CRITICS’ CORNER | Bordeaux 2024
For once, the lead-up to the en primeur tastings and release of Bordeaux’s latest vintage has been decidedly muted, as a flat market and a challenging year combine to lower expectations. So what are the critics – and the trade – saying about it, and what does that mean for the forthcoming campaign?
As the world’s fine-wine trade and critics descended on Bordeaux for the annual en primeur tastings, possibly the most positive thing that can be said about the 2024 vintage is, as critic Jane Anson observed, that: ‘No-one’s pretending that this is a big year – and that in itself is refreshing’.
‘There is less noise this year – no fanfare, no rush to hyperbole,’ said Martin Tickle, fine wine buyer at London merchant Jeroboams. Even Thomas Duroux, director of Château Palmer, was heard referring to 2024 as ‘a modest vintage’.
The reasons for such understatement are partly due to a flat market, but more squarely down to a supremely challenging year in the vineyard. As Georgie Hindle, Bordeaux critic for Decanter magazine outlined: ‘2024 was a brutal year, dubbed a “war” by one winemaker, testing the resolve of even the hardiest vigneron.’ The writing was on the wall in winter, which was the wettest in 25 years, with 70% more rainfall than the 10-year average. The vineyards never really recovered, with the growing season defined by extreme weather swings (mainly rain, and hence disease pressure, with some estates discarding up to half their crop) that necessitated quick reactions, financial investment, increased labour and a bit of luck. Any hopes of an Indian summer were dashed when September saw a further 120mm of rainfall, ultimately leading to the smallest crop since 1991.
Amid the chaos, though, says Hindle, ‘some excellent, balanced and fresh wines have emerged, though quality varies wildly and not every bottle shines’. Anson agreed: ‘I can’t think of a vintage where there has been a bigger gap between the producers who succeeded and those who didn’t,’ she said. ‘There are many more wines than normal that you have to be very careful of because you’re just not going to find the fruit to give you the pleasure.’
It is not, Anson added, ‘a vintage that everyone is going to get super excited about’ and certainly ‘not a vintage to buy blind’. That said, ‘there could be good opportunities to purchase’ from producers who managed the challenges. ‘2024 was universally difficult, but there were winners – frequently those who were willing to work hardest, sacrifice yield and have the deep pockets to cover it,’ added Hindle.
The 67 Pall Mall team have been whizzing from château to château, and Global Head of Wine Purchasing Paul Richards said some wines were ‘better than expected’ where estates ‘gambled and managed the Merlot’. Anson says there will be opportunities to buy, making a comparison to vintages such as 2008 and 2019 that weren’t hyped, and were released at a time when the market was flat. ‘People who bought in those years did very well,’ she said.
As ever, much will depend on pricing, with rumours suggesting some châteaux are considering a return to their 2014 release prices according to Liv-ex, the global wine trading platform. This could present ‘serious value’ to buyers, it noted. The trade in general is united in its plea for prices to come down further than 2023, which itself saw falls of around 30%, with Asian trade buyers calling for an even larger discount this year, as high as 40%. Most commentators felt another drop of 30% was more likely.
‘Producers are highly aware of market conditions and will adjust accordingly,’ said Jack Chapman, head of private clients at London merchant Lea & Sandeman. ‘Rumours abound of £200 a bottle first growth and Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé ‘A’s for £100. If this comes to pass, then it will be a release period worthy of attention.’ Berry Bros & Rudd was more cautious, saying it would be focusing on a smaller range than usual, choosing to offer only those estates it feels have struck the right balance in 2024. Meanwhile Guy Seddon, head of fine buying at Corney & Barrow, spoke for nearly all commentators in saying – and hoping – that it is ‘likely to be another early, quick campaign’.
Perhaps the most prescient observation came from Tickle at Jeroboams, who reflected: ‘For many collectors, en primeur is as much an emotional transaction as a financial one: a vote of confidence in a wine, a system of distribution, and a region’s future. En primeur in 2024 faces a paradox – it must rekindle passion while respecting financial reality.
‘At a time when Bordeaux is striving to reconnect with its audience, many of its wines are technically better than ever – yet emotionally distant. Image, not quality, is the battleground now. And if Bordeaux is to reassert its relevance, it must do more than impress – it must reconnect.
‘2024 might not offer easy answers, but it could provide something more important: a reminder of the human effort behind the label, of terroir revealed through adversity, and of the quiet drama and risk that underpins greatness in the vineyard and the cellar. But reconnection does not rest on quality alone. The market is cautious, buyers weary, and the expectation is clear: prices must come down.’
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