William Kelley + Yohan Castaing – Wine Advocate  Once again, the Wine Advocate’s Bordeaux en primeur coverage is shared by William Kelley and Yohan Castaing, with both providing scores, but Kelley writing the publication’s report. It’s telling that the highest potential score given for any of the 2024s is 94-96, with over half of the wines sitting below 90: in Kelley’s words, the year – which “tested growers’ limits” – “has produced few compelling wines”. Although there are some “notable successes”, the duo he feels that this is “clearly Bordeaux’s weakest vintage of the last decade”, with many wines that are “dilute, herbaceous and tart”.  The year is not homogenous, and Kelley attributes this simply to ripeness levels. He argues that those producers who “dared to wait” to harvest were rewarded. He is clear, however, that no particular variety or sub-region fared particularly better in 2024, with the year only able to be judged at a producer level. The best 2024s are, for Kelley, “intensely flavored middleweights with good structure and energy, exhibiting integrated acidity and ripe tannin”. Although the worst have acidity that can be “shrill”, with “astringent tannins and overt pyrazine character”, some – largely from early-ripening sites harvested late – “possess a density and mid-palate amplitude that transcends the year”. The vintage is, however, “a throwback”, closer to those of the 1990s than anything more recent. Elevage should help flesh out some of the wines, but Kelley is cautious of the wines’ fragility – and anticipates it “will only amplify the gap between the best and the rest”.  Kelley’s highlights: Cheval Blanc, La Conseillante, Pontet-Canet, Les Carmes Haut-Brion  Explore Kelley’s full report, notes and scores on the Wine Advocate (subscribers only)    Jane Anson – Inside Bordeaux  For Anson, 2024 exceeded her expectations: although there are, she acknowledges, "many disappointing bottles", the vintage is better than 2013 and – in the best cases – than 2021. She feels there are “more overall successes on the Right Bank than Left, simply because underripe Cabernet is very difficult to mask”, and generally speaking second wines don’t come recommended this year, with a notable step in quality. In the best reds, the acidity lends “juice, muscles and salinity”, with the Médoc offering linear, “floral, fragrant, nuanced” Claret. She highlights the quality of Saint-Julien in particular, and notes that there are “many excellent wines” in Pauillac, while Saint-Estèphe is more varied.  The Right Bank produced her wine of the vintage – Eglise-Clinet – but she notes how Pomerol is varied, with some successful wines that are “fabulous, lifted, aromatic, great quality” and some that are less successful, generally with the best hailing from the inner plateau. In Saint-Emilion, she notes how the limestone’s natural austerity needed to be managed – but “there are many tasty, successful if slim wines” in the appellation.  She emphasises the quality of the whites in the vintage, both sweet and dry, with “greater consistency and many excellent wines”. The dry whites offer great aromatics, but don’t have the density of the best wines, hence her ceiling on scores. She describes the sweet wines as “less luscious than the 2022s and 2023s”, but with “many balanced, delicious wines that are full of pleasure”.   Anson’s highlights: Eglise-Clinet, La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc, Coutet, Pavillon Blanc, Les Champs Libres, Margaux, Léoville Poyferré, Brane-Cantenac, Ausone, Laroque, Couvent des Jacobins, La Prade, Vieux Château Saint André, L’If, Pagodes de Cos Blanc, Rieussec, Suduiraut, Clos Albus, Les Hauts de Smith Blanc, Les Charmes-Godard  Explore Anson’s full report, notes and scores on Inside Bordeaux (subscribers only)    Antonio Galloni – Vinous  Galloni is the first of the two Vinous writers to publish their report on 2024 Bordeaux. Although he admits the wines are “all over the place in terms of quality and style”, he also feels that “the very best wines have a lot to offer”. After all, “Weather is no longer the critical element in determining the quality of wines and therefore a vintage.”  He emphasises how key élevage will be in the wines’ development, expecting “a very high level of variability in the finished wines” – feeling, as per the title of his report, that many of the wines sit on a “razor’s edge”. Galloni describes the 2024s as aromatic, leaning towards red fruit, with the best “exud[ing] balance” – although some can be “excessively light”, making for a “frustratingly erratic vintage”. It is, however, “far from the total disaster” suggested. For him, it’s a year where the Left Bank and Cabernet thrived, highlighting the wines of Saint-Estèphe and Pauillac, and finding those of Pomerol and Pessac-Léognan the most variable.   He emphases the quality of the dry whites in 2024, which are “some of the finest” in the vintage and can be “truly exceptional”, while also offering relative value. As for the sweets, they are – for him – very good, but not outstanding, not having the “thrill factor of the very best years”.  Galloni’s highlights: Beychevelle, Clos Puy Arnaud, Cos d’Estournel, Jean Faure, Larcis-Ducasse, Lascombes, La Conseillante, Rauzan-Ségla  Explore Antonio Galloni’s full report, notes and scores on Vinous (subscribers only)    Neal Martin – Vinous    Following on from Galloni’s report (above), Neal Martin covers the growing season defined by its “biblical” amount of rain. He feels 2024 is “a good vintage with limitations”, noting that the wines are inconsistent and the “maleficent season… widens the divide between the haves and have-nots”. He emphasises that those who triumphed had not the best terroir, but “the deepest pockets and those who made the right decisions at the right times” – and even then, it is “a growing season that is impossible to transcend”.  He, like others, notes how different the vintage would have been just a couple of decades ago, noting that it is “unequivocally far superior” to the likes of 1984, 1992 or 2013. Although it is not consistent, he admits there are wines that “touch the sky”, and the best are “pretty” – offering “delineated and focused” aromatics, balanced wines in which a “spine of acidity lends poise”, with “ample freshness and sapidity”. They are, he writes, “ideal restaurant wines that will provide easy-drinking pleasure whilst you wait for the 2019 or 2022s to mature”.  Martin highlights the quality of the dry whites – with cool conditions producing “riveting, tensile Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon-based wines that often trump their red counterparts”. As for Sauternes, he reports that they are very good, but not classically opulent, instead “full of freshness and purity”.  Neal Martin’s highlights: Vieux Château Certan, Lafleur, Eglise-Clinet, Lafite Rothschild, Margaux, Montrose, La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc, Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, Malartic-Lagravière Blanc, Le Blanc de Lafite, Les Champs Libres, Doisy-Daëne, Coutet, Guiraud, Suduiraut  Explore Neal Martin’s full report, notes and scores on Vinous (subscribers only)    James Suckling  For James Suckling, tasting 2024 was a nostalgic experience – reminding him of “modern renditions of years such as 1985 or 1995”. Although he feels it is among the most heterogenous vintages he’s tasted, he describes the top 2024s as having “fine tannins and a crunchy, bright character”, “linear and fresh” with “vivid acidity”, noting that they’ll be approachable early. The best, he believes, come from early-ripening sites with the large teams necessary to tackle the year. He feels the dry whites, meanwhile, are very good to excellent – with Haut-Brion Blanc and Pavillon Blanc both among his top-scoring wines.  Suckling’s highlights: Haut-Brion Blanc, Evangile, Lafleur, Latour, Pavillon Blanc, Angélus, Ausone, Cos d’Estournel, Haut-Brion, Eglise-Clinet, La Mission Haut-Brion, Léoville Las Cases, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Margaux, Mouton Rothschild, Pétrus, Smith-Haut-Lafitte Blanc, Vieux Château Certan  Explore James Suckling’s full report, notes and scores on his website (subscribers only)    Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW – The Wine Independent  The headline for Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW is that the best reds in 2024 are “lighter-bodied, soft-textured, refreshing and perfumed”, while there are “many spectacular dry white wines and small quantities of excellent wines from Sauternes”. She notes how the wines generally have ripe tannins, but flavour ripeness was more challenging – and has resulted in “a lot of good, delicious, drinkable, if not awe-inspiring, reds” although “many don’t have the flavor layers or intensity of a truly great wine”.  One thing shines through for her: “Quality levels are all over the show.” She, like us, feels the Right Bank is more consistent and notes that “many elegant, bright, refreshing, soft-textured and perfumed wines” come from Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. On the Left Bank, she finds that quality drops away as you move away from the gravel terraces and the finest terroirs, although many Classed Growths produced wines “worthy of their status” if in a lighter style than recent years.  The dry whites are, for her, “the silver lining” of the vintage – noting their consistency and quality. She finds that many have “an effortless sense of harmony”, the aromatics and acidity preserved by the cooler conditions. She highlights a number of dry whites to look out for – noted below. Quality in Sauternes and Barsac is “excellent”, she writes, feeling the acid backbone injects “vivacity” into the wines, bringing greater balance versus warmer vintages. The best have “great flavor intensity, plenty of botrytis-instilled complexity, and racy backbones” – and are wines well worth seeking out.  Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW’s highlights: Figeac, Haut-Brion Blanc, Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc, La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc, Pavillon Blanc, Eglise-Clinet, Montrose, Trotte Vieille, Pape Clément Blanc, Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, Valandraud Blanc, D’Aiguilhe Blanc, Larrivet Haut-Brion Blanc, Suduiraut Pur Sémillon, Les Champs Libres, Cos d’Estournel Blanc, Lespault-Martillac Blanc  Explore Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW’s full report on The Wine Independent (subscribers only)    Georgie Hindle – Decanter  Decanter’s coverage is being gradually released, and so far includes a report on the growing season, as well as an early look at the styles the year produced. Georgie Hindle says it is closest in style to 2021, looking at recent vintages, however highlights the drier, warmer summer which differentiates it. She emphasises that the year is not uniform, and the wines are generally shaped by a “taut, mineral freshness” rather than fruit depth or opulence. She says the best “offer flashes of aromatic precision, elegant and refreshing clarity with structure and length” – they “achieve balance between fruit, acidity and tannins”. Many are weak or thin and – as we and others have emphasised – you cannot generalise this year – and it shouldn’t be one you write-off, she urges.   She doesn’t feel that the dry whites fared better than the reds, with results similarly mixed – but some successful wines that are aromatic and appealing. As for the region’s sweet wines, they offer “an easy drinkability” but don’t all have “the density and consistency of stronger vintages”.    Explore Georgie Hindle’s coverage on Decanter (subscribers only)     Colin Hay – The Drinks Business This is the first year we’re including The Drinks Business. A trade publication, it has been expanding its coverage of Bordeaux and relatively recently started scoring wines, all tackled by Colin Hay. Despite the challenging growing season, he argues that “those with both the resources – human and financial – and above all the acumen to respond to its trials and tribulations have triumphed”. Although at the lower end of the quality tree, he finds the wines disappointing and the vintage far from even, he writes that “at the top of the pyramid” there are “wines that transcend the challenges of the vintage” – “fully ripe, elegant, refined, highly aromatic, with soft, delicate, finely grained tannins and a succulence, clarity and brilliance that is rare indeed”. He finds them “remarkable” – even without the context of the year. Although they don’t reach the heights of 2019, 2020 or 2022, he feels the wines can be favourably compared to other recent vintages – indeed, he feels the best sit above wines from 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006. 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2018. He writes that although the wines are “likely to be highly accessible in their youth”, they “still have quite significant ageing potential”. He is another to feel the vintage is slightly stronger on the Right Bank, and rave about the whites (“unique and spectacular”, “an undoubted highlight of the vintage” that he puts on a par with 2017 and 2021) and the sweets (although he confesses these are less consistent). Although there are exceptions, Pauillac is “the least flattered by the vintage”, and can be austere. He found that estates in Saint-Estèphe seemed to embrace the vintage, finding several highlights – including Montrose, “a wine of staggering depth and originality, yet also of an ethereal and aerial beauty and profound aromatic complexity”. In Saint-Julien, he finds “a reassuring sweetness to the fruit and a nutty creaminess”, coping with the vintage better, as Margaux also did, offering much “charm and typicity”. He finds the reds of Pessac-Léognan and Graves especially heterogenous, although he feels people will remember the vintage for its whites.  On the Right Bank, Hay finds that the best of Pomerol “indicate nothing of the difficulties of the growing season”, with elevated proportions of Cabernet providing “additional aromatic lift and florality”. In Saint-Emilion, he also discovers many vintage-transcending wines, “far more homogenous” than expected, especially versus the Left Bank, and many of them sit within its classification system – suggesting it is “an impressive guarantor of quality to the consumer”.  Colin Hay’s highlights: Mouton Rothschild, Montrose, Cos d’Estournel, Gruaud Larose, Palmer, Lafleur, Le Pin, Petrus, Eglise-Clinet, Trotanoy, Bélair-Monange, Rocheyron, Cheval Blanc, Figeac, Angélus, Beauséjour, Larcis-Ducasse, Pavie, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc, Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc, L’Extravagant de Doisy-Daëne, Lafaurie-Peyraguey, Suduiraut Explore Colin Hay’s full report, notes and scores on The Drinks Business Jeb Dunnuck Although 2024 was a difficult vintage, it produced “charming, mid-weight, forward, moderately concentrated wines”, writes Dunnuck. He compares quality to 2021 but with more “openness and suppleness”, feeling it is neither a Left or Right Bank year, but one that needs to be analysed by estate. He does feel, however, that Pessac is “a shining gem in the vintage”. The wines are about “approachability over density”, and the Merlot-driven wines of the Right Bank show their terroir well, while Pomerol is darker in style. On the Left Bank, similarly, they are not blockbusters, but – he says – they “will certainly appeal to those who pine for the yesteryears of the 1980s and 1990s”, and will “unquestionably offer ample drinking and longevity”. He suggests they may follow a similar trajectory to the 2001s, wines “drinking beautifully today” – and some “have a balance and harmony that might surprise”.  As for the whites, although there are “some brilliant whites”, it is not universal – a good rather than great vintage. And that is trye for the vintage across the board, in his mind, selective buying is advised, but there are some good wines worthy of attention. Jeb Dunnuck’s highlights: Figeac, Haut-Brion, La Conseillante, Lafaurie Peyraguey Coeur de Terroir, Pavillon Blanc, Mouton Rothschild, Pape Clément, Suduiraut, Suduiraut Pur Semillon, Valandraud Blanc    Explore Bordeaux 2024 

