The 2025 vintage belongs among the great modern Bordeaux vintages. Early, hot and dry, it produced healthy, concentrated, well-structured grapes, with controlled yields and excellent sanitary conditions. A rapid but generally even growing cycle combined ripeness, balance and precision, producing wines with both flesh and finesse, distinctly contemporary in character.

From the very beginning, 2025 was exceptionally early. Budburst, flowering and véraison all took place ahead of schedule, following a pattern close to recent warm vintages, particularly 2022. This reflects a well-established trend in Bordeaux towards earlier phenological stages and increasingly rapid ripening.

This advance did not disrupt vine development. On the contrary, spring conditions encouraged even budburst, vigorous growth and sound physiological functioning. Rainfall close to seasonal averages replenished soil water reserves, ensuring an adequate supply during the early stages of the cycle. Combined with healthy biological activity in the soil, this provided a strong foundation for the rest of the season.

The potential crop then developed under broadly favourable conditions. Although the number of bunches observed in spring appeared slightly lower, good flowering and fruit set helped secure a suitable volume. In terms of vine health, the vintage was particularly successful. Despite the early start, which exposed the vines to certain disease risks sooner, the absence of prolonged leaf wetness limited disease pressure. With a dry August, the grapes remained in excellent condition until harvest.

Summer gave the vintage its defining character. Warmer than average, it encouraged strong vegetative activity and rapid ripening. As water reserves fell, pronounced water stress developed from véraison onwards, contributing to the concentration of phenolic and aromatic compounds. This increased the vintage's richness, while sometimes widening the differences between sugar ripeness, aromatic maturity and phenolic maturity.

The harvest was consequently early and swift. High temperatures called for prompt decisions as the grapes' balance evolved. Close attention was essential to preserve aromatic freshness, avoid excessive sugar levels and pick each parcel at the right moment. In this respect, 2025 required particularly precise assessment of ripeness and harvest dates.

In the winery, the balance of the vintage is striking. Alcohol levels remain moderate, at around 13%, without excessive sweetness. Acidity levels are among the lowest in recent years, yet sufficient to maintain freshness and definition. The richness of the tannins is particularly remarkable, reflecting the small berries and concentrated skins. The pips are generally ripe and not very astringent, suggesting generous, harmonious and structured wines, without the need for forceful extraction.

A comparison with 2022 comes naturally. Both vintages have a warm-weather character, combining generosity with a refined line and considerable structure. Yet 2025 also appears distinguished by its measured balance: carefully timed harvests preserve aromatic clarity, while alcohol levels remain coherent and acidity provides definition. The result is generous contemporary wines without heaviness, in which the vintage's richness never obscures the fruit or the elegance of the underlying structure.

After a very wet spring with little sunshine, the vines faced exceptional downy mildew pressure from April onwards. Frequent rain in May heightened the threat to the crop day by day. Constant vigilance was needed: adapting canopy work and applying carefully measured protection proved decisive in safeguarding the harvest's potential.

Summer began with a hailstorm affecting part of the vineyards of Fronsadais and Pomerol. A brief sunny spell offered hope of a good harvest, but frequent rain once again weakened the vines and jeopardised the prospect of an optimal crop.

September opened with cool, wet weather before temperatures rose markedly towards the end of the month, creating successive windows of ripeness. This required staggered harvesting and particularly rigorous sorting.

In Puisseguin, 2024 is a fruit-driven, aromatic vintage. Precise decisions in the vineyard and winery, controlled extraction and restrained ageing have preserved the fruit's brightness.

Ultimately, 2024 has produced red wines with fresh balance, moderate alcohol and an easy-drinking structure, favouring purity of fruit and a clear expression of terroir over power.

Autumn 2022 was initially very warm, continuing the summer's pattern. Winter, by contrast, was slightly colder than in recent years, though within the ten-year average, with rainfall varying by month but remaining broadly normal. Spring was warmer than average, and by April conditions had become warm and humid, with regular though light rainfall.

