Bordeaux En Primeur Vintage Report 2024
There are many fabulous wines in 2024, and despite challenging weather conditions, the most astute and experienced Châteaux, with dedicated teams on the finest terroirs, succeeded in making stunning wines. You will have read extensively about the atrocious weather and its impact on the vines. There are numerous mentions in this Report from specific estates on how it directly affected them and how they mitigated, and in many cases, overcame the challenges. However, as an overview, this is the story of the vintage. The 2024 growing season started with a warm, wet winter, followed by a cool and damp spring. This gave rise to dramatic instances of mildew. Cool weather during flowering resulted in a poor fruit set with uneven ripening, and multiple cases of ‘coulure’ (failure of the flowers to develop into grapes) and ‘millerandage’ or Hen & Chicken (uneven berry development). Summer was warm and dry, which helped to ripen the healthy grapes. Unpredictable and intermittent rain periods in September made picking decisions critical.
Many of the unsuccessful wines start with a bold, fruit-forward nose and then rapidly retreat into one or more of these flaws: astringency, over-extraction, uneven ripeness, over-oaking, and coarse tannins. It is easy to be seduced by the perfume and then assume the tannins will subside over time, but these guilty wines, and there are legions of them (yes, the names missing from this Report, because they scored poorly), are not balanced and they never will be. Far too many estates made errors of judgment both during the growing season and in the winery. This was a vintage of forensic farming vigilance and extremely sensitive winemaking!
A vital author’s note is needed before reading on: After completing this Report, I experienced an attack of conscience, which led me to delete around 60 notes on sub-standard wines. These negative impressions serve no purpose other than kicking wines while they are down. I know that winemakers don’t enjoy reading neutral or, indeed, undesirable notes, and as these were all wines that one wouldn’t choose to order En Primeur, they have been ditched from this Report. I have not listed the names of said Châteaux, but please understand that a fair few were very wellknown, and all of them were renowned in one way or another, and they have, of course, appeared in countless offers, dressed up as wines you cannot live without. This year, I have decided that my low cut-off score is 16.5/20, equivalent to a ‘High Bronze Medal’ in formal judging terms or a score of 88/100. This makes my 2024 EP Report the shortest to date and also the hardest-fought. I hope you appreciate this honesty.