2024 Futures

Apart from the first great classified growths, no other Bordeaux wine is as world famous as Lynch-Bages. Its worldwide success comes as much from its opulent, full-bodied and robust style, from its unfailing regularity since 1975, and from its media promotion orchestrated by Jean-Michel Cazes. Lynch-Bages was the first wine sent into space (Discovery shuttle in 1985). It is even said that it is him who gave the taste of Bordeaux to the Americans!

Bought in 1986 by the AXA group, initially under the leadership of Mr. Cazes (Lynch-Bages), Pichon-Longueville Baron regained its best form in the powerful and distinguished style of the great Pauillac. It must be said that a small half of its vines are located next to those of Latour, on a first growth terroir! For the Revue du Vin de France: "Pichon-Baron is at the top in the last vintages".

Mr Rouzaud (Champagne Roederer) acquired it in 2007 and has since strengthened the technical team by adding the advice of Mr Boissenot. Pichon-Comtesse remains faithful to the style that has made it so successful, as dense, suave, charming, enchanting and above all endearing.

Mouton-Rothschild's second wine, which appeared in 1993, has since made its place among its peers (Carruades de Lafite, Forts de Latour, Pavillon Rouge) by offering each vintage a great Pauillac, full, fleshy, muscular, barely less deep and full-bodied than its famous big brother but with the same cassis finish. Petit Mouton has grown up!

Second wine of Lafite-Rothschild.

Mouton-Rothschild's upgrade in 1973 from second to first grand cru classé was as legitimate as it was deserved in view of the quality of its terroir, a plateau of 90 hectares of deep gravel to the north of Pauillac, with Lafite-Rothschild as a neighbor. Despite this promotion, and even though it regularly tops the rankings in tastings, Mouton-Rothschild remains to this day the least expensive of the Médoc's premier crus classés. Its powerful, full-bodied style and its ability to age well have led Mr. Bettane to write "perhaps the most formally perfect wine in the Médoc...".

Appointed cellar master in 1994, Mr. Chevallier focused on developing Lafite-Rothschild wines without losing any of the characteristic bouquet of blackcurrant, graphite and cedar. This objective was quickly achieved, placing Lafite at the top of the 1st classified growths (this was already the case in 1855), and revered as such by the Chinese market. The incredible qualities of Lafite's terroir make it a unique vintage and give Cabernet Sauvignon (more than 90% present each year) its most beautiful aromatic expressions.

The great 2020 vintage was awarded the supreme score of 100/1000 by the Revue du Vin de France: "Spectacular, bordering on perfection".

On the terroir of Pez, known to be the best in St-Estèphe (excluding classified growths), the Cazes family uses the same recipes here as those that made Lynch-Bages so successful: generous fruit and opulent texture. Ormes de Pez is an'almost' Lynch-Bages but at a quarter of the price!

Owned by the same people since 1894, Capbern's history is intimately linked to that of Calon-Ségur. With a vineyard of 38 hectares spread over two distinct areas (one near Calon, the other near Meyney), Capbern has a more chalky terroir, providing just the right amount of acidity and freshness to counterbalance the natural richness of Saint-Estèphe.

With more body than the Marquis (thanks to its high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon, but also to longer ageing), Capbern is a mini-Calon, for a quarter of the price.

On a magnificent gravelly hillock that has nothing to envy that of its neighbour Montrose, Meyney (Crédit Agricole property) is a serious candidate for the title of best Médoc bourgeois cru in each vintage. Long, complex, refined, distinguished tannins: a great Médoc cut for long ageing. Recommended by Mr. De Boüard (Angelus) from the 2014 vintage.

Second wine of Calon Ségur with, since 2013, a heart on the label like its big brother.

With a higher proportion of Merlot (60%), La Dame de Montrose offers a fruity, fleshy version of Saint-Estèphe, without losing the richness and power for which the Grand Vin is renowned. Another expression of terroir, in a seductive style all its own.

Unquestionably the most popular vintage of the Médoc. Over the years, Haut-Marbuzet has been able to gain in finesse and balance by keeping its Merlot dominance and maturing in new oak barrels. Delicious !

Previously settled on firm tannins that made them stark in their youth, Cos Labory's wines have for the last ten years changed in style, becoming more pleasant and gaining in depth and refinement (its vineyard is adjacent to those of Lafite-Rothschild and Cos d'Estournel). “Probably the best value in the 1855 classification to date”, as Bettane & Desseauve (Guide 2025) points out.

The Audoy family having sold its vineyard to the neighboring Cos d'Estournel at the beginning of 2023, a new era begins at Cos Labory.

This 45-hectare estate (in a single block to the south of Saint-Estèphe), famous for its Tuscan yellow façade and label, was acquired by Mr Lorenzetti in 2021. Knowing the investments made and the care given to the other crus in his stable of grands crus (Lilian-Ladouys, Pédesclaux and d'Issan), there is no doubt that Lafon-Rochet will shine with new lustre from the 2022 vintage, while remaining very affordable among its peers.

Since 2022 and the arrival of new cellar master M. Congé (ex-Lafite-Rothschild), Lafon-Rochet has shown more depth of flesh than in the past, while retaining the unctuousness and fruity brightness that are its signature features, thanks to its high Merlot content (40%).  

