The world’s leading wine critics view Bordeaux 2025 as a top-quality vintage.
Bordeaux 2025 wines are being released now - quality is high and supply low!
“Twenty-twenty five ranks amongst the great Bordeaux vintages. Its snow-capped peaks will be uttered in the same breath as legends gone by.” Neal Martin, Vinous.com.
High praise indeed from the critic whose view is perhaps most valued by the fine wine trade when it comes to the quality rating of Bordeaux wines and particularly at the embryonic en primeur stage.
For many investors, understanding quality in Bordeaux is largely dependent on the palates of a handful of world-recognised critics who not only educate the market on the embryonic wines released en primeur every year but can also influence price.
Fine wine critics for investors
“2025 may well be the most transparent, highly differentiated vintage we have ever tasted. It underlines the agronomic and oenological progress Bordeaux’s best producers have made over the last decade.” William Kelley, The Wine Advocate
There are less than a dozen critics whose views can impact market values and are therefore important for wine investors. Foremost among these are Neal Martin, Antonio Galloni, Jancis Robinson MW, James Suckling, The Wine Advocate (Matthew Kelley),and The Wine Independent’s Lisa Perrotti-Brown.
All tasted hundreds of the Bordeaux 2025 wines during April, and their reviews, comprehensive tasting notes and quality scores are available by subscription via their websites. For collectors, connoisseurs and investors the information provided is a superb insight to the vineyards, the talented teams that run them and the individual wines.
Critics’ headline views on Bordeaux 2025
Neal Martin:
The fine wine trade leans particularly towards Neal Martin when it comes to rating Bordeaux En Primeurs and, as usual, his expert commentary is a superb read with the 2025 review aptly titled ‘Hot Body, Cold Blood’. He reveals that this is his 29th Bordeaux En Primeur campaign and compares it to the lauded 2010 vintage “2025 is a dialled down and more precise 2010, remixed by the weather”.
Neal Martin points to First Growth Chateau Lafite Rothschild (98 – 100) as a contender for ‘wine of the vintage’ and likens it to the outstanding 1982, 1959 and ’53 wines. He also states that Latour (97 – 99) and Mouton Rothschild are “just a small step behind”.
The Margaux appellation is noted as having delivered impressive quality with the expectation that Chateau Margaux 2025 will be among the greats produced by winemaker Phillipe Bascaules.
Other 2025 wines leading his quality appraisal include Chateaux Haut Brion (98-100) Montrose, (98-100) Petrus (97 – 99) and Lafleur (97 – 99).
William Kelley:
The Wine Advocate, founded by the now retired, legendary critic Robert Parker Jnr, has been the proving ground for some of the world’s most highly regarded critics including
Neal Martin, Antonio Galloni and Lisa Perrotti-Brown. William Kelley MW is their lead on this vintage’s Bordeaux En Primeurs.
He observes that “the 2025-barrel tastings showed their (typically normal) acidity and elevated tannin levels more prominently than recent counterparts. The majority confirmed the exceptional quality of the vintage.”
William Kelley scored eight wines at this stage as having the potential for perfection with Chateaux Cheval Blanc, Haut Brion, Montrose, Petrus, Pontet-Canet and Troplong Mondot all rated 98 – 100 and Margaux and La Conseillante both 97 – 100 points.
Antonio Galloni:
The founder of Vinous.com has been instrumental in broadening the critical view of fine wine in the market providing an alternative to Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and one of the early movers in creating the more diversified critique on the complex world of fine wine we have today.
His review on the 2025 wines is labelled ‘2025 Bordeaux En Primeur: Le Freak’ and comments therein that “the finest 2025s are nothing short of thrilling.” Galloni describes Pauillac as ‘jam-packed’ with great wines and that Lafite and Pontet-Canet are ‘especially compelling’. Margaux is noted as the most consistently brilliant appellation this year with Chateaux Margaux and Palmer both labelled as ‘magnificent’.
