Between October 22nd and 25th, I spent some adventurous days exploring Bordeaux's famous and lesser-known vineyards. Although it was a brief visit to the "promised land", it turned out to be a very memorable experience.
Regarding the 2024 vintage, some winemakers mentioned that we shouldn't expect much due to the various challenges posed by bad weather throughout the year, including coulure, millerandage, mildew, heavy rainfall, and a lack of sunshine. We will see how this vintage performs in April 2025 during the primeurs.
My friend Alex Rychlewski, a wine blogger from Bordeaux, joined me during all the visits.
Day one:
Ausone
We received a warm welcome from Alain Vauthier, whom I have known for 40 years! He let us taste fresh and packed with fruit de Fonbel 2022 (91p) and silky, tasteful, and well-balanced Haut Simard (90p) and equally lovely Simard (90p) from the 2016 vintage. We also enjoyed the very raspberry La Clotte 2021 (91p) and the riper and more intense 2019 vintage (92p). We concluded the tasting with the gloriously scented nose of cherries and cocoa and great midpalate 2021 Ausone, which scored 97 points, and the stunningly built and fat 2019 Ausone, which received a remarkable 99 points. Both wines beautifully combined power, elegance, richness, and a sophisticated touch.
The 2024 vintage at Vauthier properties is expected to be variable due to issues with millerandage and mildew, particularly impacting the Merlot grapes. The weather conditions in 2024 were unkind, with heavy rain during the summer and throughout the harvest.
Alain Vauthier and I. I met him for the first time in March 1984.
La Conseillante
Property's manager, Marielle Cazaux, welcomed us, and we tasted a very elegant, sophisticated 2021 (95p) with much finesse. Afterward, we were treated to the 2020 version (97+p), a more intense and complex wine than 2021, with a stunning midpalate and richness.
Production is expected to be halved for the 2024 vintage due to flowering and rainy weather challenges. However, Marielle Cazaux remains optimistic about the upcoming vintage despite the weather difficulties she faced before and during the harvest.
Beausejour Becot
Julien Barthe has been the property manager since 2017 and has played a vital role in enhancing the quality of recent vintages. He presented the elegant and velvety Joanin Becot 2021, which scored 91 points. Afterward, we tasted the fresh, refined, sleek, and well-balanced 2021 Beausejour Becot, which I rated 94 points. The 2020 Beausejour Becot followed, showcasing a more intense and full-bodied profile with impressively integrated acidity. It earned 95 points. After the tasting, we toured the property's impressive new cellar and underground cave (the latter is pictured below).
Mangot
Karl Todeschini, one of the two Todeschini brothers who steer Mangot and La Brande, prepared several interesting wines to taste. We tasted the splendid La Brande 2022 (92p) from Castillon with an unmistakable aroma of roses, velvety and complex 2023 Mangot (93p), broad-shouldered and dense 2022 (94p). We then tasted a special cuvee from the best parcels of the two vintages of C. Sauvignon, C. Franc, and Merlot, named Distique, in two vintages. Distique 15 (2022 vintage) was intense and tight. 94+p. Distique 16 (2023 vintage) was more elegant and subtle than the 2022 version but almost as splendid. 93+p.
We finished the tasting with a new project of Karl, white wine. He planted Merlot Blanc, a very rare grape variety near La Brande, in 2018. It’s called “Preface,” and 2021 was the first vintage released. This wine sees no oak and is aged in stainless steel vats. We tasted the 2023 version, a delightfully fresh, crisp, and tasteful wine. 91p.
Day two:
Jean-Pierre Moueix
I tasted five wines from the 2020 vintage: La Grave, Latour à Pomerol, La Fleur Petrus, Trotanoy, and Belair Monange. This was my first experience with these wines in the 2020 vintage, as I could not taste them from the barrel during the primeur tasting in April 2021 due to travel restrictions caused by COVID-19. I was very impressed by the delicate and silky nature of La Grave (92 points) and Latour à Pomerol (93 points). La Fleur Petrus (97+ points) was sublime and highly complex, while Trotanoy (98+ points) was multidimensional, with everything ideally in place. Belair Monange (98+ points) had intense black truffles and black cherries on the nose and was sophisticated to the core.
