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.

A very classic Lafite, not exuberant but rather a wine of vivid detail. There is nowhere to hide in the wine – rather like looking inside a Swiss watch. It transports the beautiful, gravelly Pauillac soils with notes of soy, iodine, graphite and sapid hedgerow fruit. There is bright acidity here, notes of violets and plenty of mineral-etched detail with a fine lattice of tannins. A fine Lafite to drink over the next thirty years.

A bright and harmoniously complete wine this vintage, with one of the highest ever proportions of Cabernet in the blend. There are flavours of dark cherry fruit, violets, cocoa and pencil shavings, framed with ripe and fine-grained tannins to this mid-weight wine. It finishes with great freshness and energy - there is a lot of charm here.

The Langoa this year is very expressive and perfumed from the outset. It delivers bright red berry and hedgerow fruit with a sense of salinity and sapidity. There are fine and detailed notes of graphite and gravel with a lift of violets and cherry blossom. There is freshness and focus by the glassful here with a lovely sinewy finish with an accent for fresh wild herbs.

A bright and sinewy style of Laroque this year this leads with notes of rosehip, red berry and chalk dust. It feels tense and sapid on the palate with refreshing acidity and beatifully managed, fine-boned tannins. The finish is long and pure with a saline edge.

Quite a charming Lascombes this year under the direction of Axel Heinz. It offers notes of violets, dark cherry, and a little cocoa - rather lifted and aromatic in style. The palate is ripe and very fluid with a fine line of freshness here. Tannins are fine with just a little grip on the finish with a twist of wild herbs and liquorice.

The beautiful dark purple colour in the glass is striking. There is a peppery note on the nose with dried herbs, sandalwood, and incense - you can feel the energy here immediately. It gracefully fans across the palate with accents of violets, tapenade, soy and earth. Very complete and seamless bramble fruit here with a finely meshed texture of tannins. This grows through the palate to an extremely balance and harmonious finish with a salty, kelp-like inflection. Very fine.

A blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc the nose here is spicy with notes of pepper, violets and wet rocks. There is a real sense of harmony and balance here yet without too much density. It is bright and supple with a fine liquorice root and violet lift on the finish.

While definitely showing plenty of Lynch Bages signature, this feels beautifully classic and understated. It opens with a subtle spiced nose of sandalwood and a little cedar before a fine mineral tinge floods the palate with notes of oyster shell, violets, and iodine. There is a bright cherry blossom note with a fine, tense and sinewy structure to the tannins. The finish is long and mineral with a sense of restraint.

One of the highest ever proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend this year at 90% this is a brooding and restrained Léoville Barton that opens with notes of cedar, graphite and pencil shavings. For the moment it is tense and with a real sense of classicism and energy with firm, supple Cabernet tannins framing the black fruit core. It’s a wine that bridges old and new – precise, tense, and vibrant with a fine gravelly mineral note on the finish.

A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Merlot. This is a Las Cases with real restraint and rather inward looking for the moment. It has a gravelly core, with hints of spice, cocoa, five spice, and some violet notes. This reminds me a bit of the 2014 – this is zipped up but shows a sense of purity and a lot of detail and definition. Tense and with no excess, it is classical in frame and energy. The tannins are supple and coiled with a lift of iris, violets and soy on the finish.

This year a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, this is real success for the vintage. There is the flesh and the charm that is characteristic of Poyferré with an elegance that goes right to the core of the wine. There are aromas of violets, pepper and cedar with accents of plum and bramble fruit. A wine with aromatic charm and aeriel lift, it is full of brightness and energy.

100% Merlot from clay soils and the first year of Anne-Laurence in their new winery. The wine is vinified in concrete before ageing in foudre with no new oak influence. This has imbued the wine with a real sense of elegance and freshness. A very pretty wine, it offers notes of violets, wild hedgerow fruit and sapidity and energy. It is fine boned with an ethereal quality and a delicate and charming red fruit finish.

A blend of 60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon this is a sinewy and sapid style of Montlandrie with aromas of dark cherry, violets and black tea. The palate is fluid and energetic with a little wild herb note and fine grained, supple tannin. Bright, tense, and will of energy and charm the finish is long and saline with excellent focus.

A classic, vibrant and tense Montrose of subtlety and focus. It is a true classic, the opens with violet-tinged mineral notes of oyster shell and soy. Notes of smoked cedar, sandalwood, soy and kelp emerge too, shimmering from the core of dark cherry fruit. There is a firm, sinewy frame of tannins but this is not lacking in any elegance of detail. A real classic, with the highest ever portion of Cabernet Sauvignon, all from plots on the famous Terrace 4 soils.

A very elegant style of Mouton this vintage. It feels restrained at first, as if holding back. Notes of violets, cedar and sandalwood accent the ripe hedgerow fruit with a lift of violet and cocoa. This is finely eteched with a core of gravelly intensity that builds and builds through the palate to a finish that brings you back for more. An impressive, classical Mouton with a lot of detail and finesse.

The Palmer 2024 has an expressive and vibrant nose of dark cherry, crushed rocks, cedar and a little nutmeg. A really complete and harmonious wine it is caressing, sappy, detailed - growing in tension and drama. There is charm here but also plenty of seriousness and detail. It feels deftly sculpted with a fine mineral inflection and cocoa dust note on the finish.