This combination caused intense downy mildew pressure, particularly in June. Our vineyard team's monitoring had to be meticulous, treatment schedules impeccable and the quality of work exemplary, all the more so given our commitment to organic viticulture.

We therefore redoubled our efforts to give the vines and grapes the best possible conditions for ripening before harvest. Summer arrived with drought and high temperatures, 2°C above average, accelerating the ripening of our Chardonnay, which was picked in the final week of August. Temperatures rose further between 4 and 7 September, prompting us to begin harvesting red varieties from younger vines on 10 September. Rain between 10 and 12 September meant postponing the remainder of the harvest for a few days. We resumed with Merlot, followed by Cabernet Franc, which had been unaffected by downy mildew throughout the season.

Our restructuring programme, begun in 2009 with the aim of planting 50% Cabernet Franc across the vineyard, once again proved its worth. Cabernet Franc was of particularly high quality this year, allowing the teams to harvest calmly and in stages, adapting to differences in ripeness across the plots. As every year, we finished with Carménère, which benefited from summery weather at the end of September and reached perfect maturity.

Overall, the aromatic potential of the musts is good across all grape varieties, with intense aromas of ripe fruit. The vintage promises to be approachable, generous and enjoyable, without excess or opulence. Continuing the style of previous vintages, our blends will include an ever-greater proportion of Cabernet Franc while retaining rounded, silky tannins. These wines from a true ‘winegrower's vintage’ should be enjoyable in their youth and also reward several years in the cellar, allowing their full potential to emerge.

Autumn and winter were particularly dry, with a water deficit already reaching 35%, and relatively mild. February was even rather warm, 2.2°C above the seasonal average. These mild winter conditions led to early budburst at the end of March.

Summer was abnormally hot, with repeated heatwaves in June, July and August. Temperatures reached as much as 4°C above average, often for several days in succession.

Véraison normally occurs in late July. The mid-July heatwave interrupted colour change in some areas: the vines effectively paused, photosynthesis slowed and the plants came under considerable strain. Yet the consequences of this exceptionally hot summer were very different from those of 2003. The production of phenolic compounds and the small size of the berries were physiological factors that helped limit shrivelling. Above all, viticulture has evolved enormously over the past twenty years, adapting to a changing climate. Vineyard teams now pay close attention to balance, restoring biological life to soils and building organic matter to nourish the plants, encouraging a favourable clay-humus complex so that the soil remains aerated rather than compacted. Vines grown in soils managed in this way clearly withstood sudden periods of heat far better. The resulting grapes were more balanced and less dehydrated, with fresher aromas and fewer prune-like notes. Credit must go to the winegrowers and their teams, who anticipated these conditions (by reducing leaf removal, for example) and worked with even greater accuracy and care.

A harvest at several speeds. The exceptional heat of July and August accelerated the breakdown of organic acids in the grapes, chiefly malic and tartaric acid. Repeated ripeness checks in early August showed a rapid fall of more than 50% in total acidity, particularly malic acid, which gives wines their bright, lively character.

The 2022 harvest took place in extremely pleasant conditions, without pressure. The fine weather allowed us to pick each plot when ready, taking the time to account for differences in ripeness. Even in early September, substantial differences remained between technological maturity (already reached), phenolic maturity (which took longer) and aromatic maturity.

More than ever, winemaking called for restraint: avoiding excessive extraction, remaining measured and knowing when to hold back. This year was a long-distance race, not a sprint. Maceration times and temperatures were adapted to any interruptions in vine development, the age of the vines and other conditions. Where the grapes showed great potential, the priority was moderation and balance, avoiding over-extraction of tannins. At the same time, under-extraction could have produced thin wines dominated by alcohol. Regular tasting throughout maceration was essential to adjust the process and achieve the best balance. Alcohol levels should not be as alarming as in some famously hot vintages: Merlot at 14.5% is not unusual, with some vats around 15%, while Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc are around 13-13.5%. Taken together, these figures for alcohol, pH, total acidity and the concentration of phenolic compounds show that 2022 is not an exaggerated vintage but, surprisingly, a well-balanced one. Vineyard management was adapted to the season: trellising height was often reduced to limit leaf area, photosynthesis, sugar accumulation and therefore alcohol. Less leaf removal also helped prevent excessive berry concentration; today's rootstocks are less vigorous, and grass cover is more widespread. Teams made decisive and effective choices to manage such a climate. Their approach is far less interventionist than in the past.

