Bordeaux 2024 En Primeur

Spice and sandalwood make this an attractive, raspberry fruited claret. Low yields and no chaptalisation lend a natural, balanced feel to it, with a bright, soft structure. Short term drinking here, with less new oak than usual. Smooth, an appealing, easy wine this year. 3-7 years.

Easy red fruit with floral notes on the nose, a soft and generous shape in the mouth, very pleasing with ripeness. Quite simple but approachable early and very drinkable, not trying too hard. Delicious.

Offering up attractive crunchy red fruit and hints of violet on the nose, the palate delivers a satisfying lick of bright acidity on the palate. Not plush in style, the fruit notes are focused, giving it an appealing precise character. Accessible and subtle with a lightness of touch, this is a nicely balanced Peymouton which will drink from the get-go.

Mulberry and damson with a note of violet behind, very attractive. Good concentration in the mouth, soft and round, then a ripe damson finish with tempered acidity and chalky but supportive tannins. Early drinking but with more depth of flavour than some. 3-7 years.

Noticeable crunchy red fruit on the nose and in the mouth, then soft and round in the mouth with fine tannins under control, the whole wine feeling very easy and supple. Elegant and fluid with a satisfying finish, light in weight but showing well in the Margaux line-up, that pretty side coming through. Well made as usual. 3-7 years.

The 2024 Lafleur-Gazin has hints of green pepper and flora before an energetic core of red and blueberry fruit notes kick in. Quite traditional in character, this is medium-bodied, well-balanced and elegant with a lovely touch of spice and evident cherry tobacco notes on the finish. A very polished effort.

Attractive and pretty on the nose. Bright and expressive red plum fruit, quite luscious as it rolls around the mouth, hint of clove, and generous in the middle palate. Fresh finish, quite juicy plum and damson fruit, and light but elegant ending. Another good effort for a second, for immediate drinking. Nice if it’s a bargain.

A good colour with a fruit compote nose. Light bodied with a fair bit of grip, the layers of red plum and blackberry are ripe and fresh. Good length, with a raspberry finish. Well balanced and clean, this is quite a short term wine that has a light, savoury, almost old school feel, but the structure to go longer than some of its peers. Decent effort. 3-7 years.

A ‘go to’ Pomerol for many, the 2024 has put in a very respectable performance. Showing plenty of backbone from the off, there’s little in the way of hard edges and plenty of dark fruit, cedar and hints of liquorice to go around. Fresh and vibrant, with well-integrated oak, Bourgneuf has succeeded where others have struggled.

Rather closed on the nose, the black fruit actually flows through on the palate with a nicely tempered feel, quite generous, layered and fairly lush with more length than some. The fruit character is a bit subdued at the moment but has potential – the purity and framing is there. Not as great as the ripe recent vintages, but a nice, worthwhile effort.

Dark in colour, bold black pastille flavours with a fresh line. Fleshy in the mouth if not very complex, it is linear with a full-bodied, texture centre and a belt of clean acidity on the finish. Practically no loss to mildew, there’s a feel of concentrated, clean fruit and for mid-term drinking. Worth buying if you like the clean, organic Pontet style. 5-15 years.

As obvious and inky as ever. The nose is lovely with lashings of damson and mulberry, blueberry behind and some keen vanilla. There is depth and concentration, big tannins and lots of presence. The whole is calmer than it often is, but ‘obvious’ is the hallmark here, and the extraction is still pretty full dial. Chunky but will it last long?

A great colour, then a gushingly vibrant Cabernet nose with graphite and cedar in the mainly dark plum and black cherry nose, then currant on the palate, juicy and fresh on the finish. Montrose has effortless fluidity, mid weight texture and succulence but shows the finesse of Saint Estephe this year. Brilliant, its svelte shape the hallmark of the more poised wines like Lafite and Figeac in this vintage. Top recommendation. 5-15 years.

This Château rarely puts a foot wrong and 2024 is no exception. Full of expression, there’s enticing aromas of crunchy red fruit and cassis, followed by hints of rose and a melange of floral scents. This is such an impressive effort, super precise, glossy and medium in weight. The tannins are juicy, whilst the fresh acidity completes a very harmonious and complex Bélair-Monange. Another fine release from this in form estate.

Almost 100% Merlot, the 2024 LFP is a triumph. Sensuous and sleek, there is evident wafts of spice, violet and cedar on the nose, whilst the palate delivers a very complete, composed core of damson and red fruit. Finishing long with touches of spice and tobacco coming to mind, it’s a super effort.

As impressive as ever. A very correct and imposing wine, certainly as good as any on the Right Bank. They picked the entire harvest in 2.5 days and sorted everything minutely. The result is a wine that's soft, ripe, svelte and classy. The lump of Cabernet Franc drives it, with glorious aromatics and a great structure. There's density, depth and, in a lighter year, a good core of black fruit that balances the acidity and freshness. Delicious. 5 -15+ years

Beautifully textured and tailored, Lafite is lighter framed than Mouton, very classic and precise. Mostly raspberry and ripe red plum comes through with superb silky tannins. Good length, not a show-stopper but elegant and a firm recommendation if the price is right – it has class and finesse. 5-15 years.

PRESENTED IN A WOODEN BOX  A 3-Bottle BOTTLE (2.25L) A good colour with a fruit compote nose. Light bodied with a fair bit of grip, the layers of red plum and blackberry are ripe and fresh. Good length, with a raspberry finish. Well balanced and clean, and a light, savoury, almost old school feel, which makes it quite a short-term prospect in bottle, but the structure to go longer than some of its peers, especially in this larger format. Decent effort and a good bit of fun! 3-7 years.