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LE FIN
They’re all on the dance floor now. Ladies and gentlemen, make your choices.
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Thank you for reading. Same time next year?
Friday 12 June
Montrose is a clear contender for wine of the vintage, and certainly the best non-first-growth left-bank wine. The bouquet has the instantly compelling quality of a great wine. The grand vin is now only made from the gravel platform of Terrasse 4, the heart of the vineyard of Montrose’s greatest terroir.
Before there were vines on the slope that now marks the vineyards of Montrose, there was heather. And at the right time of year, the hillside turned pink with heather flowers. Hence, Montrose – ‘mont rose’, ‘the pink slope’. It is often thought of as the first growth of St-Estephe, and frequently vies for the title of wine of the vintage. The 2025 is beautiful is beautiful, complete, pure – and monumental. We are also delighted to offer 2025 Dame de Montrose, which in Uncorked’s judgement is the best second wine of the vintage.
Also this morning, we have Conseillante. We are almost over the finishing line.
Thursday 11 June
This morning we have the great Léoville Las Cases. With its vast new gravity-fed winery up and running in time for the 2025 vintage, where they used to rely on 40 large wooden tanks, they now have 120 smaller tanks in place. That means they can manage a much more parcel-focussed approach to fermentation. The theory is, of course, that a more focussed approach in the winery translates to more precision in the finished wine. 2025 Léoville Las Cases does indeed show beautiful depth and definition alongside its characteristic power. In 2025, the Delon family are celebrating 125 years of ownership of Léoville Las Cases, but in a wry dig at some other properties they promise there will be no self-congratulatory label.
Also this morning, Ausone.
Wednesday 10 June
This morning we have the great Château Margaux. 2025 saw the lowest production of Château Margaux since 1856, through a combination of the vintage conditions and very rigorous selection for the grand vin. ‘We only used the amazing plots for Château Margaux itself.’ It opens as a pure and focussed wall of black and red fruit, peony and river rock. There is no sense of the heat of the vintage, but the tannins are imposing and there is a powerful line of acidity. Nothing is out of place in this monumental but seamlessly composed wine. Jane Anson sums up it up: ‘I don’t give 100 points En Primeur, but if I did, this would get it. It's a slam dunk.’
The texture, quality, energy and freshness of Château Margaux also infuses Pavillon Rouge and Pavillon Blanc, the latter defined by its waxy salinity and piquant, citrus freshness.
From St-Emilion we have Figeac. This is aromatically stunning, with all three grape varieties in the blend clearly in evidence.
And from the highest, northernmost part of St-Estèphe, we have Calon-Ségur. 2025 Calon-Ségur has the beautiful marriage and concentration and freshness that defines the best wines of the vintage. It leaves behind a lovely sense of sapidity. As usual, it is being raised in 100% new oak, but wears it lightly. A very classy Calon with years of life ahead.
There’s no keeping them in today, as the campaign runs for the finishing line. Next stop is in Pomerol for Vieux Château Certan. With yields of only 22hl/ha, concentration is naturally very high. Aromatically, the characteristic Merlot plum is given depth by the ripe Cabernet Franc, and a floral note that Guillaume Theinpont defined as ‘between wisteria and chamomile’. In the mouth, there is a surprising savoury-salty element underneath the very velvety tannins. This is a stop-you-in-your-tracks exquisite wine.
Tuesday 9 June
Out this morning, the monumental Haut-Brion is a clear contender for wine of the vintage. Smith-Haut-Lafitte Rouge and Smith-Haut-Lafitte Blanc are out as well, and both will be bottled with a special label to pay tribute to Daniel Cathiard, who died in 2025. Over 35 years, he transformed the fortunes and the quality of Smith-Haut-Lafitte. And Uncorked was wowed by Pichon-Longueville Baron this year.
Monday 8 June
Antonio Galloni gives a potentially perfect 98-100 score to this morning’s release Beau-Séjour Bécot, writing ‘the purity here is just off the charts… There are good wines, exceptional wines, and then emotional wines. Beau-Séjour Bécot falls into the third category. Unforgettable.’
Also from St-Emilion, Pavie Macquin is a marriage of chalky limestone freshness, bright red fruit and a potent sense of energy. From Pomerol, we have the great L’Eglise-Clinet, and from St-Julien, the magisterial Ducru-Beaucaillou.
