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.

Château Larcis Ducasse has one of the most enviable terroirs on the Côte Pavie. Not only do the vineyards fully face the sun, but beneath the terraced millefeuille of limestone and clay soils are natural springs that originate deep below that keep the vines roots nourished even in the hottest and driest of years. It’s a grand terroir that has succeeded exceptionally well here in 2025. This will be long-lived Larcis. The wine is reminiscent of the 2015 and the 2005 for me. There is super purity as you’d expect but this is a structured and formidable Larcis that needs time. David Suire, the man with the Midas touch at Château Laroque, has been working at Larcis Ducasse for 25 years, first alongside Nicolas Thienpont and now, since the retirement of Nicolas, on his own as director with the Gratiot-Attmane family.

Château Larcis Ducasse has one of the most enviable terroirs in Bordeaux. Perched up on the slopes of the sunny Côte Pavie in St Emilion, this ten-hectare hillside vineyard lies on a natural south facing staircase of soils which are a mixture of clay and limestone. This solar aspect is tempered by natural water sources that run deep beneath the limestone, water springs which can nourish the deep-rooted vines in the driest of summers. But how does it fare in a less solar vintages? Great terroir usually confers advantages in all seasons. Even in a wetter, less sunny vintage like 2024, a hillside vineyard allows for freer drainage and drying winds, tempering humidity and rainfall effects. For over twenty years Nicolas Thienpont has been the winemaker here at Larcis Ducasse, working with David Suire alongside. In July 2024 Nicolas retired and David Suire stays on as director for the Gratiot-Attmane family. Château Larcis Ducasse has been on a roll here in recent years with fantastic wines in my book in 2023, 2022, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2016 and 2015. So, what is the verdict on Larcis Ducasse 2024?

Château Puygueraud is one of Bordeaux’s great wine values. It’s the family property of Nicolas Thienpont, the legendary winemaker and grower on Bordeaux’s right bank who has worked as a consultant to some of the best properties in the region. Nicolas took over the property in 1983 from his father Georges and has made the wine here with his son Cyrille since 2009. The property is situated in the Bordeaux Côtes de Francs appellation, on the same vein of rocky limestone which runs through the Côtes of St Emilion and the Castillon appellation. The wines have been good for some time. I’ve been tasting them consistently during the primeurs period over the past decade or so. This is one of my go-to value everyday drinking reds at around £16-17 [$25] retail. I’ve recently bought cases of Puygueraud en primeur and I thought it would be interesting to see how the 2018, 2019 and 2020 vintages are getting on and compare at this point. Below are my notes and scores on these bottles.