Bordeaux 2024 - What the wine critics say

Tasting En Primeur can be challenging, as the wines are constantly evolving. We spent a week in Bordeaux assessing the 2024 vintage and were impressed by how well the wines were showing—full of energy, precision, and purity. We've shared our impressions in our vintage report, based on tastings from 14th–17th April. Interestingly, several of our trade partners and friends in Bordeaux noted that just a week earlier, the wines were much more subdued. That’s often the nature of tasting En Primeur and wines that are still 'samples' and can change from day to day.

The Wine Advocate was the first major publication to release their report, and we assume they tasted earlier too. Reading through their scores, we were a little surprised, as some ratings felt lower than our own experience suggested. By contrast, Jane Anson’s report more closely mirrored what we found in the cellars, highlighting the vibrancy and balance we believe define the 2024 vintage.

Of course, everyone’s palate differs. To help you navigate the vintage, we’ve summarised the early commentary and top scores from each critic. We’re still waiting on major publications like Vinous, Decanter, Jeb Dunnuck, The Wine Independent, and James Suckling to release their reports. We’ll continue updating this page as more scores and reviews come in, so do check back regularly for the latest updates.

"It’s no secret that Bordeaux endured a challenging growing season in 2024. Despite the ups and downs of a year that featured heavy rainfall and constant disease pressure, among other events, the most skilled winemakers found a way to make gorgeous wines. The 2024s are all over the place in terms of quality and style, so readers will have to be selective. Within that context, the very best wines have a lot to offer" - Antonio Galloni

The 2024 Bordeaux vintage faced a challenging growing season marked by heavy rainfall, early mildew attacks, coulure, and uneven ripening. Despite these obstacles, skilled vineyard and cellar work allowed the best producers to craft impressive wines. Antonio Galloni notes that success in 2024 depended less on weather and more on people—their resources, vision, and decisions at key moments.

Persistent rain early in the year led to disease pressure, hailstorms, and waterlogged soils. Later, a warm, dry spell allowed some recovery, but ripening remained uneven due to low sunlight and prolonged veraison. Selection at harvest was critical, with many estates using strict sorting techniques like bain densimétrique. Inconsistent yields, especially among organically farmed properties, highlighted the difficult balance between sustainability and vineyard protection.

In the cellar, approaches varied: chaptalisation, careful extraction, and heavy reliance on selection were widespread. Cabernet Sauvignon fared better than Merlot, making 2024 more favourable for the Left Bank, particularly in Saint-Estèphe and Pauillac. Pomerol and Pessac-Léognan were less consistent, with some estates opting not to show their wines.

The best 2024 reds are fragrant, balanced, and often red-fruited, while many others risk being light, vegetal, or angular. Élevage will be crucial in shaping final outcomes. The dry whites, especially from Pessac-Léognan and Sauternes producers, are excellent and often outperform the reds. Sweet wines are good but not at the level of the great vintages.

Market conditions remain challenging. Even with potential price cuts, consumer confidence in Bordeaux en primeur remains low, exacerbated by global instability and a strong euro. Galloni stresses that Bordeaux’s health is vital for the broader fine wine market.

Highlighting standout wines, Galloni names "The Magnificent Eight" of 2024: Beychevelle, Clos Puy Arnaud, Cos d'Estournel, Jean Faure, Larcis Ducasse, Lascombes, La Conseillante, and Rauzan-Ségla. These estates delivered wines that exceed the overall vintage quality.

Ultimately, 2024 is a vintage where human decisions outweigh climatic conditions. It demands careful selection by buyers and promises rewards from estates that managed the difficult season skillfully. While inconsistent, 2024 is not a disaster—there are brilliant successes for those who look closely.

Antonio Galloni's Top Scoring Bordeaux 2024s

For Antonio Galloni's full report, see Vinous.com

Neal Martin describes Bordeaux 2024 as “a good vintage with limitations.” While some have compared it to the vintages of the 1980s, he notes that those earlier years were generally more benevolent. In contrast, 2024 is “an extremely inconsistent vintage where, unfortunately, quality drops away beyond the major names.” He adds, “I hate the fact that 2024 is yet again a maleficent season that widens the divide between the haves and have-nots.” The vintage rewarded those “in possession of the best terroir, those with the deepest pockets and those who made the right decisions at the right times.”

The growing season was marked by persistent rainfall from October 2023 through June 2024, with mildew pressure, root asphyxiation, and disrupted flowering. A cooler-than-average July delayed véraison, leading to uneven ripening across bunches. Although August brought warmth and sunlight, September returned with heavy rain and cool temperatures, forcing rapid harvest decisions and amplifying the threat of rot. In response, top estates relied on dense teams, precise sorting, and green harvesting to preserve quality.

In the winery, producers employed gentler extraction methods and adjusted oak usage—some reducing new barrels or using alternatives like foudres and amphorae. Sorting lines became critical in eliminating unripe or damaged fruit, and many estates praised tools like bain densimétrique for efficiently separating underripe berries. Yet despite best efforts, the vintage often lacked the density and structure of great years. Some wines leaned too heavily on oak in an effort to compensate, leading to dry or astringent finishes.

Still, Martin found real success in many top châteaux. He reserves his highest praise for wines like Lafite-Rothschild, Margaux, Montrose, Lafleur, L’Eglise-Clinet, and Vieux-Château-Certan. Meanwhile, the dry whites—particularly from Pessac-Léognan and Sauternes—often surpassed their red counterparts thanks to the cool growing conditions preserving acidity and freshness.