From the highest point on the St-Emilion plateau, with spectacular views over the surroundings, comes Troplong Mondot. An impressive sense of petrichor and minerality contributes to the great energy here. William Kelley gives this a potentially perfect 98-100 point score and notes it will rival the great 2022.
Also today, we have ‘The best L`If to date,’ as Galloni says, ‘a total stunner. It`s like no other vintage I have tasted thus far, perhaps because of the high percentage (25%) of Cabernet Franc’. Uncorked couldn’t agree more. 2025 L’If has a strong limestone signature, and is terribly pretty, concentrated but lifted, with no sense of palate weight, but intensity, persistence and a piquant acidity.
Friday 5 June
Some very significant releases this morning. Sara Lecompte Cuvelier has fashioned a hugely impressive 2025 Léoville Poyferré, layered and structured, luscious and with a driven acidity. `We never expected to find so much acidity after the warmth of the year,` Sara told us, `but here we are`. Canon is one of the greats of St-Emilion, and 2025 Canon is a sumptuous but razor-sharp expression of the limestone plateau; the bouquet is a burst of roses. And just like Canon, under the guidance of Estate Manager Nicolas Audebert, its Margaux sister property Rauzan-Ségla has been transformed over the last two decades by ever more precise vineyard and cellar work. The commune of Margaux as a whole excelled in 2025, and Rauzan surfed the wave; with tannins like glossy silk, 2025 Rauzan-Ségla is to swoon for.
Thursday 4 June
‘It was a really good vintage here,’ Jeremy Chasseuil told us at Pomerol property Feytit-Clinet. ‘Our yields were very low, but we couldn’t believe how good the wine was’. He also noted how important careful sorting was to the vintage, since after the heat of the summer some fruit was dried. 2025 Feytit-Clinet is a gem of a wine. The raspberry note is a rare appearance of a Burgundian-like red fruit note in all the dark fruit of the vintage, and it comes with plum, rosemary and a sprig of mint. There’s a delicious smack of acidity on the finish, and though the fruit is perfectly ripe you’d never guess how hot the season was. A great wine.
A few other releases this morning. St-Estèphe property Phélan-Ségur has got lift and energy and intensity. The distinguished dragon boat of Beychevelle sails out at £377/6 this year. Scottish-founded Margaux third growth Cantenac-Brown (or Cantenac-Broon as it is in my head) is dark and vivid and possessed of a powerful energy. Also from Margaux, d’Issan, which sadly escaped Uncorked’s tasting schedule this year.
Also today, we have the very special Carmes Haut-Brion. With the highest proportion of Cabernet Franc anywhere on the left bank and the distinctive, unusual use of stems in the fermentations, Carmes has an aromatic imprint that is far outside the Bordeaux norm. This small Pessac property is at the cutting edge of Bordeaux wine-making, redefining what is possible in the region, and in the process making some of the finest and most distinctive wines in Bordeaux today. This is an exquisitely made wine of irresistible finesse, all blackberry, cardamom and rosewood and, as Neal Martin puts it, ‘more sapidity on the finish than the Dead Sea’.
Wednesday 3 June
Out this morning, Mouton-Rothschild is often the most opulent and flashy of the first growths. 2025 Mouton is certainly intense, vivid, charming and (relatively) approachable, but it is also structured, serious, linear and saline. The sheer energy it has will support many years of cellar evolution.
After lunch, we have Haut-Bailly, to which Jane Anson has given a potentially perfect 98-100 score. Uncorked loved the layered aromatics and the cool power here. Haut-Bailly II is also excellent, a more accessible expression of the same serious, elegant Pessac style.
Brane-Cantenac was the very first wine we tasted in Bordeaux this year, and it was an instant wake-up call to the quality of the vintage. The beautiful layering of aromatics and textured, confident fruit are complemented by exquisitely silky tannins. Brane has quite rightly become one of the most sought-after wines in Margaux, its success driven by the work owner Henri Lurton has put in over the last thirty years. Extensive soil studies have ensured that grape varieties and rootstocks are well-matched to soil types, and the château has become notable for the excellence of its work with oak, with the origins and toast levels of the barrels continually under review. The historic heart of the estate lies behind the château on the Plateau de Brane, where the oldest vines are rooted in gravel soils that reach down 12 metres. Henri places his 2025 between the 2016 and the 2022 in both style and quality. 'Yes yes yes', reads Jane Anson's note, and Uncorked couldn't agree more.
