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Bordeaux 2024 Vintage Report: Everything you need to know
Photo: Left – Ben, Founder | Right – Brian, Head of Content at Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
We’re back from a productive week of tasting over 200 wines in the cellars of Bordeaux. Our takeaway from Bordeaux 2024? There are some excellent reds across all appellations, but it’s a vintage of contrasts. Quality isn’t tied to Left or Right Bank this year—it’s all about terroir, vine age, and how rigorously producers could sort and select their fruit. That last point, of course, often comes down to resources.
Stylistically, the wines feel like they’ve landed exactly where today’s drinkers want them. They show vibrant colour, pure and expressive fruit without any heaviness, silky tannins, and impressive freshness. Alcohol levels are refreshingly modest—under 13% on the Left Bank and only just over on the Right.
The dry whites that we tasted impressed across the board - a sentiment that everyone we met and spoke to in the trade kept saying. The sweet wines are clean, focused, and full of promise. A vintage shaped as much by choices in the cellar by the winemakers as by conditions in the vineyard.
Not everything we tasted hit the mark. There were quite a few wines that felt off-balance. Merlot was the hardest hit by mildew, and some producers had to adjust their blends—reducing Merlot and increasing Cabernet Sauvignon. In some cases, the results just didn’t feel right. The wines lacked their usual harmony and came across as a bit awkward.
We were impressed with the swagger of many second wines in 2024. This is perhaps due to winemakers having to be more selective of their fruit. It’s a good vintage to stock up on these gems from the estates you follow.
2024 really has some exceptional wine, and it’s even more important than ever to take the recommendations. We’ll be able to give you advice on both the quality and pricing as the campaign unfolds.
Not sure what En Primeur is? Then check out our guide on what it is, here. |
Expectations on pricing:
Let’s start with the elephant in the room. Last year’s 2023 En Primeur campaign wasn’t the most attractive. The pricing simply didn’t offer enough incentive for most to part with their cash, and that was a widely shared sentiment. With ongoing global uncertainty, particularly in the US and Asia (which together account for over a third of fine wine consumption), all signs point to prices coming down in 2024.
We’ve been speaking with producers, and even they agree—prices need to be lower. The expectation is for a 20–30% drop versus last year’s release prices. If that happens—and the quality holds, which early signs suggest it does—then 2024 could shape up to be one of the more compelling vintages to buy En Primeur in recent memory.
We’ll be watching closely to see if the Bordelais meet the moment.
The Weather:
The 2024 Bordeaux vintage opened with a wet, disease-prone spring, creating ideal conditions for downy mildew. The pressure was intense and prolonged, particularly for organic and biodynamic producers, some of whom saw significant crop loss. Fortunately, the weather turned in July, bringing dry, sunny conditions that not only slowed disease progression but also promoted even ripening.
Warm days and cool nights in August preserved acidity while encouraging slow, steady development of tannins and sugars. For growers who controlled mildew early, this set the stage for promising fruit. In 2024, careful harvest timing was critical — those who waited until after the mid-September rains often achieved fuller ripeness, producing more balanced, harmonious wines.
For more detail, the Drinks Business has written a comprehensive article located here.
Release Dates:
(Release dates announced as of the 21st of April)
Releases usually start mid-May to give the wine critics time to put their reports together but this year we’re starting earlier. Pontet-Canet which in 2019 vintage was one of the first and very successful releases, came out first with very competitive pricing. It’s again going to be the first release coming out on Wednesday this week - 23rd April. Other release dates currently announced are:
Monday 28th April – Chasse Spleen, Guiraud, Doisy Daene,
Tuesday 29th April – Lafite Rothschild, Duhart Milon
Wednesday 30th April – Angelus, Suduiraut
Tuesday 6th May – Cheval Blanc, Smith Haut Lafitte
Wednesday 7th May – Montrose, La Gaffeliere, Haut Bailly
Monday 12th May – Clos Fourtet, Poujeaux
Tuesday 13th May – Mouton Rothschild, Armailhac, Clerc Milon, Coutet, Beychevelle
Wednesday 14th May – Carmes Haut Brion, Pichon Baron, Pibran, Domaine de Chevalier
Thursday 15th May – Cos d’Estournel, Cos Labory, Carbonnieux
Tuesday 20th May – Haut Brion, Mission Haut Brion, Quintus
Our wines of the vintage:
We’ve tasted over 200 wines last week and there was a handful of wines that shone above the rest.