Julien Viaud, consulting oenologist, Laboratoire d’œnologie Rolland & Associés

In 2021, Bordeaux returned to its long tradition of vintages rescued by an unexpectedly favourable late season. As so often, Merlot suffered more from the unsettled summer and late cessation of growth, particularly on lighter soils. Although the grapes were harvested with high malic acid levels, the wines showed entirely typical pH and acidity after malolactic fermentation.

They are fruit-driven, with sound colour and a supple texture. The unusually large berries of this vintage frequently account for a lack of concentration on the mid-palate. On the best terroirs of the Libourne area, where the vines enjoyed a more even water supply, Merlot nevertheless has greater flesh and can be highly successful.

Right Bank Cabernet Franc was of a very high standard. The anticyclone in early October allowed harvest to be delayed, to its considerable benefit. Fragrant and velvety, these wines play an important role in the blends.

The arrival of fine weather in October reassured growers and generally allowed Cabernet Sauvignon to reach good levels of ripeness. Deeply coloured, fresh and aromatic, the wines have serious tannic structure and fine depth, particularly on the great gravel terroirs.

Although the red wines did not initially show the intensity and concentration of the previous three vintages, there were notable successes on both banks. Thus, 2021 will be remembered as a particularly demanding vintage for winegrowers, whose efforts were fortunately rewarded by a providential end to the season.

2019 was a vintage full of twists and turns.

Following the relatively cool, wet weather of January, February and March brought milder conditions, with unusually dry, warm days (2°C above seasonal averages). These prompted early budburst, always a cause for concern because of the risk of late frost.

Those concerns were justified. Temperatures hovered around 0°C on 4 and 14 April and 5 and 6 May, affecting certain plots near woodland or exposed to winds. In early June, a marked rise in temperatures enabled rapid, even flowering and fruit set. High pressure then settled in and protected the vines throughout summer.

Summer brought successive heatwaves, with a record temperature of 40°C reached on the 23rd.

In September, the pronounced difference between daytime and night-time temperatures (26°C and 12°C respectively) allowed excellent anthocyanin synthesis. Harvest took place in two phases. The first, in mid-September, unfolded under clear skies and exceptionally hot conditions. Merlot was brought in ripe and flavoursome. At the end of September, a spell of unsettled weather helped lower potential alcohol levels and enabled Cabernet Franc to reach optimal ripeness. The second picking phase began in early October with the later Merlot and first Cabernet Franc grapes. Harvest ended in mid-October in the late-ripening Cabernet Franc plots.

The winter of 2016-17 was marked by historic drought. Rain did not return until February. December and January were cold and dry, and the mild, wet weather of February and March could not make up the rainfall deficit. The vintage therefore began with dry soils, quickly warmed by the first spring sunshine, resulting in early budburst. Buds opened in the final days of March. With soils warm and dry and no rain, vine growth accelerated. Shoots were already ten centimetres long, sometimes carrying ten fully opened leaves. Small, developing flower clusters suggested a good, fairly early and even crop. From the 16th, however, temperatures fell sharply and nights turned bitterly cold. Frost first struck on the night of 20 April, and again in the early hours of 28 April.

Apart from a few storms, May was characterised by heat and drought. By the end of the first fortnight, frost-damaged vines were growing again from secondary buds. Unaffected vines continued to develop, with the first flowers opening by the end of the month. Frost-affected vines grew erratically, becoming bushy and requiring meticulous shoot thinning.

June felt like midsummer, at times with exceptionally high temperatures. Frequent storms, however, helped prevent water stress. Vine growth was rapid and considerable labour was needed to maintain the trellising. Flowering was rapid and concentrated.