Tuesday 2 June
First out the door this morning we have St-Julien third growth Lagrange. Matthieu Bordes arrived here in 2006 and was promoted to head winemaker in 2013, with a no-expense-spared remit to make the best wine possible, with the 2025 clocking in at a terribly reasonable £182/6.
Uncorked did not have the pleasure of tasting Pavie, but Galloni calls it a ‘total stunner’ and Jane Anson admires the ‘A-game’. There are interesting developments here. The vineyards of stablemates Pavie Decesse and Bellevue Mondotte now go towards Pavie itself, and the proportion of Cabernet Franc is up to 60%. As Neal Martin notes, that changes the aromatic signature and supplies more structural tension.
La Mission Haut-Brion is, in my notes, rock rose, sea spray and heather smoke, with beautifully silky tannins. It’s a stunning performance.
Also today, we have Pichon Longueville Lalande, easily one of the greatest wines of the Médoc, frequently vying with and sometimes exceeding the first growths in quality. The chateau could hardly ask for better neighbours, with the vineyards sandwiched between Latour and Pichon Baron. The Chateau counts no less than 10 different soil types across its vineyards, with multiple variations on the Garonne deep-gravels-over-clay theme. With substantial deposits of iron-rich clay in the soil (more than in most of Pauillac) there has historically been a lot of Merlot here, though replanting over the last two decades has increased the presence of Cabernet Sauvignon. Nicolas Glumineau arrived as General Manager and Winemaker in 2012, and vintage after vintage since then has comfortably vindicated Pichon Lalande’s super-second status.
2025 Pichon Lalande is aromatically beautiful, an array of dark fruit, hot stones, violets and spice. In the mouth the fruit-soaked tannins lead the way through the mouth to the very long, precise, and powerful finish. It is dense and muscular, structured, a wine with the potential to support many years of cellar ageing. There is also a brilliant second wine, Pichon Comtesse Reserve, that is often better than some first wines elsewhere. 2025 Pichon Comtesse Reserve is aromatically lovely, very much in the same vein as the grand vin, with a slightly more open-knit structure.
Monday 1 June
Grand-Puy-Lacoste, one of the great estates of Pauillac, is out this morning. Its history goes all the way back to the sixteenth century, and the vineyards, which lie in one block around the château, have not changed in layout since the 1855 classification. The Borie family arrived here in 1978 and their dedication, work and investment since then has led to what is arguably the greatest era in the property's history. 2025 saw the inauguration of a new, gravity-fed cellar with double the previous vat capacity. The gravity-fed approach leads to finer tannins, and the extra vat capacity allows a more plot-by-plot approach to vinification. Greater precision in the winery naturally leads to a finer wine.
Emmeline Borie noted the very fast flowering they saw in 2025, 'just like 2020 and 2022' - a marker for a great vintage. The heat of the summer led to a nail-biting approach to harvest, with late August rain reviving the vines and leading to beautiful quality fruit at harvest. Driven by a substantial 76% proportion of Cabernet Sauvgnon, 2025 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is classically proportioned Pauillac, cool, taut and elegant. Vibrant dark fruit is supported by notes of tobacco, spice and cedarwood, and as ever with Grand-Puy-Lacoste, this gorgeous wine has a long potential cellar life ahead. The second wine, Lacoste Borie, comes from dedicated vineyards to the west of the château, surrounded by classed growths, and is a distinguished proposition in its own right. Alongside the usual bottling formats, the Borie family are happy to offer Grand-Puy-Lacoste in their unique variations case, which includes bottles, magnums and a double magnum.
We also have two fine releases from down the road in Margaux. Siran is lifted and floral, with fresh aromas against ripe dark fruit. And Uncorked was seriously impressed with third-growth Giscours, which is intensely floral in character, and beautifully layered on the palate.
And from the other side of the big mound (Grand Puy) in Pauillac we have fifth growth Grand-Puy-Ducasse. This property is under the same ownership as St-Estèphe Meyney, which lies close to Montrose on some excellent terroir and is also released today. The Delon family have also given us their Pomerol Nenin as well their family home property Potensac, both of which benefit from the same winemaking team as at Leoville-Las Cases.
