Bordeaux 2025

... a few recommendations ...

A few weeks ago, on 6th June, I promised a small selection of recommendations from the 2025 Bordeaux En Primeur campaign that, having tasted many, I thought were worth adding to your cellars.

2025 was one of those rare occasions when Bordeaux produced excellent quality wines from a tiny crop. Overall, the quality was superb, and it is certainly worth buying from the list below. All prices below are from Berrys, for 6 bottles, and these wines are widely available from the usual suspects, apart from the first wine, Domaine de l’A, which seems to be an exclusive to the team at the lower end of St James’s Street.

1 - Domaine de l’A
Castillon - Côtes de Bordeaux
This was a wine I had never tasted before, and apart from this vintage, I can find no trace of it. However, I believe Berrys have been bringing it in for a few years, and they have vintages going back to 2015. At an En Primeur price of £20 per bottle, it will arrive at your door with Duty, VAT, and Delivery for under £30. That’s really good value. A blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc, it will start showing from the early 2030s and sit well for the remainder of the decade. Perhaps even a little longer. The earlier vintages that Berrys have in stock need further investigation - a future missive.
£120.00 - only Berrys

2 - Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste
Pauillac
A blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, this stood out in the £200-£300 category. Really great concentration with excellent length, fruit, tannins, and acidity. Drink from 2035 until early 2040s. Not a long-term option, but it will provide good drinking in the medium term.
£228.00

3 - Château Léoville-Barton
St-Julien
Consistently the best value in the Médoc? Yes, I think it is, and this vintage is no exception. The Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blend, 86%, with 12% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, is classic St-Julien with a drinking window from 2035 until the late 2040s.
£318.00

4 - Château Haut-Bailly
Pessac-Léognan
This really shone alongside the other Graves properties. The relatively new owners have certainly invested extensively, and it has paid off. Will come round a tad quicker than the two wines above from the Médoc: start pulling bottles out of the cellar from 2030 and enjoy for a decade. Bundles of flavours in a long finish.
£384.00

5 - Château Calon Ségur
St-Estèphe
An energetic, densely packed wine with oodles of structure, length, complexity, and power. Probably best to plan to drink in the early 2040s and consider finishing the last of your stock in the early 2050s. Perfectly crafted and will provide an excellent dinner-party wine for the long term.
£408.00

6 - Cos d’Estournel
St-Estèphe
Another one from this northern appellation. They do keep getting it right here. Elegant and generous, the 50% new oak lifts the wine very comfortably into a wine that should be in your cellar. As with the Calon above, there is no need to dash for the corkscrew, as this will definitely pay sitting in the cellar for many years.
£522.00

7 - Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
Pauillac
Tasting the 2015 and 2016 with Nicolas Glumineau - the winemaker from this property - a month ago over dinner, it was a perfect opportunity to discuss his influence on this Second Growth since his arrival in 2012. There is always immense depth in his wines, and this will probably be regarded as one of the most impressive wines from this year. Expressive and very silky.
£606.00

8 - Château Conseillante
Pomerol
Not sure where to start with this wine: it was simply delicious today. An abundance of ripe, richly concentrated fruit, excellent and fine tannins, with perfectly balanced acidity. The 70% new oak has had a very positive impact on the blend of 87% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. Yes, it is young; give it at least a decade, and it will yield an unforgettable experience over the next 20 years. Start your introduction to this wine from 2035.
£846.00

9 - Château Suduiraut
Sauternes
If you need a pudding wine, then this is the one to buy. Wonderful concentrations today, but how will it evolve and wow many a lunch or dinner in the future. It will merge quickly, start pulling corks from 2030, and keep on repeating the exercise until the late 2040s, probably the early 2050s. Ask your merchant to have it delivered in half-bottles.
£246.00