As the floodgates open for Bordeaux 2024 releases, the world’s leading wine critics are offering their thoughts on the vintage. Here you’ll find a round-up of what the Wine Advocate, Vinous and more are saying about the vintage so far – and the wines they rated most highly 

Your essential crib-sheet to what the world’s leading wine critics are saying about Bordeaux 2024 en primeur–including Wine Advocate, Vinous,Decanter and more

Bordeaux 2024 en primeur – what the critics are saying 

Bordeaux 2024: what the critics are saying 

William Kelley, Wine Advocate First out of the gate is William Kelley, who has taken over covering Bordeaux from Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW at Wine Advocate. He was keen to emphasise his methodology – having spent three weeks visiting over 250 châteaux throughout Bordeaux, tasting many of the wines on multiple occasions.  Kelley acknowledges the many challenges the vignerons faced in 2021 and while he admits 2021 is not a great vintage overall for the reds, it has “produced several genuinely great wines, as well as many good to excellent wines that will deliver immense pleasure”. He compares the lower levels of alcohol and concentration to vintages from the 1990s, while at the same time noting how the wines have greatly benefited from today’s “agronomic progress and technical savoir faire”: “Were the 2021s transposed to the decade of the 1990s,” he says, “they would be considered the product of a superb vintage.” The cooler growing season produced “a great vintage for whites” that he believes are the finest set of dry whites since 2017. Kelley’s highlights: Haut-Brion, Margaux, Ausone, Lafleur, Cheval Blanc, Lafite-Rothschild, Latour, Léoville Las Cases, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Laroque, Domaine de Chevalier Blanc and Palmer Read William Kelley’s full report on the vintage on the Wine Advocate Antonio Galloni, Vinous First up from team Vinous is Antonio Galloni who clearly loved the best wines of 2021, which he declares “a striking combination of old-school classicism and modern-day precision”. “The top properties turned out gorgeous, classically built wines that will absolutely thrill readers who appreciate freshness and energy,” he says. Of course, he cautions that quality isn’t consistent and selection is essential in the vintage.  He notes that it was those who could afford the significant labour required who excelled, while producers also benefitted from the experience of 2017 (for frost) and 2018 (for mildew), and better equipment and know-how in the winery is also a factor. He highlights that élevage will be key for the wines. Galloni feels it’s neither firmly a Left or Right Bank vintage, although finds a little more consistency on the Left, but perhaps greater highs on the Right. He’s one of several to note that the best white wines are “absolutely riveting” – combining the richness of a warm vintage with the freshness of a cooler year, with tiny yields of “compelling” sweets as well.  Galloni’s highlights: Beau-Séjour Bécot, Calon Ségur, Cheval Blanc, La Conseillante, L’Extravagant de Doisy-Daëne, Ducru-Beaucaillou, La Gaffelière, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Les Perrières, Pichon Comtesse, Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc, Vieux Château Certan, Phélan Ségur, Léoville-Poyferré and Palmer Read Antonio Galloni’s full report on Vinous Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux This is the first vintage for ex-Decanter critic and Bordeaux resident Jane Anson publishing on her own site, Inside Bordeaux. She highlights the variable success overall of the 2021 vintage, but notes that there remain a good number of estates that have produced excellent wines. From an appellation point of view, she feels Saint-Estèphe was “a high point”, noting the drier August helped with the “natural concentration” found in the wines there. She also notes that Saint-Emilion made “some of the best wines of the vintage”, with the clay limestone soils found in certain spots “probably the most well-placed terroir overall to resist the challenges of the year”. Her top wines however spread across all regions of Bordeaux. Ch. Haut-Brion Blanc garnered the highest score of 98 points, while Ch. La Mission Haut-Brion from Pessac-Léognan, Figeac from Saint-Emilion, Lafleur from Pomerol and Lafite from Pauillac all scored 97 points along with Ch. Margaux’s Pavillon Blanc. Anson has given earlier drinking windows than a normal year because, despite the high levels of tannins, she notes “the structure is delicate”, advising that “you need to start drinking these while the fruits are at their best”. Anson’s highlights: Haut-Brion Blanc, La Mission Haut-Brion, Pavillon Blanc du Ch. Margaux, Lafleur, Lafite-Rothschild, Latour, Figeac Read Jane Anson’s full report on Inside Bordeaux Neal Martin, Vinous In his detailed report, Neal Martin runs through a “complex and turbulent growing season” before laying out the consequences in the winery. He emphasises how stressful the season was for the region’s vignerons. Overall he feels it’s “a welcome return to a classic style of Bordeaux” – with lower alcohol and ripeness levels, with the finest wines that “transcend expectations”.  That said he notes that they are a result of their challenging growing season, and it’s not a year that will “rank with the greats”; he didn’t find perfection. He did, however, find wines that are “remarkable” given the year – “testament to the effort and skill of winemakers and vineyard teams”. He highlights “a bevy of outstanding dry whites” and that quality amongst the reds varies significantly between estates. While not declaring a drinking window firmly, he suggests the best “may well reward patience” – and will be “fascinating to watch evolve in bottle”. In distinct contrast to the warm years that preceded it, 2021 is, he says, “bejewelled with wines that will offer immense pleasure”. Martin’s highlights: Lafleur, Haut-Brion Blanc, Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, Cheval Blanc, La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc, Lafaurie-Peyraguey, De Fargues, Lafite-Rothschild, Pétrus, Calon-Ségur, Haut-Brion, Vieux Château Certan, La Conseillante, Figeac Read Neal Martin’s full report on Vinous James Suckling After tasting the last 39 vintages in Bordeaux, James Suckling struggles to find comparable year to 2021, such are the anomalies of the vintage. He is struck by the “bright and fresh acidity and relatively low alcohol of the wines”, making them easy to read, while also having an “immediate drinkability”. While he notes 2021 is a very heterogeneous vintage – and has produced significantly less structured wines than 2018, 2109 and 2020 – there are some “delicious”, “acid-driven” reds. He has found more consistency in the whites and proposes, “the sweet wines of Bordeaux may be the miracle of the harvest”. Made in miniscule quantities, what little there is is sure to outlive the dry wines that he proposes will drink well young. His top-rated pick is the Sauternes estate of Ch. Lafaurie-Peyraguey, awarding the only potential 100-point score of the vintage. His other top wines all come from Pomerol and are the blue-chip stalwarts of Pétrus, Le Pin and Lafleur, all scoring 98-99 points. The only other wine awarded 98-99 is Domaine de Chevalier’s white. Suckling’s highlights: Lafleur, Le Pin, Pétrus, Laufaurie-Peyraguey, Domaine de Chevalier Blanc Read James Suckling’s full report on the vintage on his website Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW's 2021 Bordeaux report is the first for her new publication, The Wine Independent, launched earlier this year. Overall, she is more scathing than other critics, with some noticeably low scores across a much larger range (something that is intended to be a point of difference for The Wine Independent).She found the 2021 wines to be “variable”, with “dilution” and “under-ripeness omnipresent” but at their best are “refreshing, elegant, savory wines with lower alcohol and light to medium-bodied" with "well-sustained mid-palates and finishes”. She notes that it's a significant shift from recent vintages, which “may well be just what you are seeking. Or not.” She suggests drinkers who prefer lower-alcohol wines of vintages past may enjoy the lighter style of the vintage. Most notably, she believes the wines’ ability to age is lower than recent vintages and that most wines will reach their peak within 10 years. Where quality is at its highest, she believes low yields played a big factor in 2021. When drawing comparisons to similarly styled vintages, she likens the 2021 wines to 2013.  Looking at her top-rated wines, there seems to be a preference to the Right Bank with Ch. Ausone, Ch. Cheval Blanc and Ch. Lafleur all in her top band of scores (95-97 points). The white wines of Ch. Smith Haut Lafitte, Ch. Haut-Brion and Domaine de Chevalier also score highly, although she remarks that there were only a handful of whites in 2021 that really wowed her. Ch. Margaux is the highest scoring Left Bank red wine (also awarded 95-97 points). Perrotti-Brown’s highlights: Ausone, Cheval Blanc, Haut Brion Blanc, Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc, Margaux, Lafleur Read Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW's full report on The Wine Independent Georgie Hindle, Decanter This is Georgie Hindle’s first vintage as Decanter’s official Bordeaux correspondent, after Jane Anson vacated the role last year. Overall, Hindle classified 2021 as a 3.5/5 vintage for the red wines and 4.5/5 for the dry whites and sweets. The challenging growing season, she notes, produced red wines of variable, uneven quality, while the whites and sweet wines were better suited to the cooler conditions. Having said that, she notes there were some “incredible wines produced in 2021”. Her favourite wine from the Médoc was Ch. Lafite-Rothschild. She also praised Ch. Haut-Brion from Pessac-Léognan, Ch. Figeac from Saint-Emilion and Ch. Lafleur from Pomerol. Hindle awarded her highest scores of the vintage (97 points) to the white wines of Ch. Haut-Brion and Ch. Margaux’s Pavillon Blanc. She notes that the top red wines offer a “cool classicism” and are “refined, elegant and low alcohol”. While very different in character to recent modern vintages, she says the best red wines are “supremely balanced and pleasurable”. She adds that they are “characterful with crisp red fruits, refreshing acidities and silky, well-integrated tannins as well as expressive of terroir”. Georgie Hindle’s highlights: Ch. Haut-Brion, Ch. Lafleur, Ch. Lafite-Rothschild, Ch. Haut-Brion Blanc, and Pavillon Blanc du Ch. Margaux Read Georgie Hindle’s full report on Decanter's website Jeb Dunnuck Jeb Dunnuck’s 2021 Bordeaux en primeur report remains upbeat for the top wines of the vintage – declaring it a “challenging but good” vintage, although (besides 2013) he feels it “checks in substantially behind recent vintages”.  For Dunnuck, the top wines are elegant and “shine for their purity and finesse more than their power and richness”. He notes that the 2021s are “incredibly transparent and convey their terroir and winemaking clearly” – for better or worse. For Dunnuck, the Graves reds have a better mid-palate and a touch more density than other appellations, although he doesn’t feel one region outshone another. While he heard many winemakers compare the vintage to classic cooler vintages of the 1980s and ’90s, he finds these comparisons unhelpful, considering the changes in viticulture and winemaking over the last 20 years. While he struggles to find any modern comparison for the reds, he believes the vintage has similar weight and concentration to the likes of 2004, 2007, 2014 and 2017. Dunnuck declares it an excellent vintage for white and sweet wines and his top-rated wines include Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc,Domaine de Chevalier Blancand Pavillon Blanc du Ch. Margaux. Dunnuck’s highlights: Haut-Brion, Pavie, Margaux, Lafleur, Latour, Ducru Beaucaillou, Figeac, Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, Pavillon Blanc du Ch. Margaux and Les Champs Libres Read Jeb Dunnuck’s full report on the vintage Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Inside Jeff Leve’s Bordeaux report for The Wine Cellar Insider is largely positive – with the caveat that it is not a vintage for everyone. Lovers of classic Bordeaux (“classic in a good way”), he believes however, will find plenty to enjoy in the wines. He found many of the red wines to exude “freshness, salinity, crisp red fruits, refreshing acidities, and low alcohol levels”. While he found some of the wines “trail off in the middle” and had “dusty tannins”, the wines generally had great attack, and were not underripe but “crisp, fresh and often savoury”. He found 2021 to be a special vintage for white wines, describing them as “extraordinary”, with a “gorgeous sense of purity as well as crisp, biting acidities”. His top four wines were all whites, with Haut-Brion Blanc receiving his only 100-point score. Ch. Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc, Domaine de Chevalier Blanc and la Mission Haut-Brion Blanc were awarded 98 points. His top reds were Ch. Ausone, Lafite, Lafleur, Latour, Cheval Blanc and Margaux, all receiving 97 points. Leve’s highlights: Haut-Brion Blanc, Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc, La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc, Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, Margaux, Lafleur,  Latour, Ausone, Cheval Blanc and Lafite-Rothschild, Read The Wine Cellar Insider’s full report on the vintage Explore all Bordeaux 2021 listings or read more Editorial 

The world’s wine critics have been tasting and writing up notes for months, and are now offering their verdict on the 2021 vintage in Bordeaux. We offer a summary of what each of these prestigious palates has said about the vintage and the wines they rated most highly

The critics' verdict on the 2021 wine vintage in Bordeaux, with Jane Anson, Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, William Kelley, Antonio Galloni and more

