
If you have not already received an email from us about this offer and would like to make sure that you receive email releases when prices for the top wines have been released, please click here to opt in to recieve these emails, alternatively, if you are currently opted in then you can also opt out here.
How the offer of the top 2024 Bordeaux wines will work:
- As each château releases its price, we will email members on the circulation list. Members who wish to reserve the wine are then encouraged to do so as quickly as possible (normally within 48 to 72 hours as specified in the email), as we will have to confirm to our suppliers immediately what our required amount is.
- Once the offer has officially closed for the wine in question, we will allocate as usual. Members will then be notified if they have been successful in their request for any wine. Once we have confirmed the quantity, we will then only invoice members for the amount of wine received.
- A full list of wines we will be offering in this way will be published on this page very shortly.
- If you have not already received an email from us about this offer and would like to receive these emails, please click here to opt in to receive these emails.
- Our main en primeur offer of all the generally less expensive wines from the vintage will be printed as usual and sent to you around early July, following the release of all the prices. Please keep an eye on this page for further updates.
Vintage summary by buyer Matthew Horsley
The 2024 vintage marks my first as Wine Society buyer for Bordeaux, having shadowed my predecessor, Tim Sykes, during the 2023 en primeurs season. I’ve now spent close to three weeks in the region since September, talking to growers, producers, owners, and négociants to get a feel for the vintage and gain a greater understanding of what is clearly a very turbulent time for Bordeaux. It’s no secret that 2024 was a difficult growing season in Bordeaux. With disease pressure high from the outset leading to significantly reduced yields, a wet spring followed by a hot summer and rain in the lead-up to harvest, it’s going to be interesting to see who has best managed these difficult conditions. But despite this, early tastings suggest there will be plenty of delicious wines and – if discussions I’ve had over the past few months come to fruition – very attractive prices. As you read this, I’ll be in Bordeaux for the Union des Grands Crus week, tasting my way through hundreds of wines to formulate an opinion on the vintage and select the wines for our annual Bordeaux en primeur offer while making a better assessment of the quality of the vintage. These tastings are essential to providing our members with clear and honest appraisals of each wine and I look forward to reporting back with my findings.
Overview
Bordeaux 2024 is a vintage that will appeal to those seeking wines of medium body, attractive perfume, moderate alcohol levels, and potential for early to mid-term drinking. It is a year in which those with the finest terroirs – and the financial means to be selective both in the vineyard and the winery – have produced compelling red wines of great finesse that express the purity of their origins.
We are also expecting pricing for the top wines to be down significantly, offering members the perfect opportunity to access highly sought-after wines at attractive prices.
The whites display excellent aromatic intensity and freshness on the palate, while the sweet wines are among the richest we’ve seen in recent years, showing abundant noble rot character. It is also a vintage that required extensive tasting, as quality varied not only across appellations but even from day to day.
Having just returned from a week in Bordeaux – during which we tasted over 300 wines, many of them three or four times – I can say that, as my first year as Buyer for The Society, I truly appreciate the value of our long-standing relationships. The producers we have followed and trusted over the years have invariably crafted superior wines that reflect the vintage while retaining their individual identity.
This is a vintage that, even ten years ago, might have been written off entirely. However, thanks to modern techniques, advances in vineyard management, and technological innovation, it has produced wines of accessible pleasure and elegance – albeit in small quantities.
We are pleased to present this report on the growing conditions and what to expect from the wines, along with an overview of what we plan to offer our members in the coming weeks and months. We hope you enjoy it.
Weather
2024 was defined by high mildew pressure from the outset, contributing to what are the lowest regional yields since 1991. A mild, wet winter filled the water tables, but subsequent temperature spikes following showers led to an early spread of mildew. Whilst this rarely impacts quality the race was on to keep the fungus at bay and salvage as much crop as possible.
The only effective control was regular spraying – typically with ‘Bordeaux mixture’, a combination of copper and sulphur. However, the persistent rainfall meant regular reapplication was essential and vineyard management by machine became more and more difficult, with tractors slow to move through heavy waterlogged soils or becoming stuck entirely. Those with the means employed large teams to spray manually – Ducru-Beaucaillou, for instance, employed 100 people for eight weeks spraying manually by hand. Those without such resources had to prioritise specific parcels and accept significant losses to yield.
Flowering took place in late May but was slow and inconsistent. Pierre-Olivier Clouet of Cheval Blanc noted it lasted five weeks – the longest in their history – with cool weather and regular rain impacting pollination. Coulure (where flowers fail to develop into grapes) was widespread, as was millerandage (where berries form but vary greatly in size) meaning rigorous sorting both at harvest and in the winery was essential.