By early July, summer seemed to be retreating. Some warm days and, above all, mild nights nevertheless maintained fairly respectable average temperatures. The lack of light and sunshine was noticeable. June's storms had sufficiently restored moisture to the soils. Ultimately, the month favoured the secondary crop, whose bunches reached bunch closure by the end of July.

Strong sunshine returned in early August, but cool conditions prevailed again from the 5th, and summer temperatures did not return until 20 August.

A sudden change in the weather began in early September and lasted until mid-month. The lack of summer sunshine resulted in very high malic acid levels, while grape skins were thick and readily extractable. This could be interpreted as both power and freshness, with acidity acting rather like seasoning, heightening aromatic intensity while perhaps concealing a slight underlying fragility.

It all began with a winter of striking contrasts.

After an almost summery December, winter 2016 brought record rainfall in its first two months, between 400 and 500 mm depending on the area, but temperatures were milder than usual. Only four or five mornings fell below freezing.

This mild winter concerned winegrowers throughout the region, especially when the first buds began to swell as early as the beginning of February.

Yet cooler temperatures in March and waterlogged soils slowed vine growth, and budburst was only about a week ahead of schedule.

Despite this slight advance, the cool weather of April slowed growth, and between 28 and 30 April the region narrowly escaped a widespread disaster as local frosts struck.

Unlike many other French wine regions, Bordeaux was spared the worst of the spring frosts.

As if this were not enough, May brought rainfall exceeding the ten-year average, while downy mildew pressure reached record levels, causing substantial damage in some areas. Many growers wondered whether the vines would even reach flowering unscathed.

Almost miraculously, flowering took place around 10 June, very evenly over three to five days: the only consecutive rain-free days in months.

The crop looked good, even generous in places, and at last everyone got what they had been hoping for: sunshine and dry weather.

Winter was rather cold, with numerous overnight frosts. It also felt long, with successive grey, damp days from November to February and frequent heavy rain.

With soil water reserves fully replenished, the weather changed in March to dry but still cold conditions, delaying budburst still further. It was not until early April that the vines finally began to awaken.

Around 10 April, milder temperatures arrived and the dry soils warmed quickly. The season was off to an excellent start.

Vineyard work proceeded without delay, and uniform budburst allowed careful shoot thinning. From the outset, the vines looked promising.

In May, the weather encouraged rapid, even growth. Working the rows and soils was straightforward, as was entering the vineyard for treatments. The soils remained dry and drained quickly.

In early summer, moderate temperatures and the absence of rain encouraged swift, even flowering, with little flower abortion or uneven berry development. Walking through the vines, the air was scented with blossom. Crop levels looked balanced: bunches were relatively small but full. In most places, very little crop thinning would be needed. Skies remained clear and temperatures rose steadily until the end of the month.

The first days of July brought intense heat. Fine weather seemed endless, with not a drop of rain since mid-June. The first signs of water stress began to show, initially in plots where soil management had not encouraged sound rooting, then in sandy, fine-gravel and other shallow soils, where foliage gradually lost some of its green colour.

Just as fears of drought-induced growth stoppage peaked, a series of thunderstorms brought uneven rainfall across Bordeaux. The vines responded positively: although growth did not resume, the stress eased. Véraison, initially slow, was completed within a few days, as evenly as flowering had been. Ripeness would therefore be homogeneous, whatever the picking date: a welcome reassurance.

By September, the fruit was ripe, low in acidity and pleasant to taste. July's heat had reduced acidity and vegetal notes, while the more temperate August preserved a sense of freshness and classicism. There was no hardness or exotic character, and skins yielded their constituents perfectly. Everything was in place to do justice to the terroirs through gentle winemaking and to reveal wines with a distinctive, contemporary identity.

After a fine winter of exceptionally mild weather, with only a few frosty days, the first April sunshine brought rapid, even budburst, two full weeks ahead of the usual timetable. After the disappointing 2013 vintage, this was reassuring. The weather remained stormy, with frequent, regular but generally light rainfall. Temperatures fell in the second half of the month, sharply slowing growth and reducing the vines' early lead. May remained unsettled and wet. Protecting the vineyard was difficult: opportunities to enter the plots were limited, and treatments were quickly washed away. Weeds that the mild winter had failed to suppress flourished, while soils, particularly clay soils, struggled to dry after repeated rain. Photosynthesis lacked vigour and the foliage appeared dull. Concern rose as flowering approached: warmth was badly needed. In the earliest areas, the first flowers appeared in the final days of the month.