What the critics are saying about Bordeaux 2021

Bordeaux 2021: what the critics are saying

When the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce ranked Bordeaux’s leading estates by price for the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1855, I doubt they anticipated we’d still be using it over 150 years later. Napoleon III had asked the team to put together an exhibition for the world fair, and the Chamber of Commerce neatly passed the buck to the region’s courtiers or brokers, asking them to create a list of the region’s best wines, broken into five tiers. They did so in just two weeks, basing the list almost exclusively on price.  The original classification ranked 58 properties, from First to Fifth Growth, or Premier to Cinquième Cru Classé (with Cru Classé literally translating as “classed/classified growth”). At the very top of this quality pyramid was Ch. Lafite, deemed the “premier des premiers” of the time. The properties were almost exclusively in the Médoc, with Ch. Haut-Brion in Pessac-Léognan the one exception.  It is often said that there has only been one change since the 1855 classification’s creation, however that’s not quite true. Ch. Cantemerle was added in 1856 (having been left out of the original ranking by accident). Ch. Pichon split in two, the Léoville estate into three and Batailley was also divided – but two properties also merged (Pouget and Pouget Lassale), while Dubignon was absorbed entirely by other addresses. Interestingly, Ch. Gloria consists exclusively of vineyards that were classified originally, although the château wasn’t classified in 1855.   The most significant change, and the one most often mentioned, was in 1973 when Ch. Mouton Rothschild was upgraded to First Growth status. The property had only just been acquired by the Rothschild family in the 1850s, so was intially ranked as a Second Growth but Baron Philippe de Rothschild made it is life mission to get it officially recognised as one of the Left Bank’s five leading addresses. For years the property’s labels had read “Premier ne puis, second ne daigne, Mouton suis” (“First I cannot be, second I do not deign to be, Mouton I am”), which was changed to “Premier je suis, second je fus, Mouton ne change” (“First I am, second I was, Mouton doesn’t change”) after the Baron’s bid was successful, and the estate’s premiership was legally recognised.  There are 61 estates in today’s classification, with five First Growths, 14 Second Growths, 14 Third Growths, 10 Fourth Growths and 18 Fifth Growths. Unlike in Saint-Emilion’s classification, a property is free to buy and sell vineyards, with their expansion or contraction not impacting their classed growth status.  Although the classification has never been reviewed, it remains largely (and surprisingly) accurate – the premium price associated with higher status and quality seemingly providing sufficient incentive for producers, and the market effectively deciding on a property’s status.  Today there is also an unofficial group known as the “super seconds” – estates that are thought to produce wines that are as good as those of the First Growths. This includes Pichon Baron, Pichon Comtesse, Lynch-Bages, Léoville Las Cases, Léoville Barton, Ducru-Beaucaillou, Cos d’Estournel, Montrose, Palmer, Pontet-Canet and La Mission Haut-Brion.  While we tend to consider only the red wines of the northern Gironde in reference to the 1855 classification, the sweet whites of Sauternes and Barsac were also ranked. The wines were only put into two classes, with 21 estates included. Nine estates were deemed worthy of First Growth status, 11 as Second Growths, with Ch. d’Yquem earning its own special category as “Premier Cru Supérieur”.  As with the red classification, the number of estates has grown as they have divided over the years (such as the Doisy estates), with one disappearing entirely (Pexoto – its vineyards are now part of Ch. Rabaud-Promis). There have otherwise been no changes.  The sweet wine classification is of little consequence today, however the estates collectively represent 45% of the surface area of Sauternes and Barsac, and produce 30% of the area’s wines today.  Beyond the 1855 classification, the Left Bank also has its Crus Bourgeois and Crus Artisan, as well as the 1959 Graves classification (read more about these here). The Right Bank still only has the Saint-Emilion classification – one that has caused enough controversy to put Pomerol off doing anything similar. None, however, have come close to having the influence of the 1855 classification – a remarkable ranking that has defined Bordeaux for generations, and was arguably instrumental in its success as a fine wine region.  Find a full break-down of the classifications below, read more about Bordeaux or browse all Bordeaux listings The 1855 classification Premiers Crus Classés or First Growths Ch. Lafite-Rothschild  Ch. Latour  Ch. Margaux  Ch. Mouton Rothschild (upgraded in 1973)  Ch. Haut-Brion Deuxièmes Crus Classés or Second Growths  Ch. Rauzan-Ségla  Ch. Rauzan-Gassies  Ch. Léoville Las Cases  Ch. Léoville-Poyferré  Ch. Léoville Barton  Ch. Durfort-Vivens  Ch. Gruaud Larose  Ch. Lascombes  Ch. Brane-Cantenac  Ch. Pichon Baron  Ch. Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande  Ch. Ducru-Beaucaillou  Cos d’Estournel  Ch. Montrose Troisièmes Crus Classés or Third Growths Ch. Kirwan  Ch. d’Issan  Ch. Lagrange  Ch. Langoa Barton  Ch. Giscours  Ch. Malescot Saint-Exupéry  Ch. Boyd-Cantenac  Ch. Cantenac Brown  Ch. Palmer  Ch. la Lagune  Ch. Desmirail  Calon Ségur  Ch. Ferrière  Ch. Marquis d’Alesme  Quatrièmes Crus Classés or Fourth Growths Ch. Saint-Pierre  Ch. Talbot  Ch. Branaire-Ducru  Ch. Duhart-Milon  Ch. Pouget  Ch. la Tour Carnet  Ch. Lafon-Rochet  Ch. Beychevelle  Ch. Prieuré-Lichine  Ch. Marquis de Terme  Cinquièmes Crus Classés or Fifth Growths Ch. Pontet-Canet  Ch. Batailley  Ch. Haut-Batailley  Ch. Grand-Puy-Lacoste  Ch. Grand-Puy Ducasse  Ch. Lynch-Bages  Ch. Lynch-Moussas  Ch. Dauzac  Ch. d’Armailhac  Ch. du Tertre  Ch. Haut-Bages Libéral  Ch. Pédesclaux  Ch. Belgrave  Ch. de Camensac  Ch. Cos Labory  Ch. Clerc Milon  Ch. Croizet-Bages  Ch. Cantemerle The unofficial Super Seconds Cos d’Estournel  Ducru-Beaucaillou  La Mission Haut-Brion.  Léoville Barton  Léoville Las Cases  Lynch-Bages  Montrose  Palmer  Pichon Baron  Pichon Comtesse  Pontet-Canet  The 1855 Sauternes and Barsac classification Premier Cru Supérieur Ch. d’Yquem Premier Cru Ch. la Tour Blanche  Ch. Lafaurie-Peyraguey  Clos Haut-Peyraguey  Ch. de Rayne Vigneau  Ch. Suduiraut  Ch. Coutet  Ch. Climens  Ch. Guiraud  Ch. Rieussec  Ch. Rabaud-Promis  Ch. Sigalas Rabaud  Deuxièmes Crus Ch. de Myrat  Ch. Doisy Daëne  Ch. Doisy-Dubroca  Ch. Doisy-Védrines  Ch. d’Arche  Ch. Filhot  Ch. Broustet  Ch. Nairac  Ch. Caillou  Ch. Suau  Ch. de Malle  Ch. Romer du Hayot  Ch. Romer  Ch. Lamothe   Ch. Lamothe-Guignard 

The 1855 classification of Bordeaux’s top châteaux remains as important today as when it was first created in the 19th century. Here’s everything you need to know about the famous ranking

Everything you need to know about the 1855 classification in Bordeaux – the historic ranking of the Left Bank’s top wine estates