Bourgneuf
Visiting this property near Trotanoy is always a great pleasure. Dominique Vayron and her daughter, Frederique, the winemaker, prepared the 2022, 2021, and 2020 vintages for tasting. The 2021 vintage was well-assembled and displayed finesse, earning 93 points. The 2020 vintage was intense, focused, and precise, scoring 95 points.
While I was raving about the exquisite and creamy 2022 Bourgneuf with superb purity, which I rated 96 points, Dominique Vayron went to the cellar and brought out a mystery bottle to serve during lunch. I initially guessed it was from the 1970s, but it turned out to be 1982 Bourgneuf Vayron, which scored 94 points! It was an outstanding bottle to taste. This wine was made by Xavier Vayron, Dominique’s husband, and his father.
Le Pin
Jacques Thienpont was very generous in showcasing the 2023 and 2022 vintages. The 2023 vintage, rated at 98+ points, was seamless and adventurous, boasting a fantastic mid-palate. The 2022 vintage, with a score of 99-100 points, was bottled several months ago and remained just as scintillating as when it was tasted from the barrel. This wine was utterly sophisticated, featuring a texture akin to liquid cashmere!
Beausejour
Josephine Duffau Lagarrosse has had a new vinification cellar since July 2024. It features 15 specially designed concrete vats made in Italy, each showcasing an engraved view of the vineyard. These vats are unique and state-of-the-art!
I tasted the 2021 and 2022 vintages of Croix de Beausejour and the same vintages of Grand Vin. The 2021 Croix de Beausejour, rated 89-90 points, was delicate and seductive. In contrast, the 2022 version exhibited greater intensity and riper fruit, scoring 91-92 points. The 2021 Beausejour scored 95 points, being delicate, elegant, and refined. The recently bottled 2022 Beausejour scored 98-100 points and had a captivating blend of finesse, power, delicacy, and opulence. It met all the expectations set by the barrel tasting.
De 
de Sales
In 2017, Bruno de Lambert, the owner of de Sales, retired, and 14 members of the Lambert family took on the responsibility of managing the property. I wanted to evaluate whether the quality of the wine improved with the arrival of the younger generation, so I requested to taste vintages from 2017 to 2021.
The 2017 vintage, rated 88 points, showcased the property's traditional style: light, round, a bit foursquare, and gentle. In contrast, the 2018 vintage was notably larger and more structured, displaying a well-balanced character that remained true to the Pomerol style. It earned a rating of 91 points. The 2019 vintage was even more elegant than its predecessor, offering greater finesse, and received a rating of 91 points. The 2020 vintage perfectly combined the intensity of the 2018 wine with the elegance of the 2019 vintage, resulting in a rating of 91+p. Lastly, the 2021 vintage was lighter but classic in its representation of Pomerol, showcasing an alluring black truffle aroma and earning a rating of 89 points.
The improvement of the quality is noticeable.
Sadly, De Sales experienced a significant setback in June 2024 when a 20-minute hailstorm wiped out 80% of the potential crop.
Belle Brise/Corlacy
These two small properties are located near the railway tracks, just below the small bridge when entering Libourne from the N89 road. We were welcomed by Marin de Coincy, the owner's son, Henri-Bruno de Coincy. During our visit, we tasted several wines: the delicate and aromatic 2023 Belle Brise, which scored 94-95 points and had notes of blueberries; the flowery and truffle-scented 2023 Corlacy, a wine from a neighboring vineyard that received 93 points; the subtle and floral 2021 Belle Brise, also with a score of 93 points; and the finesse-packed 2021 Corlacy, which scored 92 points. We concluded our tasting with the pure and exquisite 2020 Corlacy (94p).
Wines from both properties are under the radar. While they are not inexpensive, they are worth discovering!