He refers to Cheval Blanc as a ‘freak’ made from yields of just 15 hectolitres per hectare and immensely promising. Fellow St Emilion estates Canon and Beau-Sejour Bécot produced his two wines rated at this stage in reach of the perfect 100-point score both awarded 98 – 100 from the barrel tastings.
Quality over Quantity in 2025
“The best 2025s are tremendous, some of the best wines I have ever tasted.” Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com
Loaded with quality the vintage may be, but quantity suffered in 2025 with the smallest crop since 1991. This year Bordeaux’s wine makers battled temperatures that peaked
above 40° C with a drought period of ten consecutive days higher than 35°, and still managed to, in Neal Martin’s words, produce “a vintage stacked with great wines”.
However, yields are down across all Bordeaux appellations with Pomerol hit hardest at 30% lower than its ten-year average. On the Left Bank St Julien yields are down 27% on its ten-year norm with Margaux nearly hit to the same level. Pauillac and St Estèphe both succumbed 17%. Pessac Leognan and St Emilion fared better with a 10% percent reduction, which is still significant to growers and market supply. Some estates lost as much as 50% of their crop and even iconic estates such as Cheval Blanc and Ausone did not produce a second wine this vintage.
Market Price for Bordeaux 2025
In their reviews of the 2025 Primeurs all the key critics have commented about the state of the market and the rationale for En Primeur. They have stressed the need for the chateau and their agents to recognise the challenges the sector has faced over recent years and to price this vintage release accordingly.
William Kelley observes for the Wine advocate that Bordeaux does offer exceptional value compared to the world’s other fine wine regions but also noted that if release prices increase, even modestly [on 2024] current economic conditions will not sustain demand.
Antonio Galloni also asserts that this 2025 campaign has to be a success for Bordeaux otherwise the viability of the En Primeur process will come into serious question. In his view the wines must be priced attractively through the supply chain to the end consumer.
Neal Martin views this campaign as a watershed moment for En Primeur. The overhang of overpriced past releases has led to disenfranchisement and a wariness to acquire Bordeaux futures. Merchants reducing their allocations combined with a change in consumer tastes in younger drinkers have led to vineyard area in the region being reduced to align supply with demand.
However, Bordeaux is also evolving with a strong focus on oeno-tourism and hospitality changing its income generation and so reducing its reliance En Primeur. So, this process of supply delivery to the market may well continue to reduce in volume and importance to become simply a superb annual PR stunt to leverage other market dynamics in the future. Time will tell but importantly Bordeaux is offering ‘terrific value’ in the 2025 vintage.
FIRST 2025 RELEASE PRICE INSIGHT
Of the key investment wines released so far, which includes Pontet-Canet, first-off-the-block on the 29th April, Lafleur, La Fleur-Petrus, L’Evangile and Cheval Blanc all have been priced slightly higher at release than the 2024 to reflect quality. Cos d’Estournel bucked the trend on the 18th May releasing its 2025 at the same price as 2024.
Significantly Lafite Rothschild, (scored 98 – 100/100 by Neal Martin, James Suckling and others) released at the time of writing, higher than 2024 but perhaps no surprise there given the quality. We can expect the remaining key estates to hit the market in the coming days.
Our view
“Quality is not an act, it’s a habit” - Aristotle
Bordeaux is recognised as the most prolific region in the world for fine wine with a heritage that spans centuries for some producers. In the last decade Bordeaux’s wine makers have built on tradition by learning, investing in and evolving vineyard and cellar practices and technology to manage a warming climate. The very best continue to create extraordinary wines in the face of significant challenges year-on-year. Bordeaux’s quality is habitual, built-in, hard-won and reliable.
2025 is a testament to the brilliance of the Bordeaux wine makers and we are selecting the very best for our clients based on quality scores and release prices we believe offer the potential for strong future returns.
Of the releases so far, supply is limited. Contact our team for more information on pricing and to acquire allocations of a vintage that promises to be one of the greats.
Register for our Newsletter to receive details on the En Primeur wines we have selected as soon as they are available and call us now on 0203 384 2262 for further insight.