Nicolas and Cyrille Thienpont are amongst the most thoughtful and nuanced winemakers in Bordeaux. Year in, year out they make class wines at their properties in Castillon and the Côtes de Francs. They also make the wine and manage Château Pavie Macquin, the top tier St Emilion, on behalf of the Corre-Macquin family, a relationship that began in 1994. All of their properties are united in having vines deep in limestone and clay limestone terroirs. It is no surprise then that they have succeeded admirably in 2025. These are an impressive set of wines across the board. They think they may have made the best yet Château Puygueraud [now back in its old label]. Excellent wines have been made at Château La Prade and Château Alcée. All these are likely to be great values. Château Pavie Macquin itself is a marvel. Release prices here are usually sensible in relation to existing wine on the market. Here are my detailed thoughts.

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.

The Grand Cercle always organise a very professional press tasting at Château de la Dauphine in Fronsac. It’s a great opportunity to taste the breadth of the wines made across Bordeaux, especially on the right bank. Amongst the Côtes de Bordeaux tasted with such a wide variety of terroirs [Blaye, Cadillac, Castillon and Francs] and approaches to winemaking, unsurprisingly there was heterogeneity. The most impressive 2023s for me at the Grand Cercle event from Castillon were Château Côte Montpezat, Château Veyry and Clos Puy Arnaud. Tasted elsewhere Château Alcée and Château d’Aiguilhe where also very good from Castillon. In Francs, Château La Prade and Château Puygueraud were excellent. Château de Haut Coulon looked good in Cadillac. Outside of these other 2023 Côtes de Bordeaux often felt lean and a little angular. These probably will flesh out during élevage, so it would be important to taste these wines again down the track once they are bottled.

“The source may be beautiful, but the true beauty lies in the accomplishment.” It’s the quote that starts Nicolas Thienpont’s 2023 vintage booklet. Often primeur guides are full of hot air but in this case his statement couldn’t be more deserved. Thienpont, who has been making wine on the right bank for forty years, knows the lie of the land here probably better than anyone and he has been giving expression to its varied terroirs with a gentle but guiding hand. He and his team [son Cyrille, winemaker David Suire and consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt] look after the winegrowing and winemaking at Château Larcis Ducasse and Château Pavie Macquin. Nicolas and Cyrille also run the over-achieving Thienpont family properties in Castillon [Château Alcée] and in Francs [Château Charmes Godard, Château Puygueraud and Château La Prade]. If there’s a common characteristic to all these wines, it is the quest for purity, a kind of generous purity, and that’s Thienpont’s touch. So, what’s the take here on the 2023 vintage in Bordeaux’s right bank and just how good are the wines?