Ausone, Montrose, Mouton Rothschild, Lafite Rothschild, Margaux & Pavillon Blanc (if you can get any…)
Rauzan-Segla:
"If there was one wine I would add to my personal collection without a doubt, it would be Rauzan” says our Founder Ben.
Bargains of the vintage:
Alter Ego, Talbot, Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Leoville Barton, Langoa Barton, Clerc Millon
Dame de Montrose:
With Montrose named one of our wines of the vintage, its second wine, La Dame de Montrose, offers exceptional quality and outstanding value. For it’s price tag, this is one very good option as a second wine and should not be missed.
Saint-Emilion
Ausone
Ausone was simply one league above the rest and considering we have many great names listed below from Saint-Emilion, that is saying something. There is roundness from the Merlot in the blend and great tension from the Cabernet Franc. We had many winemakers on the right bank saying that Cab Franc flourished in 2024 as it doesn’t mind the wet spring conditions but it actually seemed to help it. Both Ausone and Chapelle d'Ausone were deep and complex with lots of spice and floral notes with the Grand Vin being more intense, longer and incredibly balanced. One of our wines of the vintage on the right bank. With it’s relatively modest price tag, the Chapelle d'Ausone seems like a no brainer for us.
Figeac
1/3 of each Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, Figeac has the structure of the left bank with the charm of the right bank. Figeac has been one of our favourites for a long time with it’s deep gravel soil that give the wine its trademark power. Production was down 21% and it took the winemaking team 10 sessions to finalise the blend - the most ever. It’s floral and spicy nose from the Cabernet Franc, nicely weighted and structured. It has great potential that needs to be realised with some more aging. Seductive overall.
Cheval Blanc
48% Cabernet Franc with 6% Cabernet Sauvignon the 2024 is classic and classy. The fruit is not overly ripe. It’s sappy, fresh, deep, spicy with aromas of sweet plum, black cherry, oak, violet and peonies. Velvety in the mouth and an incredible length. The wine has so much more to show. Taut. A great success. Highly recommend.
Pavie
Pavie was the first Saint-Emilion we tasted in the day and it set the benchmark for the rest of the region. An inviting nose of limestone minerality, subtle and classic aromas of dark fruit, cassis, plum and a hint of strawberry. Tightly packed structure with lots of freshness. A hint of rose and wood. Lots of aging potential here.
Canon
We loved Canon. It was both rounded, soft and long all at the same time. 2024 was the first vintage Canon was organic - a trend for many of the top wines in Bordeaux. Classic aromas and fruit ripeness - silky, elegant, broad with a mineral finish. Very complex. Strong recommendation in Saint-Emilion that’s not to be missed.
La Gaffeliere
60% merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc make up La Gaffeliere. Fine texture, floral, red fruit, raspberry, cherry make up this beautifully put together Saint-Emilion. It’s aromatic straight out the gate followed by a long fresh and saline finish. The second wine of La Gaffeliere deserves a special note - Clos La Gaffeliere . They don’t release it EP but in terms of quality, it’s a bit like what Langoa is to Leoville Barton. A great family domaine overall producing good honest and well priced wines.
Pomerol
La Conseillante
The vineyards managers of La Conseillante highlighted that they spent weekends, evenings and early mornings working in the vineyard in 2024, and it certainly shows in the wine. Merlot did struggle a but across the board, but not at Conseillante. A classic blend of 80% merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc was used in 2024. They compared the 2024 to 2012 and 1988 in terms of vintage. Lashings of violets, licorice, spice, lots of red and dark fruit backed up by a very silky mouthfeel with good structure and lots of freshness. Very fine tannins. A modern classic for Conseillante. Congrats to the team for all their hard work, it certainly shows.
Clinet
Clinet was one of the first wines we tasted on the Monday morning and it was certainly one that left a long impression for us. It has nice power and a beautiful sleekness. Black cherry, spice, plum, blackberry and a hint of cacao. We are looking forward to see how it turns out in bottle.