In August, cool, stormy conditions called for continued vigilance. Much foliage succumbed to quite aggressive mosaic downy mildew. Many soils, which should no longer have been disturbed, were too weedy to remain untouched until harvest. It was becoming a true winegrower's vintage, visible in the landscape: a few neglected-looking plots stood out against vineyards shaped by growers' expertise. Despite the challenges, well-managed vineyards offered grounds for satisfaction. Towards the end of the month, as véraison concluded, water-swollen grapes expanded. Much work had to be revisited and refined: bunches removed, leaf thinning adjusted. The sun finally returned in earnest, but the final stretch would be long and demanding.

Just when hope seemed lost, September brought a succession of fine days and then weeks of good weather that seemed almost endless. Yet the situation was difficult: berry weights were far above the ten-year average. Early-month must analyses looked worse than in 2013. We had to be patient, wait and rely on the fine weather holding. This was a vintage ripened in autumn, not simply by sunshine. Time itself, and the alternation of cool nights with sunny days, played an essential role in softening the skins, which repeatedly expanded and contracted, gradually becoming more resilient.

More than ever, this year called for creativity in organising the harvest. Many estates that would ordinarily complete picking in ten days took a full month to bring in each plot at its optimum, or chosen, level of ripeness. The first Merlot was harvested around 20 September, while the last Cabernet grapes remained on the vines until the very end of October.

After a mild, wet winter, spring arrived hesitantly but triggered an explosion of growth, with extremely even budburst. Almost every bud opened together, revealing the beginnings of future bunches and encouraging early predictions of a plentiful harvest after two low-yielding vintages. By all accounts, there would be grapes to pick, and plenty of them. However, temperatures remained low throughout the month and held growth back.

In May, persistent rain and cold prevented soils from warming, particularly clay soils. Symptoms of cold stress appeared in the second half of the month: growth became uneven according to soil type, and the lack of vegetation for the time of year was unmistakable. Foliage looked dull and pale green, with thick leaves: the vines were cold. Conditions did not improve in June. Those attending Vinexpo Bordeaux will long remember the violent downpours and cool evenings at celebrations such as the Fête de la Fleur. It was under these difficult conditions that flowering began. Very prolonged in Merlot and slightly shorter in Cabernet, flower cap fall continued for two weeks, causing significant flower abortion and creating favourable conditions for botrytis at an especially vulnerable stage.

By 1 July, the outlook was depressing. We already knew the crop would be small, and the vines were three weeks behind in their cycle: an enormous delay. Fortunately, warmth settled in and lifted growers' spirits. Day after day of hot, dry, fine weather helped the vines catch up. July became the hottest month for twenty years. Botrytis lay dormant and foliage recovered its vitality.

Véraison began tentatively and stretched out, much like flowering. It was often necessary to return to the vineyard to even out ripeness towards the end of colour change. Despite the low yields, more bunches still had to be removed. Leaf removal on the opposite side of the canopy then began. The countdown was under way, and patience would be required.

On average, Merlot harvesting was expected to begin around 7 October, and a fine late vintage, like 2008 or 2011, seemed possible. Well-prepared vines, with generally loose bunches because of flower abortion, could have continued to full ripeness. But from 20 September temperatures rose again and humidity increased. Under these almost tropical conditions, the fungus quickly became active again. The situation varied between plots, with soil type and the amount of rainfall during August storms probably playing a significant part. Beyond precision and the skill of the growers, this vintage also demanded luck. In many cases, sanitary concerns forced harvesting to begin at the end of the month.