Your guide to Bordeaux’s 1855 classification

Your guide to the 1855 classification

JAMES SUCKLING James Suckling was the first out with his report, published on 19th April, before most people have made it out to taste the new vintage. He’s not shying away from calling this a truly great vintage, saying “it sets a new benchmark for Bordeaux”. It’s the 40th vintage he has tasted en primeur, and he feels it proves the region’s ability to face the challenges of climate change, with its uniquely hot and dry conditions. He notes that while the reds are the undoubted star, it is also a great vintage for Sauternes – with botrytis development in mid-October that produced exceptional wines.  While the growing season urges parallels with 2003, the wines are totally different. The 2022s “can be flamboyant, fruity and tannic, yet they have a freshness and form that give them energy and vitality”, he writes. While he found a few wines that were over the top, he generally felt there was consistent quality across the spectrum, from more modest estates to the grandest châteaux, with the wines “exceptional”. He gives nine potential 100-point scores, versus only one last year (for Lafaurie-Peyraguey in Sauternes – an address he also praises this year).  Suckling’s highlights: Cheval Blanc, Lafaurie-Peyraguey, Lafite-Rothschild, Le Pin, Léoville Las Cases, Pontet-Canet, Trotanoy, Pavillon Blanc du Ch. Margaux, Angélus, Canon Read James Suckling’s full report  WILLIAM KELLEY – WINE ADVOCATE  Publishing his report on the Friday of Primeurs week, William Kelley defines 2022 as “an amplifier” – highlighting differences between sites and how producers work both in the vineyard and winery. “Bordeaux has produced some monumental wines in 2022, but unlike many of the great vintages of the 20th century, the year was not a rising tide that raised all boats,” he says. The best wines offer “remarkable concentration, energy and harmony” but there are some that are “jammy, astringent and rustic”. He highlights that those with higher organic matter in their soils and who managed their canopies well were rewarded. He argues that vines adapted to the long, dry season, and the experience of recent warm vintages ensured that 2022 was not another 2003 – despite its extreme, hot, dry conditions. He warns that the frequently high pHs are a risk for the final hurdle – with an increased chance of volatile acidity and Brettanomyces, suggesting that although few samples showed these faults during the en primeur tastings, “it is certain that some producers will trip before the finish line this year”. Nevertheless, he is clearly impressed by the best wines – with eight potential 100-point scores in the mix. In a first, the work was divided between Kelley and Yohan Castaing, a relatively new member to the Wine Advocate team – so there are notes from both. The highlights noted below are 12 specifically recommended. Kelley’s highlights: Berliquet, Bourgneuf, Branaire-Ducru, Clos Manou, Dame de Montrose, De Retout, Domaine de l’A, Grand Village, Haut Marbuzet, Langoa Barton, Larrivet Haut-Brion, Mangot Read Kelley’s full report, notes and scores on the Wine Advocate GEORGIE HINDLE – DECANTER  Despite the year’s extreme conditions, Decanter’s Bordeaux correspondent Georgie Hindle writes that “a surprisingly large number of vineyards and their growers prevailed against the odds to create a wealth of exceptional wines in 2022”. She feels there are “both serious highs and lows”, but “some estates produced their best-ever bottles” – with “supple textures, excellent definition, long finishes and a sheer brightness and energy that has produced some of the most compelling wines I’ve ever tasted at this early stage”. She also emphasises how, despite being similarly hot, the year is not another 2003. For Hindle, the Margaux appellation was a highlight, as were the wines from the Haut-Médoc, as well as the top end of Saint-Emilion. She has pulled out a list of “coup de coeur" wines – those that were heart-stoppingly good, and it is those that feature as her highlights below. Hindle’s highlights: Beauséjour Duffau Lagarrosse, Canon, Cheval Blanc, Clos Fourtet, Figeac, Larcis-Ducasse, Laroque, Troplong Mondot, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Smith Haut Lafitte, Brane-Cantenac, Giscours, Branaire-Ducru, Gruaud-Larose, Léoville-Las Cases, Pichon Comtesse, Montrose, Phélan Ségur, La Conseillante, La Fleur-Pétrus, Vieux Château Certan, Clos du Clocher, Pétrus Read Hindle’s full report, notes and scores on Decanter ANTONIO GALLONI – VINOUS  The first of the two Vinous reports comes from Antonio Galloni, who declares the best wines of the vintage to be “magnificent, viscerally thrilling wines” – “some of the most memorable young wines [he has] ever tasted” – although does temper this enthusiasm by saying that some selection is warranted. Running through the growing season, he highlights how “patience and technology” were critical – with larger numbers of smaller vats, allowing producers to harvest only what was perfectly ripe. The greatest surprise, of course, is the wines – not rich and opulent as for 2009 or 2018, but wines that “combine flavour intensity, energy and finesse in a way that I can only describe as magical”. He repeats the refrain that the wines bode well for Bordeaux’s fate in the face of climate change, and is clearly enchanted by the best wines. He flags that some of the wines are “a bit fragile” and that “élevage will make or break them”, not feeling it’s totally consistent below the top tier. He does, however, pull out a handful of over-performers, which we’ve listed as his highlights below. For him, the advancements in viticulture and winemaking are what define 2022 – wines of “notable depth and freshness without excess weight”, but exactly why they turned out the way they did remains something of a mystery. Galloni’s highlights: Alter Ego de Palmer, Beau-Séjour Bécot, Brane-Cantenac, Clos Puy Arnaud, Clos Saint-Julien, Figeac, Les Forts de Latour, Giscours, La Conseillante, La Gaffelière, Lafon-Rochet, Larcis-Ducasse, Léoville Las Cases, Le Pin Beausoleil, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Malartic Lagravière, Moulin Saint-Georges, Puyblanquet, Quinault l’Enclos Read Galloni’s full report, notes and scores on Vinous JEB DUNNUCK  Jen Dunnuck is clear that the best 2022s are set to be “legendary”, with “brilliant wines from throughout the region”, but highlights that “there are dramatically different styles in the vintage” – emphasising that this is different to quality, which is “incredibly high”. The vintage is united by its “theme of ripeness and power”, yet yields, winemaking and terroir have all resulted in the aforementioned diversity. He finds the wines of the northern Médoc to be “powerful, concentrated, majestic wines showing remarkable purity and vibrance” and is fast to defend both the pH and alcohol levels, with the former sitting at or below the level of the 2020s and the alcohols “well within the normal ranges of 2009, 2010, 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2020, and very few 2022s show excessive alcohol”. He points to wines from the Right Bank’s limestone and deeper clay soils as “highlights of the vintage” – having retained “an incredible sense of freshness and purity while showing the inherent ripeness and power of the vintage”, although he finds Pomerol “slightly more erratic”. In his view, the satellite appellations have produced a “number of terrific wines” – with Castillon producing many “that rival the best from Saint-Emilion”. He compares the year to a blend of 2020 and 2018, or a mix of 2005 and 2010, with a little 2009 here and there. They are, he feels, “ripe, concentrated, sumptuous wines that have a real ‘wow’ factor”. Dunnuck’s highlights: Montrose, Mouton