Pavie is made from 28 different parcels which are vinified separately. Oak in recent years has been toned down with the 2024 vintage seeing around 60-65% new wood. It feels quite classical this year offering a restrained nose of sandalwood, violets with a saline feel that fans across the palate. Super tension to the wine, there are inflections of oyster shell, kelp iris and a lot of detail. There is a sinewy and sapid feel with plenty of flesh around the frame.

This is such a charming wine this year. It offers notes of blood orange, red berry fruits, and a fine spiced note of wild herbs and sandalwood. It is sinewy with an athletic energy on the palate which is so well balanced and detailed. A delicious St-Emilion that finishes with saline freshness and bright, floral notes.

One of the highest proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend this year at 87%, it is a finely detailed, mineral wine which builds and builds in volume. Opening with notes of soy, sandalwood, and cedar it has a real perfume of violets and lavendar lifting from the glass. The palate is very sapid with excellent energy and freshness with bright dark cherry and bramble fruit. The tannins are beautifully proportioned with a sinewy, fine-grained grip. A really classical Pauillac that finishes with excellent definition and mineral inflections.

The first year of organic certification, this is a wine of beautiful intensity. The nose opens with a fine, subtle menthol note with accents of nutmeg and sandalwood spice. There is a caressing and velvety feel to the tannin with mineral detail of wet rocks, graphite and oyster shell. There is a coil of tension that runs through the palate with a poised and refreshing finish with a lift of crushed violets.

As always, a vibrant and spicy white from the Cathiards. It opens with a nose of ginger, lemongrass and white grapefruit pith. The palate is very driven and saline with a real sense of purity and ocean freshness. The finish is fresh and vibrant with a fine bitter lemon twist.

There is an appealing spiced nose of cocoa and espresso that leads with accents of dried herbs and fresh earth. It is a bright and sapid wine with a sense of tension to the tannins and a clear mineral, saline edge. Bright cherry fruit, violets and red berries clothe the refreshing, mid-weight finish.

A bright and vibrant Suduiraut this year made with 100% Semillon and coming in at 130g/l of residual sugar. This is so expressive from the moment it hits the glass with aromas of marmalade, saffron, orange peel, and honeysuckle. There is tension and a burst of freshness on the palate with honeyed apricot and hints of exotic fruit and grilled pineapple that emerge with air. Perfectly balanced, this is a wonderfully fine Sauternes that will evolve with elegance and grace.

A bright and vibrant Suduiraut this year made with 100% Semillon and coming in at 130g/l of residual sugar. This is so expressive from the moment it hits the glass with aromas of marmalade, saffron, orange peel, and honeysuckle. There is tension and a burst of freshness on the palate with honeyed apricot and hints of exotic fruit and grilled pineapple that emerge with air. Perfectly balanced, this is a wonderfully fine Sauternes that will evolve with elegance and grace.

A bright and fine-boned Talbot that opens with subtle spice of white pepper, sandalwood and fresh tobacco. The palate offers crunchy hedgerow fruit, fresh violets and bright cherry fruit. There is a sense of balance and coherence here with elegance that shows this has not been pushed too far. It is a wine that will show well after just a year or so in bottle, but with plenty of energy in the tank for mid-term ageing.

Aged in 55% new wood, the 2024 Troplong Mondot is a blend of 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a beautiful and elegant wine this vintage, full of finesse. It offers flavours of a little blood orange, wild cherry, some dried herbs, and a slight ferrous note. There are accents of a little exotic spice with charming floral notes of cherry and violets. A complex wine that keeps unfolding to reveal orange peel, pomegranate, kirsh notes. There is a fine seamless texture here it, opens with richer cherry fruit then tightens on the finish with a real sense of purity and salinity.

Armailhac this year gives ripe bramble and dark berry fruit from the off with an immediate charm and aromatic intensity. It is quite fine-boned and mid-weight with a sense of liveliness and freshness. It is a wine that will be quite approachable in its youth - lots to like here.

A very seductive and aromatic Issan this year with notes of white pepper, violets and wild herbs - a real sense of verticality here. It is mid-weight with fine boned tannin with a sapid energy to the tannins. Lots of detail and charm here with a mineral, gravelly finish.

The 2024 Clos Fourtet is an impressively perfumed wine. So seductive and ethereal there are aromas of cherry blossom, white pepper and star anise. There is a feeling for energy and vibrancy that runs through the palate here, very much in balance with an obvious terroir signatures. The finish has excellent tension and saline freshness.

A real success this year, this is a saline and zippy white with aromas of ginger, lemon balm and white grapefruit zest. It is vibrant and crystalline on the palate with a refreshing bead of acidity, and long saline finish.

A perfumed and fine-boned Chevalier this year, it opens with some espresso and cocoa with accents of violets and ripe bramble fruit. The palate is well-defined and mid-weight with some earthy and soy notes, but showing great energy and freshness. It is a charming, fresher style of this great Pessac estate.

Fine, fresh, and charming - the 2024 Saintayme offers notes of black tea, wild herbs with crunchy red berry fruit. It is joyful, vibrant and a pleasure to taste - it will be easy to approach in just a year or so with ample red berry fruits on the finish