Tuesday 26 May: Intermission
Vinexpo Asia Is taking place in Hong Kong from today until Thursday, and many of the great and the good of Bordeaux are there showcasing their wares. We expect no major Bordeaux releases this week. Business will resume in earnest next week.
Friday 22 May
The exquisite Palmer rode the success of the commune of Margaux as a whole this year to turn out a stunning 2025: the bouquet is a hit of violets, and the palate is sheer silk.
Composed, classical Branaire-Ducru is a textbook St-Julien, seamlessly done in 2025: it has the structure of the great 2022, but with fresher flavours.
Historic property La Gaffelière occupies some high-grade St-Emilion terroir in the ‘golden triangle’ of vines between the hills topped by Ausone and Pavie. The vines span three sections: the limestone plateau next to Ausone, over the cusp of the slope on limestone-embedded clay, and at the bottom of the slope where the black sandy soils need careful management, but bring very fine aromatics. We loved the 2025, and the second wine Clos la Gaffelière is also a steal. And from just outside the town of St-Emilion, neighbouring Canon, Berliquet sits half on the plateau, half on the slope; the mix of limestone and clay soils give a wine of both weight and intense precision, and it’s extremely good value for the address.
Thursday 21 May
From one of the great terroirs of Pauillac, super second Lynch-Bages has turned out an impressively powerful 2025. It is a dense and imposing wine built for the long haul, with concentrated sweet fruit coating salty bones. Polished tannins and a good register of acidity make the wine sweep along the palate; after the crescendo of the finish there is a long aftertaste. It’s a brilliant performance from a wine that will demand some years of cellar ageing. Lynch has always occupied an outstanding piece of land, but hard work, passionate engagement in winemaking and serious investment in micro-managing soils have over the last years elevated the wine to something exceptional. The formidably detailed investigation and mapping of the estate have given the Cazes family a deeper understanding of it. 2020 saw the inauguration of a huge new cellar, with 80 gravity-fed tanks enabling a more precise, parcel-by-parcel approach to vinification. Recent vintages have reaped the benefit, and the 2025 is seriously impressive. The second wine here, Echo, is also excellent in its own regard.
Talbot used to have a sleepy reputation, but recently, under the guiding hand of Jean-Michel Laporte (ex of Conseillante) with Derenoncourt consulting, it has been singing, proving just how good its terroir actually is. That terroir is the mix of fine and sandy gravels on one of the highest spots in St-Julien. Of the 2025, Neal Martin writes, ‘if you seek a classic Saint-Julien and, it must be said, often at a reasonable price, then look no further’.
And from Margaux, we have the lovely Durfort-Vivens. Jane Anson is right to note that this is probably the very best-value second growth there is. With a very high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon on the very gravelly soils here, there’s aways a marked Cabernet character in the wine. The 2025 is replete with creamy, silky cassis, licorice and rose petal.
Uncorked didn’t have the pleasure of tasting Angelus, but it notes very well.
Wednesday 20 May
This morning we have St-Julien stablemates Léoville and Langoa Barton. These two properties have been in the hands of the same family longer than any other Bordeaux classed growth: the Bartons bought both in the 1820s, and were celebrating 200 years of owning Léoville Barton when we visited to taste in April. The Léoville Barton vineyards lie in the north of St-Julien, between the chateau and the river, with a high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon, on slopes that enjoy long hours of sunlight. The Léoville Barton style tends to be old-school St-Julien, powerful and elegant. The Langoa Barton vineyards lie in the south of the appellation, on cooler, gravel-rich soils, which lend this wine a fresher and more restrained, red-fruit profile. At Langoa the proportion of Merlot is usually close to that of the Cabernet (in 2025, 45% Merlot to 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the balance to Cabernet Franc) which makes for a juicier style. In 2025, both wines enjoy the concentration, intensity and texture that is compensation for the very low yields of the vintage.