Warm, dry weather in July and August brought much-needed relief and reason to celebrate. Producers reported just 50mm of rain during this period – 50% below the 10-year average – allowing for a slow and steady véraison, ideal for phenolic ripeness without the heat spikes of recent vintages. 10-days straight of temperatures over 30°C were reported in some areas, whilst Carmes Haut-Brion experienced signs of hydric stress in the vines with five consecutive days over 35°C. A relieved Guillaume Pouthier of on-form Carmes Haut-Brion declared “August makes the must!” and his outstanding 2024 is testament to this.
Despite the warmth in July and August, sugar accumulation was slow, resulting in welcome moderate alcohol levels across the board, and whilst chaptalisation (the addition of sugar prior to fermentation) was widespread, the wines show great balance as a result.
Cooler, wetter weather returned in September, affecting harvest times for most. Merlot harvest began around 20 September when some of the heaviest rainfall was observed leading to some dilution and lack of ripeness in the berries, with Cabernet following in early October after extended hang-time in warmer, drier conditions.
In the Cellar
As noted, sorting in the winery was a key theme in our discussions across the region. Where budgets allowed, densitometric baths were widely used. These machines submerge grapes in a sugar solution of a set density – ripe, denser berries sink to the bottom and are processed, while less ripe berries float to the surface and are discarded. At Cheval Blanc, 34% of the volume was lost during this process.
The next 18 months will be crucial for the development of these wines. Those that stood out for their balance will gain weight, texture, and concentration during élevage and should result in high-class, complete wines. Most winemakers opted for slower, gentler extraction during vinification – often at lower temperatures – embracing the lighter style of the vintage. There were some notable exceptions to this with certain wines showing impressive power and concentration but those that succeeded with this approach were in the minority. Some chose to reduce the use of new oak in maturation, while others maintained or even increased it to help build mid-palate complexity and overall structure. We’ll highlight this where possible in our notes.
The Wines
The reds this year are lighter than the blockbuster vintages of 2022, 2020, and 2019, offering appealing perfumes and moderate alcohol levels (typically 12.5–13.5%), making them highly drinkable. While hard to generalise, comparisons were made with 2014, 2004 and 2001.
Despite significant rainfall during the growing season, there were few signs of dilution in the finished wines, thanks to the warm, dry conditions in July and August which ensured phenolic ripeness and no bitterness in the moderate tannins. Analysis suggests Cabernet Sauvignon performed especially well and this is reflected in the blends of many wines. However, flavours typically leaned more towards redcurrant and dark cherry rather than the deeper cassis and blackberry spectrum – with some notable exceptions.
Those with top terroirs and the financial ability to make strict selections have crafted excellent wines for early-to-mid-term drinking (10–15 years), with the very best showing more long-term ageing potential. In general, the Left Bank proved more consistent for us than the Right Bank, with Saint-Julien and Pauillac particularly strong. However, many of our standout wines came from Saint-Émilion and Pomerol, further proof that the top terroirs had the most success and the heterogeneity of the vintage.
In the more modest price brackets, strict selections were more difficult, so we’ve relied on our comprehensive tastings to choose only those wines we feel are genuinely compelling and suitable for en primeur. We’re delighted that several long-standing member favourites have made excellent wines this year. However, some regularly offered wines will not feature in our main offer and will instead be tasted again after maturation and bottling.
The dry white wines offer thrilling drinking: the cool vintage has delivered wines with great focus, intensity, and perfume, along with fine texture. The best examples will provide many years of pleasure.
Sweet wines have also excelled this year, with high sugar levels and pronounced noble rot character. These will provide decadent drinking in youth but also have the structure and density to age beautifully.
Market and Pricing
Naturally, much of the conversation during en primeur tastings revolved around price. With the market struggling, Trump tariffs still on everyone’s mind, and one of the most expensive vintages to produce in history, Bordeaux is at a cross-roads. Encouragingly, the consensus among top producers – particularly those able to afford price reductions – is that prices will come down, in some cases significantly. This means some of the most sought-after wines will be available at very attractive prices and should appeal to our members who drink rather than speculate and should allow people to trade up with confidence.
Where possible we will also be offering these top wines in singles (75cl), and cases of threes and sixes. As well as this we will also offer magnums (150cl) and cases of three. We will make this clear on each offer so that you can take advantage.
For more modestly priced wines, price reductions are harder to justify. Several producers are facing real difficulties, and as en primeur accounts for a large portion of their annual sales to The Wine Society, they are relying on our support.