Rothschild, Haut-Bailly, La Conseillante, Larcis-Ducasse, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Cos d’Estournel, Léoville Las Cases, Vieux Château Certan, Pétrus, Pichon Comtesse, Léoville Poyferré Read Dunnuck’s full report, notes and scores JANE ANSON – INSIDE BORDEAUX  Anson offered early coverage of the growing conditions and yields – ahead of tasting the wines – but her final reports don’t delve much into the detail of the year on its own, instead focusing on tasting notes and the methodology of her scoring. She is one of few critics to mainly offer firm scores rather than bands (apart from when there’s a chance of 100 points, which she doesn’t like to offer to unfinished wines), something she argues is most useful for those deciding on whether or not to buy. As her scores highlight (with five potential 100-pointers on the Right Bank, and two on the Left, but none for dry or sweet whites), she feels it’s a stronger year for reds than whites. She highlights the high levels of tannin and colour, as well as alcohols – noting that because of the latter she has erred on the side of caution with her drinking windows. She found the second wines stronger in the northern Médoc generally, and notes how producers used very different approaches to the vintage. On the Right Bank, she emphasises the advantage of being on Saint-Emilion’s limestone plateau, and that Pomerol offers “muscular swaggering style” this year. She pulls out a selection of wines as value buys, which we’ve listed as her highlights below. Anson’s highlights: Laroque, Saintayme, Peymouton, Bel-Air, Haut-Simard, Feytit-Clinet, Le Rey les Rocheuses, Laurence, Petit Bocq, Roquetaillade la Grange, Cantelys, Ferrande, Angludet, Mejean, De Pez, Fonbadet, Haut-Bages Libéral, Domaine les Sadons, Finegrave, La Fleur Lauga, Larrivaux, Bel Air Gloria, Cap Leon Veyrin, G d’Estournel, G de Guiraud, Charmes-Godard, Clos Floridène, L’Exuberance Blanc Read Anson’s full report, notes and scores LISA PERROTTI-BROWN MW – THE WINE INDEPENDENT  With some major releases arriving earlier than anticipated, Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW initially published a “teaser” article on the year, with notes and scores for wines that had been released or were set to be in the coming days, including more detail on Cheval Blanc, Angélus, the Barton stable and Beychevelle. In her notes on early releases, Perrotti-Brown writes that 2022 was “a faith-affirming vintage for Bordeaux growers” – proving that the region could handle climate change. She highlights the surprising consistency from the year, as well as “a luminosity… that defies what we thought we knew about Bordeaux varieties”. With “its myriad of earthy, nuanced, soft-spoken, shimmery expressions”, it’s “a vintage that Bordeaux fans and serious collectors will want to seek out”. In her full report, released a week later, Perrotti-Brown declares 2022 “a classic, great Bordeaux vintage”. Echoing our findings, she notes that there are no rules in this vintage – picking dates varied significantly, and yet drastically different approaches resulted in excellent wines. She believes that a minority of wines (less than 10% of what she tasted) were acidified which is not in itself problematic, but where it has been done poorly, it shows. She also argues that the record-high percentages of press wine leads to a ruggedness to the tannin structure of some wines. Despite these two quibbles, she was “surprised by how consistent [she] found the wines from top to bottom”, in terms of quality – but she feels, like Galloni, that the heterogeneity of the vintage comes through in the style of the wines. Overall, however, she finds the wines fuller-bodied, high in tannin and quite high in alcohol, but with no dried-fruit character, instead showing impressive bright, red fruit and florals – even if the acidity is relatively low. Stand-out appellations are tricky, but she points to Saint-Emilion’s limestone plateau and areas off it, as well as parts of Castillon, Fronsac and Entre-Deux-Mers with similar bedrock. She writes: “There are many beautiful wines from the Right Bank and Pessac-Leognan, but the top wines of the Médoc are astonishingly great in 2022. If you love Cabernet Sauvignon, you may want to pay special attention to this vintage because the results, in some cases, are mind-blowing.” Perrotti-Brown highlights that the vintage allowed “properties on the peripheries of ‘great terroir’” to thrive this year – and she pulls out a list of estates falling in this category that are likely to offer good value in 2022, which we’ve featured as her highlights below. Perrotti-Brown’s highlights: Branas Grand Poujeaux, Cantemerle, Cantenac Brown, Capbern, Clos Cantenac, Clos de Sarpe, Clos du Clocher, Clos Lunelles, Cos Labory, Couhins-Lurton, D’Arce, De Carles, Haut Carles, De Pez, Fonroque, Fontenil, Fourcas Hosten, Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Gros Caillou, Le Promenoir, Haut-Bages Monpelou, Haut-Simard, Jean Faure, Kirwan, La Mouline, La Mouline Totem, La Rose Perrière, La Vieille Cure, Lafon-Rochet, Lassegue, Latour-Martillac, Les Trois Croix, L’If, Malescasse, Marjosse, Maucaillou, Mauvesin Barton, Montlandrie, Meyney, Pavillon Rouge, Phélan-Ségur, Poesia, Potensac, Siran, Tour Bayard, Tour Bayard l’Angelot, Tour Saint-Christophe, Vermont, Cuvée Prestige Read Perrotti-Brown’s full report, notes and scores on The Wine Independent NEAL MARTIN – VINOUS After the requisite satirical introduction, Martin launches into his report emphasising his frustration at estates’ insistence that he tastes at the château itself, rather than at larger tastings – something he feels is under the belief that it will lead to higher scores. He argues that the anticipated vintage is subject to some fairly typical hyperbole. Although he emphasises that the vines seemed “in verdant rude health” prior to harvest, he’s not convinced that the heat and drought had no impact – as some producers, he suggest, argue. He references the increased use of press wine on the Left Bank, something he attributes to the influence of superstar consultant Eric Boissenot. As to the wines themselves, he seems reluctant to offer glowing praise, but writes that, “The crème de la crème is blessed with kaleidoscopic aromatics, intense fruit, finely-sculpted tannins, structure, elegance and length. Above all, contrary to what the growing season implied, they are suffused with freshness.” These are wines that “dazzle”. He feels however that – and contrary to others – that “terroir is not the be-all and end-all” but instead “a guiding hand” which results in “a partial flattening of the hierarchical pyramid”. Although he sings the praises of the best wines in 2022, he caveats this by saying some wines are “sweet ‘n’ sour”. This he attributes to “human error” and picking dates in particular, with the phenolic and sugar ripeness not always matching up. He feels that it was a season that demanded producers’ “A game”. He found Left and Right Bank are fairly equal in the year, but Saint-Julien was a particular standout. He finds the wines “unabashedly floral”, perfumed and black- rather than red-fruited. He highlights the powdered texture of the tannins in the vintage, as well as the unexpected freshness in the best wines. Most importantly, he emphasises that these are wines for long-term ageing. It’s a far from simple vintage, but, as he concludes, “If you could keep a leash on all that potential energy, greatness was in the offing.” Martin’s highlights: Brane-Cantenac, De Fargues, Haut-Bages Libéral, L’Eglise-Clinet, La Conseillante, Léoville Barton, Phélan-Ségur, Pichon Baron, Ségla, Sénéjac, Vieux Château Certan Read Martin's full report, notes and scores on Vinous Find out more about the vintage and browse all the latest Bordeaux 2022 releases

