James Lawther MW, in his post-harvest report back in October 2025, gave us tantalising clues about the quality of this vintage. Although the crop was small, the red wines post-fermentation were reported to have greater freshness, lower alcohol and better balance than might have been anticipated from this hot, dry vintage.
Is that borne out by how the wines taste now? We’ve assembled over 300 reviews of cask samples of bordeaux – most of them tasted by James in situ, plus a few tasted by Julia in London – to help you form an opinion and help guide your buying decisions. Start with James’s overview of the vintage, before diving in to the detailed tasting notes.
The annual bordeaux en primeur campaign has for decades been an exciting fixture in the calendar for many wine collectors (and merchants). But recent years have seen a pattern of ambitious (fanciful?) pricing of these unfinished wines, and the bottled wines becoming available in subsequent years for less than they cost on release. With more and more collectors disillusioned, the 2025 campaign might be make or break for bordeaux en primeur.
If you’re thinking of buying, the Bordeaux 2025 en primeur thread on our Members’ forum will be essential reading. As prices are released, Nick Martin of Wine Owners will be providing an analysis of the relative potential value offered by many of the most popular or sought-after wines in comparison with other, physically available, vintages. Will we finally see the return of en primeur being the cheapest way to buy top bordeaux?
Our coverage of this vintage is listed below, grouped into tasting articles followed by other articles, the most recent at the top of each group.
Tasting articles
Bordeaux 2025 – whites 6 May 2026
Bordeaux 2025 – right-bank reds 5 May 2026
Bordeaux 2025 – left-bank reds 4 May 2026
Other articles
Bordeaux 2025 – a pivotal en primeur campaign? 17 June 2026
Bordeaux 2025 – an overview 29 April 2026
Bordeaux 2025 weather and crop report 8 April 2026
Bordeaux 2025 harvest report 9 October 2025
