Following the tastings we had during the past days/weeks, I wanted to share some first impressions and personal notes about the 2025 vintage,
a few key insights and what to expect from the upcoming En Primeur Campaign.
In terms of weather conditions: 2025 was a hot and very dry vintage.
It was marked by a dry winter and an early, smooth vegetative cycle, leading to a homogeneous flowering and good fruit set. The summer then brought significant heat and water stress, raising concerns about overly powerful, unbalanced wines. However, timely rainfall at the end of August proved decisive: it avoided over-ripeness, preserved freshness, and allowed for a more balanced and complete maturation of both Merlot and Cabernet.
From a tasting point of view: the result is quite the opposite, and honestly quite impressive!
Considering the conditions, we might have expected rich, heavy wines lacking acidity. In fact, the wines show remarkable elegance, freshness, tension, with a vibrant fruit profile.
In a way, there is a resemblance to 2022 in structure and balance (with lower alcohol levels), combined with the aromatic expression of 2023.
Technically speaking, the vintage benefited from:
- A naturally limited berry size, enhancing concentration
- A generally good sanitary state at harvest
- A well-paced ripening thanks to late summer rains
- Excellent conditions for dry whites, which are particularly fresh, aromatic and well-balanced
- Very promising sweet wines, with ideal botrytis development conditions
The main challenge of the vintage will clearly be volume. Yields are historically low across Bordeaux. Despite efforts from Chateaux to maximize their Grand Vin production, this will not compensate the overall shortfall.
A few notable examples of yields:
- Palmer: ~20 hl/ha
- Margaux: ~20 hl/ha (-40 to -50%)
- Cheval Blanc: ~15 hl/ha (no Petit Cheval produced!)
- Lafite & Co: ~28 hl/ha (-30% on Lafite, significantly more on Carruades)
- Giscours: ~32 hl/ha (-25/30%, -50% on Sirène)
- Saint-Julien AOC average around just 22 hl/ha: Talbot: ~28 hl/ha (-30%, -50% on Connétable) / Léoville & Langoa Barton: ~22 hl/ha / Beychevelle: ~28 hl/ha (vs 50 last year)
In terms of market conditions: global environment remains challenging and delicate, as we all know.
Ongoing geopolitical tensions, continue to impact on confidence and visibility, especially for medium to long-term business in key markets (particularly in the Middle East).
As last year, pricing will be a decisive factor. All châteaux are fully aware of the current market context and the need to release release 2025 at attractive price levels to help re-engage the En Primeur system. However, this remains a delicate balance:
- The quality is clearly above 2024
- Volumes are significantly lower
Overall, we should expect prices to be higher than last year for most wines, although efforts will be made to keep them as compelling as possible.
The campaign may start slowly and cautiously, but the combination of quality and limited allocations could ultimately support a successful dynamic. That’s all we can hope for!
I hope these elements will help you navigate the upcoming Campaign. We are available with Françoise should you need any further information.
For those coming to Bordeaux, you will soon have the opportunity to make your own opinion. We very much look forward to seeing some of you during the tastings!
