Pontet-Canet and Batailley both have a reputation for releasing early and they duly kick-started this year’s en primeur campaign as Decanter published its full report on the exciting Bordeaux 2025 vintage.
All eyes are on pricing after official en primeur tastings in April drew plenty of admirers, living up to a lofty reputation for years ending in 'five' in Bordeaux.
Bordeaux’s class of 2025 is entering a turbulent economic landscape and a wine market still finding its feet after a prolonged downturn – which is also widely reported to be well-stocked with young Bordeaux vintages.
Pontet-Canet makes debut
At £378 per six bottles in bond (IB) in the UK, Pontet-Canet 2025 was slightly more expensive than last year’s 2024-vintage release, which debuted at £360.
On an ex-négociant basis in Bordeaux, though, Pontet-Canet 2025 was €58 per bottle, according to Liv-ex, a global marketplace for the trade – slightly under last year’s release at €60.
Pontet-Canet 2025 received 97pts from Decanter’s Bordeaux correspondent, Georgie Hindle – equal to its scores in 2024 and 2023.
Hindle praised the 2025 iteration as ‘structured and fresh with a great promise of long ageing’, and enthused about the wine’s ‘brilliant purity of fruit’.
Shortly after the release, UK merchant Corney & Barrow said Pontet-Canet 2025 was more expensive than the current market price of the well-regarded 2019 vintage and ‘fell well short of our fair value bracket of £224-280 per six [x75cl IB]’. However, it said this biodynamic fifth growth has a loyal following.
On Tuesday (5 May) Thomas Parker MW, of merchant Farr Vintners, said strong appraisal from at least one major critic ‘really gave sales a boost’.
Batailley 2025 price 'lowest since 2014'
Batailley 2025 was rated 96pts by Decanter’s Hindle, who said, ‘I have a real soft spot for this wine and it delivers again with such great quality-to-price ratio.’
Liv-ex quoted a UK release price per 12-bottle case (IB) of £289 for Batailley 2025, which it said was 'the lowest since 2014'.
Many merchants offer en primeur wines in six-bottle cases, albeit other formats are available, too.
Farr Vintners offered Batailley at £144.60 per six-bottle case (IB) and Parker told Decanter on Tuesday (5 May), ‘It was good to see the price come down from last year.
'There was a clear understanding that success in selling this vintage must factor in the current demand for young Bordeaux and global economic and political uncertainty. We therefore offered and sold a decent volume of the wine as a result.’
Moueix wines make debut
Right Bank heavyweights from JP Moueix stable joined these top Left Bank names early this week.
Among the wines to be offered, La Fleur-Pétrus 2025 (95pts) debuted at £725 per six-bottle case (Farr, Bordeaux Index), slightly above last year’s debut price for the 2024 vintage. Bélair-Monange 2025 (96pts) was offered at £530 per six, similar to last year.
‘Gorgeous aromas, such a concoction of freshly picked red and black fruit with rose petals and violet touches,’ wrote Hindle of Bélair-Monange 2025, adding, ‘Another dark horse, not yet fully shining but with excellent potential.’
Laroque: A St-Emilion ‘value pick’ to watch
Château Laroque 2025 represents ‘another great success and value pick’ from this St-Emilion Grand Cru Classé estate, wrote Decanter’s Hindle after tasting the wine en primeur. She gave it 96pts.
UK merchant Lay & Wheeler offered Laroque 2025 for £117 (6x75cl IB) on Tuesday 5 May, also highlighting the value proposition on offer to buyers.
Justerini & Brooks offered similar praise, stating, ‘David Suire's Laroque must rank amongst the best value wines of the right bank. Since his arrival in 2015, critics have heaped praise on his wines, and for the time being they remain relatively affordable (relative to wines with similar scores).’
More releases this week
Other releases this week have included Doisy-Védrines 2025 (94pts) and Coutet 2025 (95pts) from Barsac (Sauternes) at £152 and £168 per 6x75cl IB respectively.
Meanwhile, Thursday 7 May saw debuts for Château Pape Clément 2025 red and also white wine Pape Clément Blanc in Pessac-Léognan.
Hindle rated both wines at 96pts, with the red offered by UK merchants at around £316 and the white wine at £543-£544 (6x75cl IB).
This article was updated on Thursday 7 May to include the release of Château Pape Clément and Château Coutet en primeur wines.
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