Super winemaking here, as ever. The Neipperg’s have retained delicacy here in what is a very structured, dense vintage. On the right bank, Château d’Aiguilhe in Castillon looks to have been particularly successful in 2025. It is layered and vibrant and sure to be worth adding to the cellar. So too the St Emilion Grand Cru Classé Clos de l’Oratoire which has appetising aromatics and is textured and zappy on the palate. Château Canon La Gaffelière has more delicacy and verve. It is not the most outwardly concentrated Premier Grand Cru Classé that I tasted during primeurs but it has super balance and drive. There is intensity but this is not over extracted [and there is a lot less over-extraction going on generally nowadays on the right bank]. Well-judged in my opinion. Finally La Mondotte is opaque and really deep. This is a layered wine which is focused and intense. Super stuff.

The Côtes de Bordeaux is always a source of great value Bordeaux, especially in decent vintages. I don’t expect this to be news to you, but it is worth repeating! 2025 is an exciting year for the best terroirs in Bordeaux and there are notable successes for me amongst the Bordeaux Côtes – in my tastings this includes Cadillac, Blaye, Francs and Castillon. Very good wines have been made at Château Alcée, Château Côte Monpezat, Château d’Aiguilhe, Château de Laussac and Clos Puy Arnaud in Castillon. There are also good wines to be had in Cadillac including Château Carignan, Château de Ricard and Château Réaut. In the Francs, Château La Prade and Château Puygueraud are very impressive for the reds with Château Puygueraud and Château Les Charmes Godard looking great for the whites. Château d’Aiguilhe has also succeeded with an excellent white [100% Sauvignon Blanc] in 2025.

Going through my notes you can easily see the patterns. Colour, minerality, intensity, structure, tannin, freshness and classicism are all descriptors that would lead the 2025 word cloud. Overall, it is a consistent vintage when taken together for the reds. Yes, there is some variation but generally the wines had a lot in common. It is an exciting vintage for sure. And there is a distinct style – 2025 reds are typically concentrated, intense, mineral wines with evident structures, fresh fruit qualities and plenty of tannin. Early drinking doesn’t spring to mind in many cases. As I said in my first thoughts, there are also a few wines at the lesser levels that feel a bit dry and puckering, where the phenolics were not ripe owing to the heat and drought of the growing season, and where the selection wasn’t as strict. But these are the exceptions. For the whites, I tasted less comprehensively. Generally, these were better than I expected given vintage conditions which on paper may not have favoured them. I will look at Sauternes and Barsac later. So far, early release prices for the reds have been competitive and encouraging, especially given the amount of recent Bordeaux on the market cheaper than initial release prices. You should certainly consider buying a fair bit of 2025 on a qualitative level. But if you do so now you want to believe you are paying less than you will later. I think this was only last true with 2019 en primeur pricing. So, fingers crossed the prices are right for 2025 and that you’ve enough space in the cellar [or can afford some storage for a few years]. If so, what where the standouts?

Various wines tasted from the Bordeaux Supérieur, Côtes de Bordeaux and Fronsac appellations are fresh and have lots of zap and tension in 2024. They feel more in line with 2021 and 2017 in my book. I was impressed with Château Reignac’s regular bottling Bordeaux Supérieur and Château Leroy-Beauval’s offering. In the Bordeaux Côtes I enjoyed Château Haut Bertinerie in Blaye which was fresh and vivid, alongside Château Côte Montpezat, Cuvee Compostelle and Château Ampélia in Castillon. In Fronsac Château de La Dauphine was appetising with appealing black cherry notes. All these wines should fill out further during élevage. The following notes are taken from samples sent to the UK by the Grand Cercle on behalf of their members. I am grateful to them for supplying them. It is by no means a comprehensive range of the wines they represent, but it felt a decent sample. I look forward to tasting all these wines [and others] again after bottling.