First growth Lafite is one of the greatest wines of Bordeaux. It lies on deep, deep gravel beds in the north of Pauillac, towards the St-Estèphe border, and while sometimes hard to read en primeur, it is a wine which can be monumentally long-lived. At this early stage, 2025 Lafite comes across as concentrated and opaque, with the dark fruit marked by a salty iodine character that evokes the seaside. Technical Director Eric Kohler notes that ‘the key to Lafite is a spectrum of flavours rather than a strong expression of any particular one’, which is perhaps why Lafite can seem such an enigma to nail down. Neal Martin gives Lafite a potentially perfect 98-100 point score and writes: ‘I admit that, upon returning to my car, it was only then that I realised what a brilliant wine the 2025 Lafite-Rothschild is destined to become.’ Uncorked understands completely what Neal means here, because 2025 Lafite has a hauntingly long finish that followed us out of the building after we tasted, too.
From the Durantou stable, we also have La Petite Eglise, the second wine of L’Eglise-Clinet. There are also the extremely good value Les Cruzelles and La Chenade (both Lalande-de-Pomerol), Saintayme (St-Emilion) and Montlandrie (Castilllon).
Tuesday 19 May
First out the gates this morning we have Gruaud Larose. 2025 marks the 300th year since Joseph-Stanislas Gruaud first laid out vineyards in St-Julien (the name Gruaud Larose didn’t come along till later). The vintage has cooperated and allowed them to make a seriously good 2025 to celebrate, grippy, powerful, with serious depth. It may not last 300 years, but it will definitely need a few years in your cellar to be at its best. The château is also celebrating its 300th birthday with a smart black and gold anniversary label, and invites you to personalize large format bottles (3 litres and up).
From the Mouton-Rothschild stable, we have Pauillac fifth growths Clerc Milon and Armailhac. Both are neighbours to Mouton, and both benefit from some great terroir on complex, varied soils. In 2025 Armailhac is heady and floral, Clerc Milon is smoky and spicy, and both have good grip, density and energy. We also have Margaux fourth growth Prieuré-Lichine, which rode the wave of Margaux’s success this year to turn out a lovely, luscious 2025.
This afternoon we have Claire Villars-Lurton’s Pauillac fifth growth Haut-Bages Liberal. With vines in two blocks, one next to Latour, the other behind Pichon Baron, this is always a serious proposition. We also have Ms Villars-Lurton’s Margaux third growth Ferrière. With some very old vines on the deep gravel of the plateau, yields are low here, but the wine enjoys the glossy excellence of tannins that all the commune of Margaux seems to have enjoyed in 2025.
Monday 18 May
Also today, from Pessac we have the Kressmann family’s Latour-Martillac. With a 12th century tower near the village of Martillac, the name of this property is pretty much the address. The Cabernet Sauvignon vines are planted across the gravelly soils of the Martillac plateau, while the Merlot and the white vines are planted across a clay-limestone outcrop. 2025 Latour-Martillac Blanc is vibrant and driven, fresh and textured, with a nice balance between richness and crispness, with Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc both in evidence and neither dominant, all capped with a mineral finish. 2025 Latour-Martillac Rouge is vibrant and plummy, a little darker than it often is but full of freshness, with gravelly Graves typicité. Both are lovely.
From Sauternes and the foot of the Yquem hill, we also have Suduiraut this morning. Pure Sémillon, this is a top Sauternes performer, aromatically compelling, like a very refined lemon tart, and the intense line of acidity makes all the sugar go by in effortless pleasure. It is part of the Axa Millesimes group, so it is managed by Christian Seely, and we usually taste it on a visit to its noble portfolio sibling Pichon Baron.
Back in St-Estèphe, we have the monumental yet exquisitely-balaced Cos d’Estournel. It is infused with a real sense of sweep and freshness. Galloni calls it ‘a masterpiece’ and William Kelley calls it ‘one of the finest wines this property has produced in the last decade’, and I’m inclined to agree with both. Cos d’Estournel Blanc is also a profoundly serious wine and my note from the tasting stretches to an absurd number of adjectives as I tried to capture it. Suffice to say it combines rich texture and diverse aromatics with an intense acid line, for a deep and powerful combination.