We expect wines and prices to be released quick and early this year. If you’d like to secure any of the top wines offered via email (listed below), we recommend adding your name to the circulation list. In terms of allocations for these top wines we’re lucky to have some of the longest and strongest relationships with suppliers and negociants in the world and we will work hard to fulfil all requests as in previous vintages.
As for our Main Offer, we are currently putting it together and hope to have it landing on your doorstep by the end of June.
Top châteaux to be released by email
Please find below a provisional list of all the top châteaux we’ll be offering by email. Some wines may be added or removed subject to tasting.
- Brane Cantenac - Closed
- Rauzan Ségla - Closed
- Margaux - Closed
- Palmer - Closed
- Léoville-Barton - Closed
- Léoville Las Cases - Closed
- Léoville Poyferré - Closed
- Ducru-Beaucaillou - Closed
- Beychevelle - Closed
- Branaire Durcu - Closed
- Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - Closed
- Pichon Baron - Closed
- Lynch-Bages - Closed
- Grand-Puy-Lacoste - Closed
- Pontet-Canet - Closed
- Clerc Milon - Closed
- Mouton Rothschild - Closed
- Lafite Rothschild - Closed
- Montrose - Closed
- Calon Ségur - Closed
- Haut-Brion - Closed
- La Mission Haut-Brion - Closed
- Haut-Bailly - Closed
- Les Carmes Haut-Brion - Closed
- Ausone - Closed
- Figeac - Closed
- Cheval Blanc - Closed
- Canon - Closed
- Clos Fourtet - Closed
- Le Tertre Roteboeuf - Closed
- Bélair-Monange - Closed
- Troplong Mondot - Closed
- La Fleur-Pétrus - Closed
- Clinet - Closed
- La Conseillante - Closed
- L’Evangile - Closed
- Vieux Château Certan - Closes 4pm, Tuesday 10th June
- l’Eglise-Clinet - Closes 4pm, Tuesday 10th June
The following wines will be offered in July as part of our main Bordeaux En Primeur campaign.
Red wines
- Château Dutruch Grand-Poujeaux, Moulis-en-Médoc
- Château Beaumont, Haut-Médoc
- Château Belgrave, Haut-Médoc
- Château Cantemerle, Haut-Médoc
- Madame de Beaucaillou, Saint-Julien
- Château Cissac, Haut-Médoc
- Château Potensac, Médoc
- Château Sociando Mallet, Haut-Médoc
- Château Lanessan, Haut-Médoc
- Roc de Cambes, Côtes de Bourg
- Château Angludet, Margaux
- Château Ferrière, Margaux
- Château Siran, Margaux
- Château Giscours, Margaux
- Château Lagrange, Saint-Julien
- Château Langoa Barton, Saint-Julien
- Château Gloria, Saint-Julien
- Château Talbot, Saint-Julien
- Clos du Marquis, Saint-Julien
- Château Batailley, Pauillac
- Château Haut-Batailley, Pauillac
- Château Lynch-Moussas, Pauillac
- Château Duhart-Milon, Pauillac
- Château Croizet-Bages, Pauillac
- Château Phélan Ségur, Saint-Estèphe
- Château Ormes de Pez, Saint-Estèphe
- Château Le Boscq, Saint-Estèphe
- Château Capbern, Saint-Estèphe
- Château Lafon-Rochet, Saint-Estèphe
- Domaine de Chevalier Rouge, Pessac-Léognan
- Château Ampélia, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux
- Château Montlandrie, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux
- Madame du Château de Pitray, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux
- Château Les Cruzelles, Lalande-de-Pomerol
- La Chenade, Lalande-de-Pomerol
- Château Grand Corbin Despagne, Saint-Emilion
- Château Larcis Ducasse, Saint-Emilion
- Château Trotte Vieille, Saint-Emilion
- Château Berliquet, Saint-Emilion
- Château Canon-La-Gaffelière, Saint-Emilion
- Château de Fonbel, Saint-Emilion
- Château La Serre, Saint-Emilion
- Château La Pointe, Pomerol
- Château Nénin, Pomerol
- Château Plince, Pomerol
Dry whites
- Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, Pessac-Léognan
- Château Latour-Martillac Blanc, Péssac-Léognan
- Clos Floridène Blanc, Graves
- Château La Garde Blanc, Pessac-Léognan
Sauternes
- Château Cantegril, Barsac
- Château Doisy-Daëne, Barsac
- Château Sigalas Rabaud, Sauternes
- Lafaurie Peyraguey, Sauternes
- Château Rayne-Vigneau, Sauternes
- Château Coutet, Barsac
- Château La Tour Blanche, Sauternes
- Château Suduiraut, Sauternes
- Château Guiraud, Sauternes