After weeks and months of tasting, the world’s leading wine critics are announcing their verdict on the latest Bordeaux vintage. Here you’ll find a round-up of what they’re all saying, with a summary of each report and the wines they rated most highly, updated and added as they’re released

Your crib-sheet to what the world’s leading wine critics are saying about Bordeaux 2022 en primeur – including Wine Advocate, Vinous, Decanter and more

Bordeaux 2022 – critics’ round-up

Bordeaux 2022: what the critics are saying

“In more recent times The Glenturret has not been a brand name that is well known in whisky.” While few might refute this, they are not typically the first words you expect to hear from the mouth of the distillery’s Managing Director. “When the new owners took over, it was a unique opportunity to take this old, heritage brand that no one has ever heard of and reposition it without any of the baggage you normally get with repositioning older brands,” John Laurie adds. In 2019, Silvo Denz – owner of Chx Faugères in Saint-Emilion and Lafaurie-Peyraguey in Sauternes – bought a 50% stake in the Highland distillery via his Lalique Group for £15.5m. (Swiss entrepreneur Hansjörg Wyss bought the other 50% for an undisclosed sum.) This marked Denz’s first move into the whisky world and a huge moment for The Glenturret. The deal with The Edrington Group, who own The Macallan and Highland Park, included the distillery, the single malt brand and more than one million litres of maturing stock. In the intervening years, the brand once known as a component in blends and home of The Famous Grouse Experience has been on an oft-used-and-cliched “journey”. The team has grown, acquiring some big names along the way, the core range has been stripped back to basics, and all the fundamentals have been scrutinised. For the first nine months after former The Macallan Whisky Maker Bob Dalgarno joined The Glenturret, he was reportedly nowhere to be seen. After his induction, Dalgarno – chalk in hand and overalls-clad – barricaded himself in the warehouse. The industry legend spent month upon month scrawling on the casks, rolling barrels around and familiarising himself with his new pet project. For the self-professed “farm stock”, the prospect of joining a manually operated distillery after working at The Macallan for 30 years was a real thrill. Dalgarno could experiment and affect change. New contracts with local farmers to run barley trials have been set up and the cask-selection process has been extensively reviewed. He and Distillery Manager Ian Renwick are a formidable team. The duo spent months drilling into the stocks and assessing what worked well and didn’t. After this, two things were taken as read: the quality of the new-make was of utmost importance, and The Glenturret would stay a small, hand-operated distillery. “Other brands will use casks as their dominant flavour profile,” Laurie explains. “We use our new-make spirit. It’s the backbone of The Glenturret. You should be able to nose our new-make spirit and nose it at 30 years old and never lose that character.” The Glenturret new-make spirit is light and quite soft because of the long fermentation and slow distillation methods. In order to preserve this character and avoid railroading it, cask selection is key. This, according to Laurie, has been instrumental in 80% of The Glenturret’s maiden whiskies selling out in the first seven months. “We were really keen not to be the brand that just puts the same liquid in a shiny new bottle and charges a different price point for it,” the Managing Director says. That said, innovation – or, as Laurie prefers it called, experimentation – is high on the agenda at the Highland distillery. “It’s less scientific clean rooms and more overalls and a lot of incredibly long hours and hard work,” Laurie adds. Ostensibly, the culmination of the first stage of this experimentation is the 2020 series of releases, which includes the familiar TripleWood and a scattering of age statements. But look a little harder and the range is an adept exploration of refinement, questioning age, alcohol strength, refill casks and peat. The team has also not shied away from the issue of transparency – something that the whisky world has not always embraced. “We will tell people exactly what’s in our whisky; we won’t hide anything,” Laurie says. “If you want to know how old our non-age statement is then we will tell you. It’s all about the quality of the liquid for us.” In production terms, The Glenturret is considered small batch. As Brand Ambassador Jamie Morrison quaintly puts it, “At roughly 200,000 litres of alcohol per year, that’s a piece of plankton floating in the Pacific in relation to much bigger, more automated distilleries.” For Laurie, balancing genuine scarcity with a territory-by-territory approach will be instrumental to their success. “You want to explain to the consumer that when it sells out, it sells out. There is not going to be another one coming out the back of it. But also managing it to the point where it is not so hard to get that the consumer loses interest,” Laurie says. “We wanted to make sure everywhere we opened up we looked after as we grow. For The Glenturret to really work, it has to be sold in a location where somebody can take the time to tell the customer the story and understand what makes us different. I would rather they didn’t make the sale than make the wrong sale. “This distillery can’t put out any more than 500,000 litres of alcohol unless we started putting on extensions and changing the process completely,” Laurie says. “And there is absolutely no willingness from the ownership all the way down through the team here to do that. So, The Glenturret will reach that 500,000 litres of alcohol production level and stay there.” Morrison picks up the point: “Everything we do is truly small batch and that comes with its own set of challenges in terms of production, but it also makes us quite nimble which means we can afford to do small experimental runs of different barley. We can adjust fermentation times and adjust the run times of the stills quite easily. And that affords us opportunity to effectively have a play round and see what happens.” The words “small batch” and “limited” are often bandied about in the drinks world. In fact, The Glenturret is well-positioned on many fronts when it comes to buzzword bingo, but there is a sincerity in the mission here and a stellar line up of talent which will ultimately let the liquid do the talking. Browse all current Glenturret listings or all Scotch whisky or read more Editorial

