Bordeaux 2024 en primeur: all wines

Capturing the energy and aromatic vibrancy of the vintage, this is a chiselled style of Angélus with a fluid and saline tension on the palate. There is charm and freshness but also a more serious mineral element that flows beneath the surface. Notes of violets, pomegranate, rhubarb lift on the finish which finishes with real vibrancy and tension.

Quite serious and brooding Ausone, it is quite restrained for the moment offering aromas of pepper, dried herbs, sandalwood and cedar. There is a slightly sanguine and soy note here with compact, fine grained tannin, intense dark berry fruit with a fine black tea and violet lift. It is tightly coiled and vibrant - a wine that will require patience.

A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot and 15% Merlot, the 2024 Batailley opens with charm and distinctive floral notes of violets and iris. Classical in profile, there is an understated elegance here. Gravelly and mineral, it is mid-weight, fresh and vibrant – a wine that has captured the growing season, and plenty of tension to unfold in the coming years.

A blend of 78% Merlot and 22% Cabernet Franc, this is a beautifully managed wine this year. A nose that offers aromas of black tea, cherry blossom, violets and ripe dark cherry fruit, it is understated and very elegant. It has a seamless and silky feel in the palate with the limestone soils showing themselves through a certain salinity and crunchiness to the fruit. Subtle spiced notes of white pepper and dried herbs here too, with a detailed and bright finish with a lot of sapidity.

This is very seamless and pure in style opening with fine spiced cherry fruit, five spice, wild strawberry and kirsch. A little detail of tannin which grip slightly but there is a purity and elegance here. The fruit is medium bodied and strawberry and red fruit focused. A lovely energy here and excellent intensity for the vintage.

A blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot cropped at 43hl/ha. It is a fine and rather restrained style of Beychevelle with some five spice and cocoa notes on the nose which give way to reveal a backbone of ripe bramble fruit. A subtle earthy and sanguine note add intrigue with a frame of sinewy, fine-grained tannin around the hedgerow fruit. The finish is well-focused with a sense of sapidity with accents of kelp and liquorice.

72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 3.5% Cabernet Franc and 2.5% Petit Verdot. A bright and aromatic Branaire that is more finesse and charm than density. There are notes of violets and cocoa dusted cherries. There is a fine freshness and sense of elegance on the palate with fine boned tannins on the finish.

This is quite a bold wine for the vintage. It leads with a rich dark chocolate note with dark cherry fruit. The palate gives more spice with notes of violets, wild herbs and a fine cocoa bitterness. The tannins are supple with a hint of soy and excellent freshness running through to the finish.

A very classic and classy Margaux, the 2024 Cantenac Brown has aromas of wild starwberry, cherry, sandalwood and subtle earthy notes. It is delicate and full of finesse with a vibrant line of acidity, supple tannin and a gracefulness and ease on the palate. It finishes with a lift of wild flowers and ocean spray.

A Cheval Blanc that is all about aromatics and elegance. The nose opens with aromas of lavender, rhubarb, black olive and fresh earth with subtle sandalwood and cocoa spice. There is a coil of tension and energy running through the palate with fine sapidity and a burst of red berry and cassis fruit. Coolness and grace flood the finish with a gentle, sinewy grip of tannin and a little soy and liquorice. A wine that emphasises the terroir with no hint of excess.

This is particularly well done this year, with notes of violets, bay leaf and baking spice on the nose which leads to dark cherry fruits on the palate. There is a feeling of silkiness and fleshiness on the palate which gives charm while the vibrant acidity helps to add real detail to the finish.

Expressive from the outset this vintage of Cos is carefully sculpted. The nose delivers aromas of cocoa, dried herbs and star anise which lead to fine, fluid hedgerow fruits on the palate. There is tension and poise here, with rather chiselled, precise tannins that coil around the fruit. It is not a heavy-weight wine this vintage but beautifully managed with classical balance.

This is a bright and detailed Duhart with notes of espresso, dried herbs and a little cocoa note on the nose. The palate is saline and with a real sense of purity and direction. Flavours of dark cherry, violets, and a little soy linger on the finish. A sinewy and sapid Duhart this year.

A great Figeac this year it opens with a beautifully defined nose of incense, five spice, violets and a little liquorice. Aromatics are so seductive here - there is an enticing perfume of wet rocks, pepper, charcoal, and dried herbs. Full of elegance it offers notes of pomegranate, cherry and blue fruits with a fine and supple energy. It packs a lot of intensity and complexity into its mid-weight frame, this is a real success for the vintage.

Quite the success this year, Giscours is a graceful and rather expressive Margaux giving aromas of violets, iodine, and dark cherry fruit. There is some density and fleshiness to the fruit with flows across the palate yet it is etched with mineral detail of wet stone and liqourice root that amplify on the finish.

A really expressive St-Julien this year, Gloria is bursting with aromas of violets and red berry fruit. The palate is detailed and refreshing with notes of red cherry, tobacco spice and toasted cedar. It has a sinewy grip of tannin while remaining very measured and mineral. A very fine Gloria.

This is a detailed and charming Gruaud with mid-weight and a real lift of violet and espresso perfume. Opening with subtle spice of sandalwood and bay the palate reveals notes of red berry and some cassis fruit. Lots of tension here and a rather understated elegance.

A more delicate Haut-Bailly that is a blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. This is quite aromatic with notes of violets, cherry blossom and wild herbs. The palate opens with accents of sandalwood and a little white pepper before a lattice of fine-boned tannins clothed in red berry fruits floods the palate. A lot of energy and tension here, transporting the gravelly terroir with charm.

An expressive Haut-Brion this year there is fine detail of Cabernet with notes of warm gravel, violets and cassis fruit. Accents of pepper and cocoa add complexity here with a sinewy, fine-grained and tense tannin structure framing the fruit. It is a fine, supple and elegant Haut-Brion this year which can be considered a success for the vintage.

The 2024 La Fleur Petrus is quite a serious and brooding wine. Restrained at first there is plenty of spice with aromas of white pepper and sandalwood. Quite strict on the palate with sinewy tannin, red cherry fruit and a little liquorice note there is plenty of tension and energy. With time this might gain some weight and become more rounded on the palate.

A blend of 40% Cabernet Franc and 60% Merlot, this has all the grace and finesse you would hope for this vintage with notes of red cherry iris and peony. There are subtle hints of spice, dried herbs and white pepper with a refreshing saline and mineral note coming through on the finish. A very classy wine this year.

Slightly restrained aromatics here, they need some coaxing from the glass at this time. If offers quite mineral inflections of oyster shell, soy and wet stones. There is a rather silky and fluid feel on the palate here with details of liquorice and violets. The finish is bright and focused with a hint of brine and wild herbs.

A vibrant and linear style of Carruades that offers notes of red berries and a little cedar and coffee spice on the nose. The palate has detailed, sinewy tannin, a hint of fresh herbs, with a cranberry lift and saline quality on the finish. A more early drinking style of Carruades that shows some of the accessibility of the vintage.