Discover our selection of fine Bordeaux wines available en primeur on the 2025 and 2024 vintages, sourced directly from the estates.
Bordeaux 2025 En Primeur: the rarity of a vintage, the signature of the terroirs, the surprise of freshness
Were you expecting a scorching vintage? So were we. Everything pointed that way: a mild winter, a swift flowering on 13 May, two heatwaves and peaks of 42°C in August. And yet, no. The 2025 Bordeaux en primeur wines deliver the opposite of what the climate suggested: the smallest harvest since 1991, finely chiselled wines in which the terroir speaks first, and a freshness no one had dared hope for.
The 2025 vintage in figures
12.5 to 13.5° alcohol, sometimes lower
3.3 to 3.7 pH on the reds, among the lowest observed in the past decade
2.3 million hectolitres in the Gironde, the smallest harvest since 1991
−12% production compared with 2024
−50% volume on certain Sauvignon Blancs
42°C reached in August in the vineyards
Our reading of the vintage
2025 in Bordeaux cannot be read as a single block. Where 2022 amplified, 2025 clarifies. The clay soils held firm, the limestones drew from deep reserves, and the gravels heightened precocity. Patient growers were rewarded. Cabernet Franc shines exceptionally on both banks, and Petit Verdot finds its way more often into Left Bank blends. Sauternes and Barsac sign a historic year, in which quality and quantity advance hand in hand for the first time in thirty years.
This is a vintage of growers and terroirs, in which one tastes the place and the gesture before the climate.
The profile of the wines in the glass
The reds: A deep robe with violet hues. On the nose, fresh fruits (raspberry, blackberry, blackcurrant), sometimes underlined by a minty or floral note, with no hint of jammy character. On the palate, concentration without heaviness, powdery or chalky tannins of a finesse rare in a warm year, and that insistent freshness which signs the vintage all the way to the finish.
The dry whites: Tension, brightness, energy. Citrus and exotic fruits on the Sauvignons, apricot, peach and white flowers on the Sémillons. Less new oak, more fruit, more precision. Mid-palate richness that takes nothing away from the verticality.
The sweet wines: A great year. White flowers, candied citrus, pear, apricot, on low pH levels that promise long ageing. More elegant and precise than opulent.
Critical consensus places Bordeaux 2025 between 2020 and 2016, with the juicy luminosity of 2023. Neither the opulence of 2022, nor the power of 2018. Something more taut, more chiselled and more accessible.
Bordeaux 2025 En Primeur appellation by appellation
Saint-Estèphe drew on the depth of its clays, which retained water when other terroirs gave way. The wines are dense, saline, sometimes floral, with a tannic frame whose finesse belies the heat of the summer.
Saint-Julien shows remarkable consistency. The combination of deep gravels and clay allowed the Cabernet Sauvignons to complete their cycle in ideal conditions. The wines are upright, deep, with ripe and tightly knit tannins, faithful to the appellation's signature: balance, restraint, length.
Pauillac is undoubtedly the most homogeneous Left Bank appellation in 2025. The deep gravels regulated ripening to perfection, and the Cabernet Sauvignons reach a phenolic plenitude usually associated with the great classic years, with the added bonus of the alcoholic moderation typical of the vintage.
Margaux began harvesting on 8 September, one of the earliest harvests in its history. The vintage takes on a singular profile here: the density of a warm year carried by an unusual aromatic freshness. On the deep gravels, the balance is striking; on more draining terroirs, the grower's hand played a decisive role.
Pessac-Léognan red emerged as one of the revelations of the vintage. The warm, free-draining gravels allowed early picking, in coolness, preserving red and black fruit aromatics without tipping into overripeness. Petit Verdot, more present than usual in the blends, brings additional colour, spice and tension.
Pessac-Léognan white reaches new heights. Sauvignons and Sémillons were harvested with historic precocity, sometimes as early as 18 August, preserving a vibrant acidity and incisive aromatics. The fruit asserts itself and the tension takes its full place.
Saint-Émilion in 2025 reads through the nature of its soils. The clay-limestone plateau and slopes, able to draw on their deep reserves, deliver wines of remarkable balance: density, depth, finesse. Merlot and Cabernet Franc find their most accomplished expression here.
Pomerol delivers wines of great personality. Where the blue clay dominates and the old vines plunge deep, the vintage reaches its peak: powdery tannins, concentration without weight, fresh finishes. This is undoubtedly the appellation where the grower's hand, in the choice of picking dates and extractions, weighed most heavily.
Sauternes and Barsac are the event of the year. The alternation between rains in late August and dry spells in September allowed an early and homogeneous installation of Botrytis cinerea, as growers had been hoping for years. The style is fresh, chiselled, more elegant than opulent: white flowers, candied citrus, pear, apricot. And rare as it is, quality and quantity go hand in hand this year on the sweet wines.