Phélan-Ségur is one of Saint-Estèphe's historic estates, with a 70-hectare vineyard on the front line of the Gironde estuary, bordered to the north by Calon-Ségur and to the south by Meyney and Montrose. The arrival in 2018 of a new Belgian owner (Mr. Van de Vyvere) ushered in a new era and new ambitions at Phélan-Ségur: 20 hectares under organic management, braiding of the vines (instead of trimming), gradual reduction in planting density to 8,000 vines/ha to combat summer drought, sparing use of sulfur, parcel-by-parcel vinification using indigenous yeasts...

Recent vintages have been very convincing, with racy wines combining intensity, vinosity and finesse in the image of Calon-Ségur.

Second wine of Cos d'Estournel, probably the best second wine of the Médoc after those of the first classified growths (for half or even a quarter of the price).

The acquisition of Calon-Ségur in 2012 by a subsidiary of Crédit Mutuel (a French bank) heralds the great awakening of this famous terroir of gravel on limestone, in one piece and entirely surrounded by a wall (a unique fact in the Médoc). All of Bordeaux wants Calon-Ségur to be as fabulous as those of the middle of the last century after a 15-year investment plan.

The very high quality of Cos d'Estournel's recent vintages is impressive, placing it undoubtedly among the first great classified growths of the Médoc. A single qualifier comes to mind when we think of Cos d'Estournel: monumental, for its wines as well as for its cellar.

After 43 vintages, Mr Charmolüe sold the estate to Mr Bouygues in 2006. The change of ownership was accompanied by a spectacular project designed to bring Montrose into the 21st century: use of geothermal energy, installation of photovoltaic panels, recycling of CO2 from alcoholic fermentation...

There has also been a change of style in the wines, with a move towards greater aromatic complexity and textural refinement. Montrose nevertheless remains a wine of great breed, resting on a powerful tannic architecture and reserved for the most patient connoisseurs.

Second wine of Nénin. A beautiful material, with a well mastered breeding: this is an excellent introduction, at a reasonable price, to the world of Pomerol.

As its name indicates, Bellegrave is on the crown of alluvial gravel of the Isle. With application, Mr. Bouldy has been offering for 40 years a true artisanal Pomerol, fresh, with velvety, energetic tannins and excellent keeping qualities.

This beautiful 24-hectare estate has been run by Alain Moueix since 1992. He applies the same philosophy and methods as at Fonroque (Saint-Émilion): organic farming since 2015, biodynamic certification in 2018, search for freshness and elegance through controlled extractions... Mazeyres offers delicate and measured wines, without blush, with a great finesse of flavor that increases even more in recent vintages.

The late Mr. Durantou's confidential Pomerol, made from a 0.6-acre parcel belonging to L'Église-Clinet. Its very high proportion of Merlot (90%) and sandier terroir give it a softer profile and an almost immediate charm. More rapidly accessible, without excessive stature, with crisp fruit and fine ageing, La Petite Église is a fine entry into the Durantou universe.

More than a second wine, it's certainly one of the appellation's best value for money.

Attention: great wine! Quietly, Feytit-Clinet is closing in on the biggest names in Pomerol, with only the price lagging behind. As the Revue du Vin de France rightly points out, "there are no spectacular château or ultra-modern wineries here", the reputation of this cru is built solely on the consistent quality of its wines.

More impressive than its success in great vintages is Feytit-Clinet's performance in "smaller" vintages: the 2013 is a Guide Hachette Coup de Coeur, the 2017 is one of the wines of the vintage according to A. Galloni (Vinous)...

Nénin is like Léoville-Las Cases (same owner): a great wine, straight, tight, with a lot of length and always excellent ageing potential. In great shape in the last vintages, as Bettane&Desseauve underlines "In constant progress for its structural and aromatic precision, it is now in the court of the greatest".

Always of a high standard for a reasonable price (in Pomerol), the wines of Gazin, medium-bodied and marked by truffles, are the archetype of the appellation and of exemplary consistency vintage after vintage.  “One of Pomerol's best wines, with happy surprises after 10 years” for Bettane & Desseauve as for us.

One of the appellation's ripest and most hedonistic crus until 2000, Clinet has since gained in distinction and refinement through successive touches (15% Cabernet in the vines, state-of-the-art technical equipment...). All this without losing the aromatic intensity and depth of flesh that are its hallmarks. Today, Clinet is unquestionably one of Pomerol's finest wines.

Garcin property (Barde-Haut, Poesia), 5.9 ha ideally located on the Pomerol plateau (between Clinet and L'Église-Clinet). Clos L'Église has been returning since 2011 to a more harmonious, melting and tasty version, similar to the style of La Conseillante.

Delicately perfumed (the aromatic bouquet is always very floral, with violets and peonies in the lead) and elegantly suave whatever the vintage, La Conseillante occupies a special place among the greatest Pomerols, perhaps the most endearing of them. Its finesse and superiorly sensual and refined texture are reminiscent of the great wines of the Côte de Nuits (on the Vosne-Romanée side). However, behind the apparent friendliness of La Conseillante lies a wine of great energy and excellent ageing potential.