Bordeaux 2025 | This Week's Releases 🇫🇷

The 2025 campaign is building nicely now, and this week brings some of the most exciting releases of the season. We have seven wines to share with you, spanning the full range from brilliant-value entry points into Pauillac and Saint-Julien all the way up to one of the greatest wines on earth.

We'll start with two wines from the Barton family, whose Irish roots and long Bordeaux story we've always admired. Mauvesin Barton, the family's Moulis en Médoc estate, is the perfect gateway into this year's campaign for those looking for something genuinely accessible. A split of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, it's crunchy, energetic and layered, with currants, nutmeg and a juicy finish that makes it hard to resist young. James Suckling scored it 91-92 points. Alongside it, Château Langoa Barton from Saint-Julien steps things up considerably. Cropped at just 20 hectoliters per hectare, one of the lowest yields ever recorded at the estate, the 2025 is a gorgeous expression of the address: blueberry and cassis on the nose, fine caressing tannins, beautifully balanced with real energy and punch. Neal Martin called it "a gorgeous Langoa" and Jane Anson said it was "very drinkable wine, hard to beat in terms of pleasure delivery." Scores range from 91 to 95 points across the board.

And then there is Léoville Barton, and this year it carries extra meaning. The estate celebrates its 200th vintage in 2025, a remarkable milestone, and the wine itself is worthy of the occasion. Cropped at just 22 hectoliters per hectare, a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and Cabernet Franc, it shows crème de cassis, violets, pencil shavings and beautifully integrated oak. Neal Martin scores it 95-97, calling it "superb" with an "exquisite bouquet." Jane Anson went to 97 points, writing about "layer upon layer of crayon, graphite, textural interest and character" and placing it "right at the top of the vintage." For investment, for the cellar, or simply to mark something worth marking, this is the wine to drink. Léoville Barton is available for the first time in 3 bottle cases at just €215, an accessible way into one of Saint-Julien's greatest wines at a genuinely historic moment.

Moving to Pauillac, Château Lynch Bages needs very little introduction. The 2025 is a blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and a touch of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, and it has drawn some of the most enthusiastic notes of the week. James Suckling scores it 97-98 points, describing "great energy, precision and focus" with dark fruits, mineral nuances and a cool minty note. Jeff Leve went to 97 points, writing about "an ocean of chewy currants, sweetness, lift and complexity" that is somehow also "seemingly weightless and deceptively easy to drink." This is a fan favourite for us so for the first time, we are offering Lynch Bages in a 3 bottle case at just €250, making it a brilliant starting point for anyone dipping their toes into Pauillac at this level.

Worth mentioning alongside it is Echo de Lynch Bages, the estate's second wine, which in 2025 is drawing unusually high praise. Jane Anson scored it 94 points, calling it "one of the sibling wines of the vintage" and noting a far clearer link with the main Lynch Bages estate than most second wines manage in any year. A 53/47 Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon blend, with structured toasted spice, dark chocolate, espresso and graphite, it's a serious wine in its own right and a smart way into the Lynch Bages stable at a more accessible price.

Also released this week is Château Duhart Milon, the fourth growth Pauillac estate managed by the Lafite Rothschild team. The 2025 is a blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon and 27% Merlot, with wild blueberries, cassis, rose petals and a beautifully mineral, graphite-driven palate. Jane Anson described "beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon character, super floral and characterful, with lots of lift and tension," scoring it 95 points. In a vintage where Pauillac performed so brilliantly, Duhart Milon is one of the smartest ways to get a piece of it.

And then there is Château Lafite Rothschild. One of the lowest yields in the estate's history, clocking in at just 12.5% ABV, and already drawing perfect or near-perfect scores from every major critic. James Suckling gives it 98-100, Jeff Leve 99 points. Neal Martin, upon leaving the château after tasting it, wrote that it was only walking back to his car that he realised what a brilliant wine the 2025 Lafite is destined to become. A blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and Petit Verdot, it shows sweet tobacco, cedar, roses and wet earth, with finely chiselled tannins and extraordinary harmony from start to finish. Quantities available to us are seriously limited.

Wines are moving quickly this week. If you'd like daily updates as new releases land, sign up to our En Primeur mailing list here and you'll be first to know. As always, Michael and I are on hand to help you find the right wines for your budget or your collection.

Cheers,

Will