When the oldest working distillery in Scotland found a new owner in 2019, many stood back and speculated on how its fortunes might change. Holly Motion speaks to the team about how a new approach has been a barnstorming success


Exploring how Scotland's oldest working distillery, The Glenturret, has gone back to basics and transformed the Highland producer's reputation

Back to basics at The Glenturret

The Glenturret: back to basics

The Left Bank The gravel soils of the Left Bank are beautifully free-draining – something that has long been key to the fine wines despite the wet, maritime climate of the Médoc. In 2022, however, producers were desperate to retain what little water fell from the skies – and the berries harvested were tiny, with thick skins and containing surprisingly little juice.  The size of the grapes, combined with localised hail in Saint-Estèphe, resulted in generally low yields in 2022 – often lower than 2021, although it does vary by estate. Any addresses working organically and biodynamically last year had catastrophic yields, and this year therefore seemed generous (and joyous) for them, with its dry conditions meaning minimal disease pressure. What little fruit was harvested, however, was ripe and concentrated – producing rich and structured wines, with the best also having amazing freshness.   Saint-Estèphe This northern commune tends to thrive in hot vintages, with the heavier, clay-rich soils retaining more water and cooler temperatures, limiting the vines’ stress – and it was just so in 2022, a vintage in which it seems to be one of the more consistent appellations. Unfortunately the northern reaches of the region were struck by a corridor of hail on 20th June – it was very localised, but some estates lost significant volumes (with reports of up to 80%). At Ch. Beau-Site, the combined effects of this hail and April frost led to a loss of around half their crop, while Phélan-Ségur lost 30%.   Picking dates here varied – with Montrose (that has produced one of the stars of the year) starting on 2nd September, Calon Ségur on 6th and Cos d’Estournel on 7th – the earliest harvest for the latter since 1989. Even without any hail damage, Cos only managed to crop 33hl/ha, compared to a normal 40hl/ha. It’s also the first release of Cos Labory under Michel Reybier – reuniting the land that was originally owned by Louis Gaspard d’Estournel – and many more changes are set to come here. As they just acquired the estate, they were only responsible for the blending and élevage – but it’s already showing a touch of the classic Cos polish.   At Montrose, they felt there was a need to “civilise” the tannins, with gentle extraction. At Calon Ségur, Vincent Millet chose a longer, cooler fermentation at 24˚C ; for him, it’s the low yields that give the vintage such power, while the freshness remains a mystery. The wines that we tasted showed none of the rusticity that was once the trademark of Saint-Estèphe, with the best combining a depth of dark fruit and charming freshness.  Our highlights: Montrose – and especially La Dame de Montrose, Calon Ségur, Phélan-Ségur Pauillac “None,” Mathieu Bessonet – Technical Director at Pontet-Canet – said firmly when I asked if he could compare 2022 to another year. Pauillac escaped the hail and almost no one reported any significant damage from the frost, however yields were still low here. As Jean-Sébastien Philippe at Ch. Lafite-Rothschild highlighted, although the tonnage of grapes wasn’t too bad, it was the volume of liquid that they released which was notable – with the berries so small and the skin-to-juice ratio so high that yields were reduced by up to a third at most estates.  Some of Lafite’s younger vines started to struggle in the heat towards the end of August and were picked early, but the fruit wasn’t deemed good enough to be used. Neighbouring First Growth Mouton Rothschild picked in earnest from 1st September, finishing on 26th September – with almost no producers still picking by October’s arrival.  At Ch. Latour, the team recorded the lowest annual rainfall in their history – with just 615mm between October 2021 and September 2022. But there were significant storms in June, indeed the lightning in a thunderstorm on 2nd June destroyed Pontet-Canet’s office, with another following on 24th. Almost everyone we spoke to in Pauillac emphasised the higher percentage of press wine used. As vignerons tended to employ gentler extraction, the press wine was more delicate and more could be used to bring depth to the wines.   Technical Director at Ch. Pichon Baron Pierre Montégut compared the purity of Cabernet Sauvignon this year to 2019, with the richness reminding him of 2020. Bessonet feels that 2022 Pontet-Canet is more Pauillac than Pontet-Canet, but in general it seems that the extreme vintage amplified each estate’s character – as Charles Fournier at Mouton Rothschild highlighted. Taking the First Growths, Mouton is flamboyant, Lafite restrained and precise (with everything in this prestigious stable showing particularly well), Latour more stern and serious. Pauillac has produced some stunning wines at the top end this year, but there’s definitely a little more variation that needs to be considered.  This year’s Ch. Batailley – another classic expression of this stalwart estate – bears a commemorative label to the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who served 1947 Ch. Batailley (a year with similar climatic conditions) at her Silver wedding anniversary in 1972.   Our highlights: Lafite-Rothschild, but also Carruades de Lafite-Rothschild, Pichon Comtesse, Batailley, Grand-Puy-Lacoste  Saint-Julien  “You’ve got to be really humble when a plant teaches you that much,” said Claire Ridley at Ch. Léoville Poyferré – referencing the vines’ resilience in the face of 2022’s extreme conditions. Despite the year’s challenges, Saint-Julien seems to have thrived, with some really impressive wines, with the Barton stable a particular standout. Damien Barton-Sartorius noted that some producers were afraid to wait for phenolic ripeness because of the rising sugar levels in the warm September conditions, but sufficiently ripe skins were key to success.   At Léoville Las Cases, the team feel the year’s climatic conditions hark back over 150 years, to 1870 – although we can’t personally vouch for the comparison, they’ve crafted a muscular, firm wine that will need serious time to reveal its full potential. (Indeed, five potential 100-point scores attest to the quality here.) Ducru-Beaucaillou highlighted the influence of oceanic mists in August, while Ridley pointed to the June storms for essential drought relief.  Harvest dates were similar to Pauillac, often starting in the second week of September and running to the end of the month. The acidity levels vary on paper from 3.6 to 3.85, yet the wines have good freshness and alcohols are generally on the more modest side for the year, with most sitting closer to 14, rather than 15. For Barton-Sartorius, the year sits happily alongside 2016 and 2019 – and possibly 1945. The appellation’s best wines are classically built, with both finesse and flesh, as well as the requisite structure for the cellar.  Our highlights: the entire Barton stable – including a stunning Mauvesin Barton (although sadly Langoa and Léoville sold out on release), Beychevelle, Léoville Las Cases, Lagrange  Margaux “They had to find a way to survive,” Aurélien Valance at Ch. Margaux said of the vines. For him 2022 was a year that gives him hope: “2022 was very extreme – but the wines are not. For the future, it’s very promising.” They have a plot of old-vine Petit Verdot that is always used in the Grand Vin, but the wine was already so dense that it didn’t need it. The fruit from this prime site has instead been used for Pavillon Rouge, contributing to a particularly serious, firm and swarthy rendition of this second wine. Valance explained how they used the vintage as an opportunity to trial two alternatives for managing the heat: removing leaves in early June to allow the grapes to adjust to the hot sun early in the season while they had thick skins, and using kaolin – a type of clay that can be used as a sort of “sunscreen”. While they had higher yields on both these trial plots, they have bottled them separately to see how these practices impact quality over time. Their ongoing work re-orienting their vines (from north-south to east-west) will also help long term, but will take half a century or more.   At Marquis d’Alesme and Labegorce, the early April frost reduced yields, especially for the Merlot – meaning they cropped just 22hl/ha. Harvest started in the first two weeks of September, finishing by the end of the month, the earliest on record for estates like Rauzan-Ségla. Yields generally seemed lower in Margaux – dipping to around half the normal volume at several estates, often less than in 2021. At Brane-Cantenac, Henri Lurton pointed to the deep roots of the 60-year-old Cabernet planted by his late father as key to their success this year, with a thicker canopy and cool nights all contributing to the wines’ surprising freshness. While most estates opted for a lighter touch with extraction, Palmer was a notable exception – choosing instead to lean into the year’s bold structure, something that has paid off (with another five potential 100-point scores here to prove it).  As Lurton said, “It wasn’t an easy vintage to make – but in the end it’s a great one.” Indeed, he feels it’s the best wine he’s ever made. That’s certainly the case at some estates, although the appellation was definitely more variable in quality. The best wines, however, fulfil Margaux’s sensual stereotype – combining perfume with the concentration of the year, and voluptuous tannins.  Our highlights: Rauzan-Ségla, Ségla, Marquis d’Alesme, Brane-Cantenac, Pavillon Rouge du Ch. Margaux  Pessac-Léognan  For Daniel Cathiard at Ch. Smith Haut Lafitte, the vintage was “more about dryness than warmth” – indeed, having recently started working in Napa Valley (with the family’s Cathiard Vineyard), he dared to say that the conditions were “a little Californian”.  