A quick appraisal of the 2025 vintage in Bordeaux
I didn’t get to do primeurs in Bordeaux this spring. In fact I never do primeurs in Bordeaux because it’s a huge investment in time, and I think my views on baby wines that are still in barrel (and are thus very hard to assess) don’t justify the amount of time and expense that primeurs involves. So I usually wait until the wines have been in bottle a while and taste a year later at the Union des Grands Crus tasting in London.
But this year Wine Lister put on a mini EP tasting in London where a small number of properties bought over their 2025 wines, and this seemed like a good chance to take a brief glance at the vintage. These are my notes, but bear in mind this is a tasting of very young barrel samples.
If I had cellar space, and didn’t mind the cost of carry, this is the sort of Bordeaux vintage where I’d buy a few six packs.
Château Pichon Baron Pauillac 2025
84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, with quantity a little down (104 000 bottles versus the usual 150 000 bottles of the Grand Vin). Heady, floral and aromatic. Silky and spicy; fresh and vivid. Lovely sweet blackcurrant fruit but also some good structure to balance out the flesh. Nicely textured with an appropriately grippy finish. 96/100
Château Phélan Ségur Saint-Estéphe 2025
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc. Vivid and intense with freshness to the blackcurrant fruit. Very Cabernet like with freshness and precision, and plenty of tannin. Beautiful. 95/100
Château Duhart-Milon Pauillac 2025
73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot. Sophisticated spicy oak on the nose. Fresh with nice energy and has some tannic crunch. But it’s very stylish showing freshness and purpose to the sweet black fruits. 95/100
Château Grand-Puy Ducasse Prélude Pauillac 2025
65% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot. Vivid, crunchy and tannic with such pretty, aromatic, forward blackcurrant and cherry fruit. Really fresh and delicious. 93/100
Château Grand-Puy Ducasse Pauillac 2025
66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot. Yields were quite low (one of the smallest vintages in recent years) especially in the blocks with less clay. Concentrated, rich and dense, with a distinct spiciness. Lots of oak here, but also some lovely blackcurrant fruit. Nicely spicy. Grippy on the finish. 95/100
Château Grand-Puy Ducasse h. Pauillac 2025
69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot. This wine has been made since 2024 and it’s made from five historical blocks in front of the Château. Named after the hirondelle (swallow). Aged just in amphora (Tava). Pure, concentrated and intense with amazing density of blackcurrant and cherry fruit. So fine and expressive with lovely structure. 96/100
Château Meyney Prieur de Meyney Saint-Estéphe 2024
62% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot. Vibrant, expressive and pure with lovely fruit: black cherries and blackberries and plums. Really impressive: bright and vivid. 93/100
Château Meyney Saint-Estéphe 2024
66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 14% Petit Verdot. Fresh and aromatic with lovely concentration of blackcurrant fruit and nice grip. Fresh and vital. This is really good. 95/100
Château Siran Margaux 2025
50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot. Immediate and vibrant. Floral and pretty, but with some tannic structure and spicy oak. Quite delicious with lovely fruit. 94/100
Château Lascombes Chevalier Margaux 2025
70% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot. Pure, vivid and bright with blackcurrant and black cherry fruit. Vivid and dense, this is really expressive with nice intensity and some spicy oak support. 94/100
Château Lascombes La Côte Margaux 2025
100% Merlot. Floral and spicy with some expressive oak. Vivid and concentrated but very pretty with nice intensity. 95/100
Château Lascombes Margaux 2025
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Concentrated and structured with nice density and some tannic blackcurrant fruit. Firm, but also with lovely flesh. Very bright and pretty with nice precision. Real potential here. 95/100
Château Larrivaux Haut-Médoc 2025
45% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc. Lovely freshness and intensity with bright, vivid fruit and a nice acid line. Juicy and grippy with real definition. 94/100
Château L’Évangile Pomerol 2025
86% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. Very aromatic with lots of spicy oak on the nose, and bright and vivid aromatics. Fleshy but bright on the palate. Vivid and really incisiver. 95/100
Château de Ferraud Saint Émilion 2025
71% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc. Vibrant colour. Floral and primary with lovely aromatic berry fruits. Fresh, crunchy and light with good structure and balance. 94/100
Château Laroque Saint Émilion 2025
99% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc. Pure, fresh, juicy and vibrant with lovely purity and focus, finishing with grippy tannins. 93/100