To this are added Haut-Médoc, Médoc, Listrac-Médoc and Moulis-en-Médoc on the Left Bank, Fronsac, Lalande-de-Pomerol and Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux on the Right Bank, where Crus Bourgeois and more confidential estates offer a particularly attractive quality-to-price ratio this year.
Frequently asked questions
When are the 2025 Bordeaux en primeur wines released? The campaign takes place in spring 2026, mainly between late April and June, with releases announced on a rolling basis by the châteaux after the en primeur tasting week in Bordeaux.
When will the wines be delivered? After bottling at the château, that is between late 2027 and early 2028 depending on the property. During ageing, they remain stored in the châteaux' cellars. Millésima then receives them and ships them directly to your door.
Why buy en primeur rather than wait for bottling? For two concrete reasons in 2025: the structural rarity of the vintage (the smallest harvest since 1991) and the availability of large formats and allocations on the Grands Crus Classés, which become hard to find once bottling has taken place.
Will Bordeaux 2025 be a vintage that can be drunk early? The freshness of the wines, the overall balance and above all the integration of the tannins will make this vintage quickly accessible. In addition, Bordeaux has worked extensively over the past decade on the early accessibility of its wines. For many labels, only 2-3 years of waiting after delivery will be enough to start enjoying them!
Is the 2025 vintage built for ageing? Yes. The low pH levels, full phenolic ripeness and tannic finesse make it a vintage tailored for ageing, particularly on the reds from the great terroirs (Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Saint-Émilion, Pomerol) and on the sweet wines. As you will have understood, 2025 in Bordeaux offers a particularly broad drinking window. Critics place it between 2020, 2016 and 2023.
Buy the great Bordeaux 2025 wines en primeur at Millésima
Buying en primeur means reserving a fine wine still in barrel at an advantageous price, eighteen to twenty-four months before bottling. It also means securing rare cuvées and formats that will be impossible to find later (magnums, double-magnums, imperials).
Millésima at a glance:
A merchant on the Place de Bordeaux since 1983, ranked among the top 5 en primeur buyers.
Wines purchased directly from the estates, guaranteeing provenance and storage conditions.
Delivery of the 2025 Bordeaux en primeur wines scheduled for 2027-2028, after bottling.
Multilingual customer service, international shipping, large-format bottles.
Would you like to delve deeper into the vintage? Read our article "Bordeaux 2025 En Primeur: Everything You Need to Know".
The 2024 Bordeaux vintage en primeur: between freshness and accessibility
Marked by demanding climatic conditions, the 2024 Bordeaux vintage bears witness to the resilience of the terroirs and the remarkable adaptability of the growers. Despite modest volumes, it reveals the richness and diversity of the Bordeaux terroirs through varied profiles. Forged by the determination of those who tend the vines, 2024 stands out for its freshness, finesse and moderate alcohol levels. In tune with current expectations, it charms with its vibrant fruit, juicy frame and fine structure. A delicate and seductive profile, to be enjoyed from its youth.
Climatic and agronomic conditions
The year 2024 will be remembered as one of the most singular in climatic terms in France, combining records of heat and rainfall. This atypical context strongly impacted the vineyard, leading to a marked drop in volumes.
Climatically, 2024 was distinguished by a mild winter, marked by rainfall well above the averages observed over the past decade. Flowering, which took place in June, benefited from stable weather conditions, conducive to its smooth progress. Summer, on the whole mild, with dry weather in July and August, generated little stress for the vines.
September, however, broke this dynamic, with a clear cooling and a return of rainfall, considerably complicating the harvest.
Profiles of the Bordeaux 2024 En Primeur wines
Red wines
The 2024 en primeur reds charm with their freshness and intense aromatic expression, dominated by vibrant red fruits. From the attack, they reveal a silky texture, supported by fine, melted tannins. Their juicy frame, combined with a low alcohol level of around 12%, makes them accessible from their early years.
Dry white wines
The dry white wines look promising. Most cuvées stand out through an intense aromatic expression, dominated by citrus nuances and supported by fine acidity, lending the wine a chiselled freshness and vibrant energy.
Sweet wines
The 2024 vintage looks very favourable for the sweet wines. The climatic conditions allowed the development of a rich aromatic expression, carried by intense fruity notes and a vibrant freshness. On the palate, concentration is balanced by lively acidity, giving rise to harmonious wines with fine ageing potential.
When are the Bordeaux en primeur wines released and what is the date of the 2024 en primeur campaign? What will the 2024 Bordeaux vintage be like? To find out more about the upcoming vintage, discover our article: "Bordeaux 2024 En Primeur: What to Expect from the New Vintage?".
Discover all the wines to buy En Primeur from Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Rhône Valley and more on our "All our En Primeur wines" page.