L’Evangile
With production down 20-30% overall for L’Evangile, they needed to get it right. In 2024 they’ve adapted to the vintage by using less new oak than usual to balance out the lower alcohol. A warm and inviting nose that keeps you coming back for more, L’Evangile is quite restrained compared to the vintage norm of being aromatic straight out the gate. It needs time. It has good potential with very good structure and acidity. Lots of rose and dark fruit here followed by nuances of tobacco and a saline finish. Wonderful stuff.
Pauillac
Mouton Rothschild
A slightly different take on the wine that is usually for the hedonists. This vintage is one of the most delicate and pure vintages of Mouton we have tried. The wine has a quiet confidence about it. On the nose it’s classic; damson, blackberry, cassis, graphite and the palate is fine, tightly packed in terms of structure with a creamy mouth feel. It keeps you coming back for more to explore it’s complexities. It’s only a baby and should age gracefully. Great tension overall.
Lafite Rothschild
It was easy to see why Lafite is a 1st Growth. A prominent, complex and deep nose invites you in whilst the savoury, dark fruit, damson, graphite and touch of oak on the palate. Great tension. We wrote “mega” in our tasting book. You could feel that Lafite has more to show and was a bit closed when tasting. It will be exciting to see how it turns out in bottle. Very long structured finish with the hallmark freshness of the 2024 vintage. Tightly packed and saline on the finish. We were torn between Lafite and Mouton and decided that it’s like choosing your favourite child, both were unique and themselves.
Pontet-Canet
There is a sweet spot in our hearts for Pontet-Canet who exceeds their 5th Growth status. Their winery and vats is one of the more impressive in Pauillac marrying history with modern winemaking flair. In 2018 they lost 2/3 of their production to mildew and they’ve learnt from their mistakes to avoid that happening again in 2024. They would wake up at 4am to spray for example. A deep core of ripe blackberry, herbal spice, hint of oak and tabacco. The fruit is very pure and the weight and structure were great. Very good aging potential here. Very fine tannins. Everything in this domaine is geared towards making only one great wine and it certainly shows in 2024.
Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
The house style of Pichon Lalande is one of a silky texture and 2024 lives up to that. It was the silkiest that we tried on the left bank. Lots of freshness with aromas of plum, cassis, blackberry, vanilla, licorice, light oak - you name it, Lalande had it. Light on it’s feet but great structure overall. It was our last stop of the tasting week and brilliant way to end. They also let us taste some secret white wine projects that they have are working on. It will be exciting to see what happens in the future on those.
Saint-Julien
Ducru-Beaucaillou
One of the finest Saint-Juliens of the vintage. Ducru is one of those wines with a lot of power and extraction and one for the hedonists. It’s made up of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot which is A-typical for them. A complex nose of dark fruit, licorice, spice, a hint of cassis. It’s rounded yet structured with a long finish of floral notes. It’s almost like velvet in the mouth. It will age with grace as it’s got the structure and the acidity to do so. 100% new oak.
Leoville-Barton
In 2021 Leoville-Barton started operating out of their new winery - more vats giving the ability to ferment smaller parcels = more precision and fruit purity in the wines. The 2024 wine has great weight and structure behind it. It’s a wine that will definitely age. Dark fruit, cassis, rose petal and mineral undertones. Not flashy wines but they never have been. We loved the wine overall and it shows that this is one of the most reliable addresses in Saint-Julien.
Talbot
We loved Talbot. It won’t be a big scorer due to it’s style but it’s absolutely going to be worth adding to the collection. Talbot is like Leoville-Barton - one of those ultra reliable wines that year on year you won’t regret popping the cork of. It’s also one of those very affordable wines. In 2024 it was one of the purest wines we tried all vintage. It’s beautifully balanced with lots of freshness and a long silky finish that’s moreish. With expected price drops, this is going to be one of the bargains on the vintage.
Margaux
Chateau Margaux
Elegance, elegance, elegance. It was a test of tolerance as to how late Chateau’s would pick with the best wines being picked later September onwards. Margaux started 23rd September with some small parcels but picked the majority of their best plots in October. This means they reached the crucial ripeness. The 2024 has great weight, good grip and structure with fine tannins. The nose was beautiful with a bouquet of floral notes: rose, peonies balanced out by blackberry, cherries, liquorice and savoury oak. Very fine and elegant overall with a long finish.