This morning starts with the Lorenzetti family releases: from St-Estèphe, fourth growth Lafon-Rochet has put in a great show this year. Christophe Congé, ex of Domaines Barons de Rothschild, has been leading the charge here since 2022, and this is Lafon’s second year of certified organic viticulture. Also from St-Estèphe, on the Cos plateau, we have top Cru Bourgeois Lilian Ladouys. The Lorenzettis have invested seriously in the vineyards and the cellars since they took over in 2007, and the wine is really showing the benefit. And from Pauillac, fifth-growth Pedesclaux has also hugely benefitted from twenty years of the Lorenzetti treatment.
Thursday 14 May
Today is Ascension Day, and it’s a public holiday in France. We expect no releases now till next week (when it may well be busy). Have a good weekend, open something nice.
Wednesday 13 May
The most significant release this morning is Pomerol’s largest (and still family-owned) property Gazin. The style here is very much traditional Pomerol, though they are gently nudging up the small proportion of both Cabernets in the vineyard, as a hedge against global warming. Uncorked was very impressed with the bright, full, grippy 2025 here.
I’m with Jane Anson when she writes that Carbonnieux Blanc ‘is one of the best whites of Bordeaux for me’. It seems to be more represented in wine lists in France than in the UK, but it is invariably intense, lovely, and well-made. The 2025 has great energy and is very appealing. The Rouge is also fine and charming, in a very classic, medium-bodied Pessac flower-and-gravel style.
From St-Julien, we have an excellent, appealing iteration of fourth-growth Saint-Pierre, while from Pauillac we have Haut-Batailley. Neal Martin gives this a high score of 95-97, calling it a ‘marvellous contribution to the vintage, perhaps the best under Jean-Charles Cazes’. Uncorked was impressed, too.
Tuesday 12 May
Fifth growth Cantemerle lies just outside the boundaries of Margaux, and is one of a small number of Haut-Médoc classed growths. Last year, Uncorked visited the hard hat construction site of Cantemerle’s new cellar; this year, the facility was complete and used as the site of the Margaux and southern Medoc UGC tasting. Released today, 2025 Cantemerle is luscious, dark and sapid. Margaux overperformed in 2025, the UGC Margaux tasting was a real pleasure, and Uncorked was impressed with a lovely du Tertre. Also from the Haut-Médoc, we have Sociando-Mallet.
The whites of Pessac-Léognan are another high point this vintage, and Uncorked was very impressed with the focus and intensity of Malartic-Lagravière Blanc. In common with other high-flying Pessac reds this year, the Malartic-Lagravière Rouge has a richer texture than usual.
From slightly lower, cooler terroir next to its neighbour and stablemate Lafite, imposing Duhart-Milon is earthy, gravelly and serious, a slightly more open expression of the Lafite style.
And from Pomerol, tucked nicely in between L’Evangile, Vieux Chateau Certan and Le Pin, we have Petit Village.
Monday 11 May
From Pessac-Léognan, we have Domaine de Chevalier. The terroir of Chevalier loved the hot, dry 2025 season, and both colours excelled. The Rouge is a blend this vintage of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. It is dense and energetic, with complex, layered flavours and gravelly tannins coated with ripe fruit. It is the best Chevalier rouge which Uncorked has tasted en primeur. The Blanc is a blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Sémillon, barrel-fermented on the lees. It is intense but not weighty, with lovely, refined aromatics and a long, charged finish. Both colours see around a third of new oak. Also worthy of note is L`Esprit de Chevalier Blanc, which Neal Martin scores as highly as Chevalier Blanc itself.
From Pomerol, we have L’Evangile, followed swiftly by Cheval Blanc. William Kelley notes that this beautiful iteration ‘gives every indication of being one of the great Cheval Blancs of the decade’. Yields were extremely low and there is no Petit Cheval this year.
First out of the gates this morning we have de Fieuzal Rouge and Blanc. Pessac excelled in 2025. The red is unusually rich, the white is textured and weighty but then given a real thrust by the kick of acidity on the finish.
And from Pomerol, tucked nicely in between L’Evangile, Vieux Chateau Certan and Le Pin, we have Petit Village.
Thursday 7 May
This morning we have the Bernard Magrez wines: from the Graves, Pape-Clement Blanc and Rouge, and St-Emilion’s largest classified estate, Fombrauge.
Neal Martin’s scores are just out on vinous.com, and he’s pretty convinced of the quality of the vintage. ‘Twenty-five ranks amongst the great Bordeaux vintages. Its snow-capped peaks will be uttered in the same breath as legends gone by.’