Ultimately, Martin sees 2024 as a litmus test not only for winemakers but for the Bordeaux system itself. He argues it is “an ideal vintage for a reset,” calling on châteaux to align pricing with consumer expectations. Though it may not stand among the greats, the best 2024s demonstrate the region’s resilience and technical expertise in the face of adversity.

"The best ‘24s are pretty.

It’s an adjective I used a number of times. Some might call it damning with faint praise, but I use it in the sincerest sense. Tell me, what is wrong with a pretty wine? The aromatics are rarely powerful yet frequently delineated and focused, new oak dialed down a notch so that the cooperage doesn’t speak over the fruit. They are balanced. The spine of acidity lends poise. They are imbued with ample freshness and sapidity, often in the form of black olive tapenade, that encourages you back for another sip. As such, I envisage these will make ideal restaurant wines that will provide easy-drinking pleasure whilst you wait for the 2019 or 2022s to mature. The 2024s fit in with the “DBY” mantra: drink Bordeaux young (even if I have strong reservations against that as outlined in my recent piece on mature claret." - Neal Martin

Neal Martin's Top Scoring Bordeaux 2024s

Don’t Miss Wines: Margaux, Leoville Poyferre and Brane Cantenac

Jane Anson’s report on Bordeaux 2024 paints a vintage of contrasts, where precision in the vineyard and at harvest made all the difference. On the Left Bank, she found a wide range of quality, with wines scoring from 96 down to 80 points. Château Margaux led the way with her highest score of 96, and standout performances were also seen at Léoville Poyferré and Brane-Cantenac. However, Anson noted that Cabernet Sauvignon did not have an easy ride everywhere—particularly in the Médoc and Haut-Médoc, where uneven ripeness, rustic tannins, and even pyrazine notes were apparent. She emphasised that 2024 is not a classic Cabernet vintage, and that careful selection was crucial. Wines from Margaux and St Julien were generally more consistent, thanks to excellent terroir and vineyard management, while Pessac-Léognan and Graves delivered charming, if slightly lighter, styles. Anson highlighted that many wines should be enjoyed earlier to capture their delicate fruit before structure overtakes.

Across the Right Bank, Anson found more consistent success. She awarded her highest red wine score—97 points—to Château L’Eglise Clinet, calling it her wine of the vintage. She noted that terroir played a crucial role, with the best wines coming from limestone and clay-rich soils that regulated water supply through the challenging growing season. St Emilion’s plateau wines showed tension and some austerity, but also remarkable finesse when well handled. In Pomerol, the best estates on the classic inner plateau produced aromatic, lifted wines of real class. Again, precision viticulture, rigorous selection, and patience at harvest were key themes. The Right Bank overall seemed to have adapted slightly better to the conditions, with several properties able to make refined, age-worthy wines. Anson also pointed to success stories among lesser-known estates such as Laroque, La Prade, and Vieux Château Saint André, highlighting excellent value for collectors.

In summary, Jane Anson’s take on 2024 is that it is a vintage where excellence is available—but not everywhere. It’s a year defined by skill, terroir, and selection, with significant gaps between the top wines and the rest. Stylistically, the vintage brings a return to Bordeaux’s historic profile: vibrant acidity, moderate alcohol, and classical structure. Drinkers can expect finesse, freshness, and precision rather than opulence, with the top wines promising to age gracefully over the coming decades.

For Jane Anson's full report, see https://janeanson.com/ 

Jane Anson's Top Scoring Bordeaux 2024s

William Kelley’s report for The Wine Advocate describes Bordeaux 2024 as a challenging and uneven vintage, highlighting it as the weakest of the past decade. While a handful of producers managed to deliver impressive wines against the odds, many estates struggled with dilution, herbaceous notes, and sharp acidity. Kelley attributes the wide variation in quality to one key factor: ripeness. In 2024’s cool, wet conditions, the ability to achieve full maturity was paramount, and only those who took risks, worked carefully in the vineyard, and waited for later harvest dates were truly rewarded.

The growing season itself was difficult from the start, with record mildew pressure, waterlogged soils, delayed flowering, and a cool, rainy September. These conditions led to uneven ripening and elevated pyrazine levels in many wines. Sorting was critical, with many estates using optical and densimetric sorting technologies, but even rigorous selection could not fully compensate for a lack of ripeness. As a result, the best 2024 reds are described as structured, energetic, and intensely flavoured middleweights, showing finesse and estate character. However, many wines are lighter, more herbaceous, and display shrill acidity. Kelley warns that while élevage might bring improvements for some wines, it could amplify weaknesses in others.

Kelley also offered a cautious view of the dry white wines. Although early harvesting spared white grapes from the worst September rains, many still showed incomplete maturity, vegetal notes, and high acidity, with only a few standout successes. In terms of the market, Kelley expects a challenging En Primeur campaign, noting that while some estates will offer significant price reductions, broader consumer interest, especially from key markets like the US, is likely to be muted. He points out that when Bordeaux wines are offered as futures but can be readily sourced years later, it erodes consumer confidence in the system. While he remains confident that Bordeaux will recover in time, he concludes that 2024 will not be the vintage to reignite widespread enthusiasm.

Overall, Kelley paints 2024 as a year where skill, hard work, and risk-taking were crucial—but even among the best producers, nature left little margin for error. The gap between the top estates and the rest has rarely been wider, and careful selection will be essential for collectors considering buying Bordeaux 2024.

For William Kelley's full report, see https://www.robertparker.com/

The Wine Advocate's Top Scoring Bordeaux 2024s