Palmer
It’s a tough act to be the next winery tasted after Chateau Margaux but Palmer as well their Alter Ego stood up to the challenge. The blend this year was 59% Cabernet Sauvignon and 41% Merlot - no Petit Verdot as it didn’t do well with mildew. Palmer has no issues with extraction creating a wine with nice weight and power. It’s pure, dark fruited and really impressed. We love Palmer in 2024. The Alter Ego was very Margaux in 2024 with beautifully floral aromas and a little more structure than usual due to a slight increase in Cabernet Sauvignon compared to previous years (merlot had some mildew issues).
Rauzan-Segla
2024 was Rauzan’s first vintage as certified organic which is a testament to the work they have been doing in the vineyard. Rauzan-Segla’s style is usually seductive and sexy and the 2024 does not deviate from this. Great weight, serious structure balanced out by aromas of berry confit, sweet cherries and a feminine floral seductiveness. We loved the wine and it’s the one wine we will without a doubt be adding to our personal collections.
Brane-Cantenac
Celebrating their 100th year of family ownership, the 2024 vintage is special for more than one reason. The majority of Brane-Cantenac’s grapes come from Terrace 4 from the highest point in the appellation. This means that water drains off in wetter vintages like 2024 - less issues of mildew. Darker in it’s fruit characteristics than the other Margaux’s with good body and weight, liquorice, spice and very fine tannins. Nice savoury finish. “2024 was better than 2021” declared Brane-Cantenac.
Saint-Estephe:
Montrose
“2024 was our most expensive vintage to produce ever” declared Montrose. A classic aromatic profile for Montrose in 2024 of dark cherries, cassis, blackberry, a hint of smoke, oak and a bouquet of floral notes. The wine has a fine structure with a very long finish that goes on for a minute. It was simply stunning to taste right now. Sexy, creamy, silky and tightly packed with great aging potential. It was one of the highlights of the left bank and they know it. Exceptional.
Cos d'Estournel
Saint-Estephe is known for producing wines with notable power, but there were concerns that this trademark strength might be lacking in the 2024 vintage. At Cos, the power was certainly there. Big rich structure, graphite, tobacco, dark fruit and hint of floral and liquorice notes. Lots of dark fruit like blackberry, black cherries rounded out by a nice minerality. Very persistent with a long length and good aging potential. Impressed.
Calon-Segur
Cabernet Sauvignon dominate blend with 82%, the nose on the Calon grabbed our attention right out the gate. Great structure and harmony with a tightly packed backbone. Graphite, floral and cherry dominate the nose. Good potential here.
Pessac-Leognan
Haut-Brion
We started our Chateau visits with Haut-Brion in Pessac as the first visit. What a way to start the week. The terroir of Haut-Bion is well ventilated and therefore the mildew on the merlot was eliminated before it became a problem. Great tension, texture and body whilst being elegant and refined. The fruit purity here is exceptional. A tonne of red and dark fruits. The winery compared the 2024 vintage to 2021, 2017 and 2014. Today the La Mission was the more aromatic and open but the Haut-Brion was the more serious structured and the aromatics will come with time in the cellar. With prices expected to be reasonable, both HB and La Mission could be good recommendations.
La Mission Haut-Brion
Darker fruit, a little exotic in terms of the spiciness. Aromas of dark fruit like blackberry followed by hints of tobacco and a mineral finish. Aromatic and lively in style and like Haut-Bion, La Mission has good potential and comes warmly recommended.
Smith Haut-Lafite
The wines of Smith Haut-Lafite really shone - both the red and whites. The second wine of SHL - Le Petit Smith Haut-Lafite was also a great success with great weight, silky mouth feel with lots of dark fruit. The Grand Vin stepped it up with 60% new oak being used presenting lots of dark fruit, great structure and freshness. Firm and usually fairly priced, Smith Haut-Lafite concluded with a long mineral/saline finish. Highly recommended.
Haut-Bailly
A great success in 2024, Haut-Bailly offers a classic bouquet of blackberry, cassis, floral aromas and tobacco that make up it’s beautiful and quite seductive nose. Elegant, precise and very pure, Haut-Bailly was already surprisingly approachable now but serious enough to age in the cellar. Not that price should matter, but the price to quality ratio is expected to be good. We’ll certainly be adding this to our personal collections. Highly recommended.