The past three weeks have seen a steady flow of Bordeaux 2024s released onto the market, with key Left Bank entries including Lafite Rothschild, Montrose, and Lynch-Bages, alongside Right Bank stars, Angélus, Cheval Blanc, and Lafleur. Of the 16 wines we’ve covered so far in the 2024 campaign, average UK release prices are down 22% on the 2023 and down 37% on the 2022, with several châteaux pricing their 2024s below all previous back vintages.

Pontet-Canet kicked things off on Wednesday 23^rd April, releasing its lauded 2024 vintage at £60 per bottle. It shared our founder and CEO, Ella Lister’s second-highest score of the vintage (96-98 for Le Figaro Vin), who describes a "sea of blue, with sensual fruit, mineral notes, and cassia bark, majestic and serene. In the mouth, you feel like you're floating in that sea, warm, salty and sumptuous".

The Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) stable released on Tuesday 29th April. The first first growth out the gate, Lafite Rothschild’s 2024 came onto the market at a 30% discount on 2023 and below all back vintages on the market (£285). A major UK merchant told us that it “worked well, with lots of natural demand”.

Angélus followed suit on Wednesday 30^th April, entering at £179 and offering a 31% discount on last year’s release price. This was succeeded by Suduiraut 2024 (£39.50), which earned a strong score of 94-97 from Ella (Le Figaro Vin), who describes "A stunning freshness on the palate, exquisite balance, walking on a taut tightrope above a sea of sweetness".

The past week saw a handful of new entries, including Saint-Émilion juggernaut, Cheval Blanc (£275), Smith Haut Lafitte (£62), and Lynch-Bages (£60) on Tuesday 6th May. Widely considered one of the wines of the vintage, Montrose 2024 was released on Wednesday 7th May at £84.50. Ella was extremely impressed with Montrose 2024, awarding it her highest score of the vintage, at 96-99 points. She describes the palate as "immaculate, awe-inspiring, like light pouring into a cathedral, exquisitely high definition, ultra long, and lip-smacking. Very fine.” This was followed by Haut-Bailly, which, at £57.50, offered the largest discount (on 2023) of the campaign to date (36%).

Following a French national holiday on Thursday 8^th, the Guinaudeau stable was released today (Friday 9^th May). Coming onto the market at £588.33, Lafleur does not follow the annual Bordeaux en primeur pricing ups and downs - its UK release price has increased by just 12% since the 2020 vintage, and it sees demand year-on-year as a result.

Also released during this period: Branaire-Ducru, Carruades de Lafite, Duhart-Milon, La Gaffelière, Talbot.

Wine Lister’s real-time, wine-by-wine analysis of this year’s campaign is available in email newsletter form through a Pro+ subscription. For more information on this, please contact us.