. Really expressive. Succulent and juicy, this is bright and fun without being too...

2025

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Château Tour des TermesSt-Estèphe

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Château Capdet, Listrac, Cru Bourgeois, Bordeaux, France 2025

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Attractive nose, with cassis, cinnamon, and a light minty touch. Powerful on the palate, high extraction and bold tannins. Good fruit sweetness, complemented by coffee...

2025

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Château CapdetListrac

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Château Beauvillage, Médoc, Cru Bourgeois, Bordeaux, France 2025

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Floral nose, very perfumed, full of violets and dark berries. What a substance! Beautiful fruit - ripe but elegant. Blackberries and blue plums. Smooth and...

2025

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Château BeauvillageMédoc

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Château Biston Brillette, Moulis-en-Médoc, Cru Bourgeous Supérieur, Bordeaux, France 2025

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Precise on the nose with hints of violets, peonies and black plums. Red and black cherries on the palate are complemented by hints of black...

2025

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Château Biston BrilletteMoulis-en-Médoc

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Château Guitignan, Moulis-en-Médoc, Cru Bourgeous, Bordeaux, France 2025

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Serious and broody nose with sweet spices and dark berries. Bold and powerful, a lot of oak influence that gives a noble touch. Excellent structure...

2025

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Château GuitignanMoulis-en-Médoc

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Château Tour Saint-Fort, St-Estèphe, Cru Bourgeois, Bordeaux, France 2025

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Appealing nose of crunchy blueberries and black cherries backed by the spices and herbs. Creamy palate, vanilla from oak on a background of ripe black...

2025

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Château Tour Saint-FortSt-Estèphe

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Château d’Arsac, Margaux, Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, Bordeaux, France 2025

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Slightly reductive on the nose. Good structure, beautiful, crunchy fruit, and very polished tannins. Black and red cherries, blueberries, combined with savoury notes of nettle...

2025

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Château d’ArsacMargaux

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Château Preuillac, Médoc, Cru Bourgeois Supérieur, Bordeaux, France 2025

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Closed on the nose, a hint of spices, but not very obvious. Powerful and juicy with crunchy fruit and elevated acidity. The palate is still...

2025

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Château PreuillacMédoc

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Château Potensac, Médoc, Cru Bourgeois, Bordeaux, France 2025

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Slightly dusty and woody on the nose at the moment, with good juiciness on the palate, notes of slate and dark forest berries, supported by...

2025

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Château PotensacMédoc

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Château Malescasse, Haut-Médoc, Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, Bordeaux, France 2025

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Dark, serious and broody nose, not quite developed yet. The palate is tight as well, with chalky, sticky tannins on the background of dark fruits...

2025

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Château MalescasseHaut-Médoc

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Château Grivière, Médoc, Cru Bourgeois, Bordeaux, France 2025

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Darker nose of forest berries, black plums and bramble with a smoky touch in the echo. Succulent and full on the palate, on the opulent...

2025

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Château GrivièreMédoc

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Château Ramafort, Médoc, Cru Bourgeois, Bordeaux, France 2025

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Red cherries and blood orange on the nose, bright and fresh. Very linear and precise on the palate, with elegant and crunchy fruit, citrusy acidity,...

2025

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Château RamafortMédoc

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Widely experienced as a manager of and sommelier in hotels and restaurants from Russia to the Maldives, Valeria is now based in a village near St-Emilion. She writes for publications including VertdeVin in Bordeaux, and runs her own boutique export company, A la Volée Int