Bordeaux En Primeur 2024
This year, instead of walking the vineyards of Bordeaux during En Primeur, I found myself stepping into Cipriani on 42nd Street during the NYC tasting on January 19.
The Union des Grands Crus tasting had transformed the grand ballroom into a kind of transported Bordeaux—polished, elegant, and unmistakably social.
There was a sense of glamour the moment you walked in and saw the illuminated UGCB sign, but also something more personal for me: the feeling of being among old friends.
I’ve been attending En Primeur in Bordeaux since 2010, and what struck me most wasn’t just the wines—it was the people.
Familiar faces behind the tables, the easy rhythm of conversation, the shared shorthand of years spent tasting vintage after vintage together.
I caught up with Marc Perrin of Château Carbonnieux, a Grand Cru Classé de Graves in Pessac-Léognan—a name that brings back memories of traveling through Bordeaux during my OIV MSc studies alongside his brother Alexandre.
I chatted with Lilian Barton Sartorius, who once kindly gave me a ride between châteaux during a packed En Primeur day, and Jean-Jacques Dubourdieu, whose family welcomed me into their home during one unforgettable visit.
Also JP Villars-Foubet who welcomed me with his wife to one of their estates, Chateau Chasse-Spleen.
Moments like that remind you that Bordeaux is not just a place—it’s a network of relationships built over time.
And then, of course, there are the wines.
The 2024 vintage marks a clear stylistic shift. After the richness and power of 2022 and 2023, this is a return to something more restrained—more classical.
Moderate temperatures and significant rainfall defined the growing season, with producers battling mildew, uneven flowering, and the constant pressure of timing the harvest just right.
This was not a vintage that made itself.
Success in 2024 required relentless attention in the vineyard and uncompromising selection in the cellar. Many estates reduced production significantly, discarding large portions of fruit to maintain quality.
The result is a vintage where the gap between the best and the rest is pronounced—but where the top wines show real finesse.
In the glass, the shift is immediate. These are lighter, more aromatic wines, with lower alcohol and a lifted, delicate profile. There is freshness and precision here—wines that feel composed rather than opulent.
The Right Bank showed greater consistency overall, particularly in Saint-Émilion and Pomerol, where Merlot helped bring balance and texture to the vintage’s naturally lean frame.
The Left Bank is more varied, though appellations like Margaux and Saint-Estèphe delivered some standout wines.
What defines 2024 most, however, is its sense of proportion. These are not wines of excess. They are elegant, aromatic, and finely structured—more reminiscent of Bordeaux from decades past than the sun-driven vintages we’ve grown accustomed to.
This is a drinker’s vintage.
Many of these wines will show well relatively early, offering pleasure in their youth rather than demanding long cellaring. For those who appreciate a more traditional expression of claret, this will be a compelling year.
The broader market context adds another layer of interest. With Bordeaux prices softening over the past 18 months, there is real pressure for this En Primeur campaign to be priced attractively. If producers respond accordingly, 2024 could present genuine opportunities for buyers—particularly those willing to select carefully.
Tasting these wines in New York, surrounded by a crowd that was as elegant and knowledgeable as it was social, offered a different perspective—but perhaps an appropriate one.
Because in the end, Bordeaux is not just about place. It’s about continuity—of style, of people, of shared experience.
And for a moment, in the middle of Manhattan, it felt very much like being back there.