Picking in this southern commune seems most uniform, with almost everyone starting in the first week of September. Guillaume Pouthier – who has created one of the wines of the vintage at Les Carmes Haut-Brion – managed to reduce the alcohol with his use of whole-bunch and native yeast, reducing it to a modest 13.5%. Although the tannin levels are very high (with an IPT of almost 100), the wine is amazingly accessible now – with a purity and delicacy that made it tempting to steal the sample for dinner. As he said, “What is very important to me is an empty bottle.”  The style of the wines here varies, from the ultra-elegance of Carmes to a bold, ripe offering from Haut-Bailly – but, from our tastings at least, there’s good uniformity in quality, with powerful wines that are set to age well.     Our highlights: La Mission Haut-Brion, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Domaine de Chevalier  The dry whites Having read about the conditions of the year, you’d be forgiven thinking that the whites might be a write-off – but they’re far from it. It certainly required skill in the vineyard and winery to maintain freshness in the warm, dry year, with some that are on the more tropical side, but there are also some gorgeously taut, vibrant whites that are well worth paying attention to. The best of these are pithy, with impressive tension and an energy that reverberates through the wine. Yields at several addresses were particularly low for the whites, with frost having more of an impact on the Sauvignon Blanc, as well as the hot wind concentrating fruit further.   Although not being released en primeur, 2022 will be the first commercial vintage of a new white wine from Ch. Margaux, a junior sibling to Pavillon Blanc – one that we’re particularly excited to taste. Domaine de Chevalier Blanc is, as Adrien Bernard said, "very special this year” – and we wholeheartedly agree. While the reds often steal the limelight at Lafleur, we were particularly impressed by Champs Libres – another pure Sauvignon Blanc that sings this year.  As Olivier Bernard’s (Adrien’s father’s) 40th vintage, both the Grands Vins bear a special label, with a 1941 illustration by Xu Bei Hong of a galloping horse, one that captures the energy of the year at this address. At Ch. Haut-Brion, the team was particularly impressed by the quality of the Semillon – and it ended up representing a significantly higher portion (51.4%) of the blend, and the result is impressive.   Our highlights: Pavillon Blanc du Ch. Margaux, Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, Lune d’Or, Fieuzal Blanc, Clos Floridène, Les Champs Libres, Cos d’Estournel Blanc  The sweet whites of Sauternes and Barsac Because it was so dry, botrytis took time to develop in 2022, and it was only after the rain in early October that the noble rot took hold. A hot, dry wind over the following week resulted in rapid concentration, Pierre Montégut explained at Suduiraut, which is one reason for the purity of fruit in the wines. With this sudden concentration, the fruit needed to be picked more quickly than normal – indeed Montégut didn’t have enough pickers to bring it in as quickly as he’d have liked. The resulting wines are particularly rich and hedonistic, with notably high sugar levels at some addresses – Lafaurie-Peyraguey has a whopping 260g/l residual sugar (with 130-140g/l the number for a typical year). Yields are tiny in both Sauternes and Barsac – averaging 4hl/ha and 1.5hl/ha, respectively. Montégut explained that he would be using more new oak to help balance the richness of the fruit, which effortlessly absorbs the wood (the sample of Suduiraut we tasted was 100% new oak, but it will likely end up around 70% versus the normal 50%). He compares it to 1959, a vintage that had particularly high sugar levels for the era.   Our highlights: Suduiraut, Guiraud, Coutet The Right Bank There are some stunning wines from the Right Bank this year, with the wines generally more consistent (especially in Saint-Emilion), and the yields (again, mainly in Saint-Emilion) more generous versus the Left Bank.   Unusually, irrigation was permitted in both Saint-Emilion and Pomerol, however few producers have the infrastructure to water vines (beyond doing so manually) – and if they don’t have a water source themselves, it would also add significant costs. As such, few addresses that we visited took advantage of the option – and some argued that the permission to do so arrived too late in the season to be of real use. Although we only dive into the detail of Saint-Emilion and Pomerol on the Right Bank, it’s worth noting that the satellite wines from the Lafleur stable were particularly good this year, with both Les Perrières and Ch. Grand Village really impressing, and Montlandrie was a standout from the Durantous. Although we didn’t taste L’Hêtre, Jacques Thienpont (Le Pin) told us that it was “fabulous” this year – and may well be one to look out for given its pedigree.  Saint-Emilion Saint-Emilion’s pronounced limestone soils were a godsend in 2022 – bringing incredible freshness that balances the generosity of the year beautifully, producing some of the very best wines in the vintage. Of course, the proportion of limestone in soils isn’t universal, and it’s not quite as simple as saying only those on the plateau thrived, but it certainly helped. The general trend towards restraint undoubtedly helps as well, meaning that many producers have contained and tamed the opulence of 2022, rather than exaggerating it.  It was Joséphine Duffau-Lagarrosse’s second vintage at the helm of her family estate, and she’s been working particularly hard on pruning – something she feels is the most important part of any year, looking to balance each vine rather than leave a set number of buds, which also avoids the need for a green harvest. For the Ausone stable, Edouard Vauthier feels it is a Merlot vintage, with the berries “absolutely gorgeous”. The only vines of theirs that struggled in the heat were those at Ch. de Fonbel, where they have gravel soils rather than clay/limestone.  At Ch. Canon, the team even sacrificed certain plots on particularly thin, rocky soils totally – not vinifying the fruit as the vines didn’t have sufficient water reserves to handle the dry conditions. The team at Figeac highlighted how their rootstock (Gravesac) was particularly useful this year. The seeds were already brown in August – showing just how advanced the phenolic development was.   While most estates on the Left Bank and Pomerol sit at 3.6 to 3.9pH, here some wines were as low as 3.3 (bear in mind that whites will often be around 3.2), and most sit under 3.6. There’s a noticeable exception with Cheval Blanc, however the wine has an incredible sense of freshness despite its 3.86pH, and is clearly one of the highlights of the year. As with elsewhere, old vines and deep roots were also a support – and this was particularly true at Clos de Sarpe, Laroque and Angélus. The best wines here offer enticing perfume with aromatic finesse, backed up by concentrated yet crunchy fruit, seamless tannins and mouth-watering acidity, often with a saline finish. They are spellbinding.  Our highlights: Laroque, Carillon d’Angélus, Berliquet, Beauséjour Duffau Lagarrosse, Clos de Sarpe, Cheval Blanc, Bellefont-Belcier  Pomerol Those fortunate to have some of this appellation’s deepest and most prized clay soils produced some stunning wines, but it was definitely trickier on those with more sand and/or gravel. There were proclamations from many producers that this is Merlot’s “comeback” – but Edouard Moueix disagrees, this was just an easy year to farm the variety: “Merlot thrives here, but it is fragile, and you must be more precise – it’s not as tough as Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc.”  Diana Berrouet Garcia at Le Pin noted how hot it was early in the season, recalling it was already 30˚C over the Easter weekend, but the rain that arrived after every heatwave allowed the vines to recover before they were challenged once more. Ch. Clinet was one of the few properties to use irrigation when permitted, something that helped avoid the vines shutting down, along with the cool nights and their mature vines (between 35 and 40 years old on average). By contrast, at Evangile – where the team is in the middle of a replanting program and the vines average just 15 years old – Juliette Couderc was worried about them even in June, however the naturally smaller leaves reduced transpiration and allowed them to survive until harvest at the end of August.   Alexandre Thienpont (Vieux Château Certan) chose to leave more bunches than normal on the vines – eight or nine, rather than the normal five or six – eventually harvesting tiny berries that weighed less than 1g. Noëmie Durantou Reilhac (of Ch. l’Eglise-Clinet) explained how important it was to manage the extraction carefully to maintain freshness, extracting early while the musts were cool and taking it off the skins after just two to five days after fermentation was finished (when some producers choose to leave the wine macerating for up to 40 days).   The warm winds in September concentrated the berries, and are the reason that yields are generally lower, often around 20-30% less than in 2021 for those that harvested later in the month. The start of harvest ranges from the very end of August through to 16th September, and almost everyone finished before the 23rd September. Merlot from the vintage is undoubtedly opulent and we found the best wines were often – but not always – those where its exuberant personality was tamed with Cabernet, bringing a firmer, more linear structure.   Our highlights: Belle-Brise, Vieux Château Certan, L’Eglise Clinet, Blason d’Evangile, Bourgneuf, Clinet, La Conseillante, L’If    Read more about Bordeaux 2022 

There are exceptions to almost every rule in 2022 – and, as ever, it’s essential to asses wines individually. Here, however, we break down the region by commune to offer an overview of how each subregion fared in this fascinating vintage

Bordeaux 2022: a breakdown of the vintage by region, with top picks from Saint-Estephe, Pauillac, Margaux, Saint-Julien, Saint-Emilion and Pomerol

Bordeaux 2022 – breaking the year down by commune

Bordeaux 2022: the vintage by commune

Lafaurie Peyraguey

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