A mixture of notes and thoughts here on wines from the Médoc and the Haut-Médoc in 2025. Generally, the same patterns are true here as with the wines in other appellations in this vintage. The colours are strong, the wines show plenty of fruit and structure and there is freshness and zap too. In the Médoc, I was particularly impressed by Château Loudenne which has depth and ambition. Château La Cardonne and Château Ramafort were also sturdy and fresh. Classic Médoc. The Haut-Médocs were generally very impressive. Amongst the picks were an intense Château Belgrave, a vivid Château de Camensac and a typically well-proportioned Château Coufran. Stand-out wines have been made at Château Cantemerle and Château La Tour Carnet, which have produced some of their best ever wines in my opinion. At Château La Lagune, some of the Cabernet Sauvignon was drought affected and not up to scratch, but the unusually Merlot dominant blend in 2025 is very enticing. Lots to enjoy here and they are sure to be at competitive prices for the quality.

Overall Pessac-Léognan appears to have succeeded very well in 2025. Even the whites which I’d generally expected to have struggled with the heat and drought, have put in a good showing. They are more textured and generally less aromatic than the cooler years, but they are definitely good. The vintage did start in mid August for the whites in some places to try and retain freshness. The reds were mostly picked in mid-September and they have done really well. At their best they have deep colours, impressive aromatics, classical structures with textured fruit and with plenty of ripe tannin. Given the lower alcohols generally the structure of the wines feels more evident, and the wines don’t have the immediate suppleness of say 2022 or 2019 at the same stage. They will be long lived but tannin management is so sophisticated these days that you needn’t worry that they will take the time that 2010 or 2005 have to come round. So what were the highlights?

I only got to taste six wines from the Lalande de Pomerol appellation. I had these at the Grand Cercle tasting them blind. If I’m being honest, these were the most mixed wines of the right bank appellations in 2025. Again, I attribute this to the challenge of the drought and the heat on the sandy and sandy/gravel soils of the appellation. The exception here was a very positive wine from Château Siaurac, which would definitely be one to seek out if priced reasonably. La Surgue and Château de Chambrun were also both good and should turn out well. I hope you find the detailed notes below useful.

I tasted fewer wines from Pomerol than I’d have liked owing to a shortage of time on my recent Bordeaux primeurs trip. I stopped off at Château Beauregard for the UGCB tasting there. This line-up was generally very consistent, and many attractive wines have been made. They are all very much of the vintage, structured, vivid and fresh. Earlier in the trip I tasted blind the Pomerol represented by the Grand Cercle. These were a bit more mixed, which I think is related to the challenges of heat and drought in 2025 and what this meant for soils on drier sandier plots. There seemed a correlation with those wines that felt a bit less ripe in tannin, with more austerity, and being on sandier soils. Remember that the yields in 2025 were also very low, not simply owing to the heat and drought, but also the inherited effects of the tricky flowering period in the preceding 2024 growing season. In fact, yields were generally in the 30hl/ha area. So, what are my picks?