Marin de Coincy presents wines made by his father
Day three:
Haut Brion/La Mission Haut Brion
We tasted the 2022 vintage, which has already been bottled. La Chapelle de La Mission HB scored 93 points; it was fresh and displayed nice minerality. Le Clarence de HB was also rated at 93 points, offered flavors of morello cherries, and had a lot of depth. La Mission HB received an impressive 98+ points and was remarkably sophisticated, featuring a great midpalate. Haut Brion, rated 99-100 points, showcased intense aromatics and a multidimensional palate.
After the reds, we sampled three whites. La Clarté de HB, rated at 92 points, was fresh and energetic. La Mission HB scored 97+ points, boasting great minerality and a wide array of aromas. Haut Brion, rated 98-99 points, exhibited power, tightness, and richness.
Turid Alcaras, who welcomed us, explained that the 2024 vintage was difficult and troubled and yielded low volumes. The harvested grapes went through three sorting processes: manual, density-based, and optical. Despite the challenges, the Haut Brion/La Mission team is hopeful for a good vintage.
Turid Alcaras and wines
Carmes Haut Brion
We tasted the 2021 vintage. It was a very mineral, smoky, and tannic wine. It was a typical cool climate Bordeaux wine, which requires considerable time to develop. I rated it 93+p.
Day four:
Cantemerle
In 2022, Laure Canu, who previously worked at Angelus, became the manager of Cantemerle and immediately implemented significant changes. For instance, she increased the proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend while reducing the amounts of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. As a result, only 60% of the production was allocated to the 2022 Cantemerle.
I tasted the vintages from 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, and it was evident that the quality improved significantly from 2022 to 2023, especially when compared to 2020 and 2021. I thought that the 2023 vintage (94 points) even surpassed the 2022 vintage (93 points). This 2023 Cantemerle is offering one of the best quality-to-price ratios in Bordeaux!
There is a lot of renovation work happening at Cantemerle. The new cellar (pictured below), featuring 120 vats allowing for parcel-by-parcel vinification, is expected to be ready for the harvest in 2025.
Lafite
Lafite's technical director, Eric Kohler, prepared the 2021 vintage for us to taste. We sampled the elegant and smooth second wine, Moulin de Duhart (88 points), the powerful and rich Duhart Milon (92+ points), the very complex Carruaders de Lafite with its splendid midpalate (93 points), and the multilayered and sophisticated Grand Vin (97 points).
A new vinification cellar is currently being constructed and is expected to be ready for the 2026 harvest. The old cellar will be repurposed for other uses, such as f.i. packaging.
Latour
We had an excellent visit, and Hélène Genin, the technical director, was kind enough to prepare the 2020 and 2021 vintages for us to taste. Due to travel restrictions related to COVID-19, I could not taste these wines from the barrel. But the wait was worthwhile! The lineup of wines was sublime. We started with the minty and gentle 2021 Pauillac (89 points), followed by the crystalline and subtle 2021 Les Forts de Latour (92 points), and then the 2021 Latour (97 points), which displayed remarkable class, finesse, and refinement. The 2020 Pauillac (92p) was impressively opulent and textured, and the 2020 Les Forts de Latour (94p) stood out with its splendid depth and length. 2020 Grand Vin (99-100 points) was a stunningly crafted wine that showcased power, richness, and a sophisticated touch.
Hélène Genin prepared the wines for us to taste. Two carafles for the 2021 Les Forts and Grand Vin and two for the 2020 Les Forts and Grand Vin!
Chateau Margaux
Philippe Bascaules, the manager, presented 2021 Pavillon Rouge, 2021 Ch. Margaux and 2021 Pavillon Blanc for me. All three were as exactly impressive as from the barrel. First, we tasted the sublime and mouth-filling Pavillon Rouge (94p), then the rich, graceful, and sophisticated Grand Vin (98p), and I finished with the vibrant Pavillon Blanc (94p), which possessed splendid tension and complexity.
In 2024, it was the same story here as at other properties in Bordeaux: challenging weather, mildew, and half the production. Despite all the problems, they expect a good vintage at Chateau Margaux.
