Following a lull for Vinexpo Asia at the end of May, this week is proving to be key for the Bordeaux en primeur campaign with a flurry of major names out this week, including a “quintessential” Mouton Rothschild.
It’s perhaps not surprising given the market that there has been distinct reluctance from chateaux to commit themselves during May, with the result that the campaign has been a bit slow of the mark. When db caught up with a dozen estates at a recent tasting, they all showed a certain amount of reticence in committing themselves on when and how much they would release, waiting to see how the market would receive the first few offerings.
As predicted by db last month, the pace has increased since then however, and is now widely expected to wrap up in two or three weeks’ time.
Following last week’s temporary hiatus, a host of big names have released the 2025 vintage this week with another tranche due over the next ten days. This was led today with Mouton Rothschild, a “quintessential Mouton Rothschild” according to Neal Martin, which rates as “one of the great modern Mouton vintages”. This has been released at €300 per bottle ex. negoces, up from the release of the 2024 vintage at €252. It is available from the UK trade at around £1,824 per case of six or £918 per case of three, no doubt due to the strong scores, and the fact that the 2024 was available at a 37% discount on the previous release.
The estate’s second wine, Petit Mouton, also hit the market, clocking in at £732 per case of six, followed by Aile d’Argent (available for £660 per six from UK merchants) Chateau Haut-Bailly, and Brane-Cantenac also out this afternoon.
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This comes hot on the heels of the La Mission Haut-Brion, which was released at around the same price as the 2024 vintage. Available from London merchants at £870 per six, this displayed “the sort of pricing discipline we would perhaps have liked to see more consistently across the campaign” according to Corney & Barrow. This means the 2025 vintage clocks in at a nearly 30% discount of the current market price of the 2016, and even more than the 2010 (less than half). La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion was also released, along with the Mission Haut Brion Blanc from Pessac-Léognan at £2,910 per six, reflecting not only the quality and low production, but also the final yield of 23 hl/ha, down from the 38 hl/ha in 2024.
Yesterday also saw Chateau Pavie (£936 per six) and Aromes de Pavie, Châteaux Lagrange in St-Julien (£182 per six) Monbousquet and Pichon Comtesse de Lalande (which is being offered at £597 per case of six by London merchants) and Pichon Comtesse Reserve is £180 per six, which Corney & Barrow called their “pick of the day”, which represented “a meaningful discount to benchmark vintages such as 2022 and 2016”.
Meanwhile Châteaux Siran and Giscours (along with the Sirene de Giscour and Haut-Medoc de Giscours) were released on Monday at £126 per six and £252 per six respectively, along with Grand Puy Lacoste at £228 per six bottles.
Related news
Bordeaux 2025: some additional tasting notes
Bordeaux 2025 en primeur: star picks from the Right Bank ‘satellites’
Bordeaux 2025 en primeur: Sauternes & Barsac ‘very rich, very powerful’