A cool, wet spring led to relatively late budburst. Rain and high humidity continued through July. These conditions prompted us to retain all the cereal cover crops sown in autumn 2011. They reduced soil erosion, provided the bearing capacity needed for machinery and competed with the vines to check excessive vigour. Their root activity was especially beneficial during spring's period of strongest growth. Only the weakest parts of the vineyard, where growth needed encouraging, such as the tip of the plateau, were cultivated in spring. Frost affected Cabernet Franc and the lower plots near woodland. Yields were already expected to be limited in these areas, where development was delayed and picking dates would be adjusted accordingly.

Shoot thinning corrected excessive growth and crop load and was carried out fairly quickly. Raising and positioning the shoots demanded considerable effort in a year when the vines never seemed to stop growing.

Paradoxically, this exceptionally wet spring followed two years of drought and helped replenish badly depleted soil water reserves. It also gave Château Clarisse a welcome boost, as growth on its plateau had been lacking vigour. Abundant water, together with earlier compost applications and soil cultivation, enabled us by 2012 to restore healthy vine wood and better-balanced vigour. This made it possible to leave longer canes at pruning in 2013 and allowed vines to improve root reserves and their resistance to future water stress.

Summer arrived after rather difficult flowering, with significant but not excessive flower abortion. Flowering lasted 15-20 days, creating considerable variation in ripeness from one bunch to another. We therefore decided initially to limit canopy interventions to improving the exposure and ventilation of the fruit, through leaf removal and reducing bunch congestion. We waited until the end of véraison to remove all lagging bunches. This was the only way to achieve a crop with uniform ripeness. Repeated passes through the vineyard were needed until the end of August to remove bunches that had flowered late.

Château Clarisse's terroir is relatively cool. Clay retains water and tends to produce later ripening. Rain in mid-September raised fears of botrytis, but careful bunch exposure, soil management and leaf removal prevented it from taking hold. Skins were thick and ripening prolonged: this was an autumn vintage that called for late harvesting.

Sunshine arrived from the very first days of the month and triggered explosive budburst. With exceptional uniformity, young shoots grew visibly and the landscape took on a brilliant green colour: spring had arrived. Shoot thinning, selecting the young growth and protecting against disease became priorities. Meanwhile, warming temperatures dried and hardened soils, making mechanical ploughing and cultivation increasingly difficult. Vine development was far ahead of schedule; growers speculated about the first flowers, which were seen in early May. Average temperatures rose above 16°C, usually not reached until late May. With 300 hours of sunshine, this was an exceptional April, unmatched since 1982. In May, after even, concentrated flowering, the promise of a good crop was almost universal. High pressure kept storms at bay. Drought began to make itself felt. Leaves gradually hardened and lost some of their brightness. Grass in soils that often could not be worked looked ready for July haymaking. Summer had arrived early.

By June, rainfall had been below the seasonal average for seven months. Fortunately temperatures were not excessively high and nights remained cool. Storms were too weak to help, leaving only about twenty millimetres of rain for the month: barely enough to dampen the dust. Conditions varied considerably across the vineyard. Free-draining gravelly or sandy soils were suffering. Shoot growth was weak and foliage lacked its usual vigour and bearing. Limited growth also meant insufficient leaf area, not because of excessive bunches but simply because there were too few leaves.

The weather then changed dramatically: July became the coolest July in thirty years. Rain returned, falling every day from the 16th to the 26th and leaving memories of a gloomy, sunless month. The vines took the opportunity to recover: growth resumed and the grapes swelled. Thanks to the advance gained during the dry spring, véraison remained even and concentrated. The vines seemed to have reconnected with the weather.

With around twelve rainy days, August was wet but fairly warm. Cooler weather and fresh nights gradually developed in the second half. The first fortnight of September felt like summer, with relatively warm nights.

2011 will be remembered as a complicated vintage. Some clay was needed to withstand the spring, but not too much to get through autumn. The vintage rewarded those who had long managed their soils well and encouraged sound, deep rooting. Preventive vineyard management sometimes mattered more than crop load, which itself had to be adapted to the growth cycle and quality of foliage. Wineries needed adequate sorting equipment to deal with grapes that might be dry, shrivelled or rotten. Winemakers also had to gauge the fragility of their fruit and adjust extraction accordingly.