Bordeaux 2024: Figeac, Pavie and Las Cases lead release wave

Figeac 2024 — Credit: Luke Carver

(Image credit: Luke Carver)

Château Figeac, Château Ausone, Château Léoville Las Cases and Château Pavie are among the big name releases over the last few days of the 2024 en primeur campaign.

Price cuts have been as high as 41%, and several of the big names have been earmarked as offering potential buying opportunities for collectors.

Analysis: Figeac

The St-Emilion 1er grand cru classé ‘A’, was released ex-négociant at a price 37% below that of the 2023 vintage (and one of the biggest discounts so far).

UK merchants were offering the wine for £564 per six bottles in-bond (IB). Decanter’s Bordeaux editor, Georgie Hindle, scored the wine 96-points.

She commented: ‘It’s elegant, leaning into the vintage in terms of density, but wow there is such delicacy and detail here. I love it because it’s so relaxed and so charming and full of fruit.’

The estate has a good amount of market-momentum behind it at the moment after its promotion to cru classé ‘A’ status and a series of critical hits.

Fine wine marketplace Liv-ex noted that it ‘may well present value to buyers’ – particularly if it secured some of the higher predicted scores awarded by various critics.

The 2017 and 2021 vintages – both of a similar calibre to the 2024 – are still available for slight discounts if buyers were looking for already-cellared stock.

Léoville Las Cases, Pavie, Ausone & Léoville-Poyferré – the 95-pointers

These four châteaux all received scores of 95pts from Hindle. All cut their prices versus the 2023 vintage, ranging from a 16% discount from Léoville Poyferré, 29% from Ausone, 31% from Léoville Las Cases and a huge 41% from Pavie.

Pavie’s price drop is the largest of the campaign so far and consultancy group Wine Lister commented that it was: ‘A very welcome move by the Saint-Émilion premier grand cru classé ‘A’.’

Pavie’s bold move makes its 2024 vintage ‘by far’ the cheapest on the market noted Liv-ex, which should definitely catch the eye of any interested buyers.

Hindle said of the 2024: ‘Less accessible now with real bite and tang of limestone, liquorice and clove, although this carries the Pavie signature and is built for the long haul.’

Commentators and merchants had similarly positive words for some of the other releases. Goedhuis Waddesdon called Léoville Las Cases ‘a firm buy’, while Corney & Barrow thought Ausone could be ‘an opportune buy’.

The wines are being offered by UK merchants for the following (priced at 6x75cl IB) – all were rated 95pts by Hindle:

Château Pavie – £816
Château Léoville Las Cases – £573
Château Ausone – £1,842
Château Léoville Poyferré – £283

Other releases

Also released over the last few days were Château Cantenac Brown (£171 per 6x75cl), Château Phélan-Ségur (£188/6×75) and Clos du Marquis (£186/6×75).

Wine Lister thought Cantenac-Brown had made a ‘persuasive offer’, as did Corney & Barrow.

Hindle wrote: ‘Becomes a little taut towards the finish but there’s great refinement here. Will be yummy with a mineral, liquorice, clove and graphite and black pepper finish.’