Tomorrow is VE Day and France will be on holiday, but we expect next week to be busy with releases.
Wednesday 6 May
From Barsac today we have Coutet and Doisy-Daene, both top sweet performers in 2025. And from Margaux, we have Malescot St-Exupery, which this year unfortunately escaped Uncorked’s rigorous tasting schedule.
Tuesday 5 May
Released today, we have Uncorked favourite Grand Mayne. The vineyards at this historic St-Émilion property span higher clay-limestone soils (adjacent to Beau-Séjour Bécot) as well as pied de côte sandy-clay soils around the château. Owner Jean-Antoine Nony has been finessing the style of the wine he makes with the help of consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt, who came on board in 2024. There is greater infusion, gentler extraction, exclusively manual pump-overs, shorter macerations and better-integrated oak. The aim is freshness, purity, polished tannins, all of which beautifully characterise his 2025. A long-term replanting programme is aimed at returning the proportion of Cabernet Franc to what it was in the days of Jean-Antoine’s grandfather (35%) both for reasons of soil suitability and as a hedge against global warming. In 2025, the Cabernet Franc here overperformed, and represents a full 38% of this year’s vivid blend.
Also today, we have several releases from Sauternes and Barsac. Uncorked loved the drive and complexity behind Doisy-Vedrines, the savoury completeness of Guiraud and the focussed energy of La Tour Blanche. It’s worth noting that 2025 was a fabulous vintage for Sauternes as well as reds.
To the east of the town, on the limestone plateau, Laroque is one of St-Émilion’s very oldest properties. The vineyards are spread across pure Astéries limestone (as at Canon) and on red clay laid over limestone (as at Troplong-Mondot). The property was dormant for a large part of the twentieth century, before being brought back to life, and only recently being re-introduced to the en primeur market. The investments of the last decade have done great things here, and David Suire has fashioned a beautiful 2025.
Friday 1 May
France is closed for business today with the Labour Day holiday, so no Bordeaux releases. And of course we’ll be closed for the UK bank holiday on Monday. Back to business on Tuesday with a release close to Uncorked’s heart.
Thursday 30 April
This morning sees the release of perennial Uncorked favourite Batailley, and the 2025 is (yet) another success for owner Frédéric Castéja. It’s quintessential Pauillac, cool, clean and muscular. It opens on dark fruit, expands through layers of graphite and tobacco, and finishes on a gravelly note. That should be no surprise - the Batailley plateau sits on extremely deep gravel beds.
Recent vintages have seen Batailley adopt finer tannins and a little more gloss. Pruning has been adapted, yields have been reduced, and the introduction of a second wine (Lions de Batailley) has enabled more selection. In the cellar, the number of steel and cement vats has doubled (from 30 to 60) to enable much more precise vinification. Latterly the chateau has also adopted a relatively warm four-week post-fermentation maceration, to encourage more supple tannin extraction, while building body. It’s still quintessential Pauillac, it’s just more skilfully done than ever.
It’s also worth noting that, despite the greatness of the vintage, due to the phenomenally difficult market conditions, the Castéjas have released Batailley at its lowest price in over a decade. To our mind, that represents a considerable buying opportunity. Great vintages don’t come along with such keen pricing very often!
Wednesday 29 April
Pontet-Canet loves to kick off a Bordeaux en primeur campaign, and they’ve done it again, jumping in as the first major release. Their 2025 is a focussed, intense wine, and one of the first that woke us up to the fact that although 2025 was a hot year in the vineyards, the wines betray no sense of heat: they are cool and expressive.
Pontet-Canet has been one of the great innovators of the last twenty years in Bordeaux. It was one of the very first properties to switch to biodynamics (there still aren't a huge number who have), and horses are used to work the vineyard. The wine is raised partly in concrete amphorae and partly in barrel, with the aim being to achieve balance through a blend of reductive and oxidative ageing. The old vines at Pontet-Canet occupy excellent terroir next to Mouton-Rothschild, and it's always a wine that takes more time to come round.
Uncorked attended the UGC tastings in Bordeaux last week. There used to be more of a gap between the UGC tastings and the launch of an en primeur campaign, but just as growing seasons seem to start earlier in an era of global warming, so apparently do en primeur campaigns.