Bordeaux 2025: first releases expected today

The rhythm of La Place de Bordeaux and that of even the most assiduous of wine-writers are rarely perfectly synchronized. And so it is that, just three days after my return to Paris from the marathon of the en primeur tastings, we find ourselves facing the first releases of a crucial campaign.

If my local information is correct – and for once it is very well-triangulated from a range of trusted sources who should know – today (29 April) will see the release, first, of Pontet-Canet this morning, followed this afternoon by Branas Grand-Poujeaux.

Needless to say, my appellation profiles for neither Pauillac nor Moulis-en-Médoc are written. So let me break from my habitual practice and give you a taster of what is to come by publishing already the notes and evaluations of each wine.

As I do so, it is perhaps also worth underscoring two points. The first is that if either (or, as I hope, both) are offered at anything close to their 2024 release prices [see my analysis of the market conditions of the campaign] then they are likely to represent excellent value. Indeed, if that turns out not to be falsely optimistic, today may well be seen as the first day in the rebirth of the much-criticised en primeur system.

The second is that it is perhaps also worth noting that I am often a little conservative in my appreciation of Pontet Canet en primeur. I suspect that many of the rather more influential critics than I will rate this higher (Peter Moser of Falstaff, whom I respect massively, already has with a note of 98). There is no doubting that this is a truly excellent wine in breathtaking vintage. As that suggests, this really does have the opportunity to set the tone for the campaign to come in a most positive way.

Yet even if it does, as I suspect and hope it will, the days of first releases selling out in hours are over. The campaign may have started very early but it is likely to prove a long one in my view. That is no bad thing. Rome, after all, was neither built nor re-built in a day.

Tasting notes

Pontet Canet (Pauillac; 56% Cabernet Sauvignon; 39% Merlot; 4% Cabernet Franc; 1% Petit Verdot; pH 3.71; 13.3% alcohol; 4-6 weeks of maceration, but very gently with only punching over; the same aging protocol as in recent vintages). Tasted at the property with the talented technical director, Mathieu Bessonnet (above). A little closed at first, even when served from the decanter. But that allows you to see what one might otherwise miss as the wine opens. This has a delicate florality that interweaves itself with the fruit and, as this inhales, we find that iconic cassis component coming through with aeration. It’s very beautiful when it does so, but one needs a little patience. Pontet Canet 2025 is plump and plush in its blend of red and darker berry fruits, with a little thyme. It’s also saline in its minerality, distinctly so. On the palate, it’s darker-hued, with the fruit profile seemingly evolving or resolving itself towards the darker stone fruits – plums, damsons above all – and a little bramble. We pick up again that distinct wild florality and more and more cassis floods the palate with gentle aeration in the mouth. There’s plenty of Pauillac graphite too. The tannins are quite chewy on the finish at this stage and this is distinctly peppery – rose and black peppercorns freshly pounded. It’s crystalline but not quite as aerial and luminous as some recent vintages. Indeed, for Pontet Canet I find this reassuringly substantial, but also pleasingly sapid and fresh on the lifted finish. 95-97.

Branas Grand-Poujeaux (Moulis-en-Médoc; 50% Cabernet Sauvignon; 40% Merlot; 10% Petit Verdot; a final yield of 30 hl/ha; 13.5% alcohol). Another really impressive wine, of classed growth quality, from Arjen Pen. This is plump, full and plush as it always is, but with a degree of elegance and finesse – above all evident in the quality of the tannins – that I don’t think I’ve encountered here before. Dark berry and stone fruits fill the mouth from cheek to cheek, wrapped in velour and soft leather. They’re perfectly ripe and it’s as if they explode over the palate releasing little plumes of freshness like tiny sparkles as they do so. Very dynamic and energetic and very long on the gently tapering finish. 93-95+.

 

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