Pauillac

Release date: 29/4/2025

Gorgeous deep plum colour, very juicy, extremely well handled, savoury and mouthwatering, cassis bud, roses, crayon, shorter on the finish than a typical Carruades, but this has plenty of subtleGorgeous deep plum colour, very juicy, extremely well handled, savoury and mouthwatering, cassis bud, roses, crayon, shorter on the finish than a typical Carruades, but this has plenty of subtle pleasure and will be ready to drink sooner than usual. Harvest 23 September to 7 October, 32hl/h yield, 47% of the harvest is in this wine, 12% press. Drinking range: 2029 - 2040 Rating: 92 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (Apr 2025)

Release date: 22/4/2025

We tasted this twice - and found a very statuesque and classically-shaped Batailley. Dark-hued fruits add a sense of brood to the juice - laden with smartly done wood-spice and clove notes. There isWe tasted this twice - and found a very statuesque and classically-shaped Batailley. Dark-hued fruits add a sense of brood to the juice - laden with smartly done wood-spice and clove notes. There is a good 'old-school' frame here that gives the feeling of some heft. Silly as it sounds, this tastes like a classic young Bordeaux - as it should - yet this stands out for its youth, in a vintage where so many wines are lighter in weight and more easy to read at this stage. One for the purists, 'proper' claret. This will need a moment and then deliver exactly what Batailley lovers admire.
Cabernet Sauvignon 81%. Merlot 15%, Petit Verdot 4%. The vintage marks the 100th anniversary of the Castéja family's ownership, warranting a special label and even a special sized bottle - they have revived the 2.25 litre (3 bottle equivalent) 'Marie Jeanne'. For when a magnum is not quite enough for lunch for two. L&S (Apr 2025)

Release date: 29/4/2025

The 2024 Lafite-Rothschild is a sensual, elegant wine very much in the style of the year. Plush and enveloping, with lovely forward fruit, the 2024 is very Lafite, perhaps a bit reticent, butThe 2024 Lafite-Rothschild is a sensual, elegant wine very much in the style of the year. Plush and enveloping, with lovely forward fruit, the 2024 is very Lafite, perhaps a bit reticent, but super-expressive just the same. Black cherry, pomegranate, blood orange and a kiss of espresso all build in the glass, framed by quintessentially finessed Lafite tannins. The 2024 is sublime. I expect it will be one of the to be one of the top wines in the Médoc when all is said and done. Drinking range: 2034 - 2064 Rating: 94-96 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2025)

An estate that has been quietly improving its expression of Cabernet Sauvignon classicism over the past few years, and here you'll find sappy, bright redcurrant, blackberry and raspberry fruit, aAn estate that has been quietly improving its expression of Cabernet Sauvignon classicism over the past few years, and here you'll find sappy, bright redcurrant, blackberry and raspberry fruit, a little leafy but with good length and soft campfire smoke, and an unfussy expression of the appellation. 58% new oak for ageing. Drinking range: 2029 - 2040 Rating: 91 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (Apr 2025)

Release date: 23/4/2025

Vibrant ruby in colour with violet edging, this is beautifully measured, with a careful release of black fruits. Puts the focus on the floral side of Cabernet Sauvignon, with rose petals, chamomile,Vibrant ruby in colour with violet edging, this is beautifully measured, with a careful release of black fruits. Puts the focus on the floral side of Cabernet Sauvignon, with rose petals, chamomile, fragrant tomato leaf and lilac. There is austerity on the opening, with tight architecture but as it opens juice begins to flow through the pumice and slate-textured tannins, and this delivers a finessed, slim-style of Pauillac, with plenty of ageing potential and quiet confidence. One of the successes of the vintage. Harvest September 26 through to October 11. 3.8ph, 50% new oak, 35% concrete amphoras. Tasted twice. Drinking range: 2032 - 2046 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (Apr 2025)