What springs to mind when you think of Bordeaux? Probably châteaux the size of medieval palaces, formal dinners, and rows and rows of pristine vines, neatly manicured rose bushes the only other signs of plant life. What you’re unlikely to be imagining are cow horns stuffed with manure buried in the ground, or horse-drawn ploughs churning through earthworm-rich soil. ‘In the past, in Bordeaux, you were scared to say you were growing biodynamically,’ says Corinne Comme, who manages 10ha of biodynamic vines at Château du Champ des Treilles in Entre-Deux-Mers with her husband Jean-Michel. ‘Now it’s trendy.’ An engineer and geologist, Jean-Michel Comme was behind the first transition of a grand cru classé estate on Bordeaux’s Left Bank to biodynamics. Although he and Corinne first came across the concept in the mid-1990s, he didn’t begin to advocate for the approach at Château Pontet-Canet in Pauillac until the early 2000s. ‘Corinne was scared,’ he recalls. ‘She thought they would fire me.’ "Behind the more esoteric elements is a series of principles that have been shown to improve soil health and vine strength" Originally laid out in a series of lectures by Austrian philosopher, scientist and social reformer Rudolf Steiner in 1924, biodynamic farming emerged as a holistic approach to agriculture before quickly evolving into formal certification movements. At its core, biodynamic farming centres on soil health and biodiversity; most distinctively, it operates according to the lunar calendar, with practitioners timing agricultural activities around specific ‘fruit days’, ‘root days’, ‘leaf days’ and ‘flower days’ to align with cosmic rhythms believed to influence plant growth and agricultural processes. For many in Bordeaux – Jean-Michel Comme included – this all sounded a bit wacky. ‘I was young, full of expectations about chemistry; the way biodynamics was presented was so remote that I felt it was crazy,’ Comme says. ‘But with experience, we did change our minds.’ Why? Because behind the more esoteric elements is a series of principles that have been shown to improve soil health and vine strength. In vineyards, biodynamic farming means specific practices such as hand-harvesting, using natural composts made with specific herbal and mineral preparations, avoiding chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and treating the entire vineyard as a self-sustaining ecosystem. In the cellar, there’s an emphasis on minimal intervention, using native yeasts, avoiding commercial additives, keeping sulphur use to under 70ppm, and employing gentle pressing and ageing techniques that respect the wine’s natural development. While biodynamics took root in regions like the Loire and Burgundy in the 1990s, biodynamic winemaking in Bordeaux largely began in the new millennium, with just two early St-Emilion exceptions: Château Meylet, which has been practising it since 1987, and Château Fonroque, experimenting since 1995 with direction from Loire legend Nicolas Joly. This delay largely stemmed from two factors. First, Bordeaux’s humid maritime climate means that vines are especially vulnerable to both downy and powdery mildew, making the avoidance of synthetic fungicides a risky business. Second, large châteaux with multimillioneuro operations were reluctant to abandon the technological viticulture and winemaking that had built their global reputations in the first place. Comme, however, was convinced of the virtues of biodynamics. He began by seeking the assistance of François Bouchet. The Loire Valley winemaker was one of the first in France to pioneer biodynamics, also consulting for Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Domaine Leroy and Domaine Leflaive in Burgundy. Bouchet guided the transition to biodynamics at Comme’s Château du Champ des Treilles; then, he persuaded Château Pontet-Canet owner Alfred Tesseron of its merits. In 2004, it was trialled on 15ha (about 20% of the estate’s total growing area) of the fifth growth at which Comme was also technical director. A severe mildew outbreak in 2007 led to the use of pesticides, undoing three years of progress, but it then became a crucial lesson that strengthened their long-term commitment to biodynamics. ‘They believed the fruit had more expression, more brightness,’ says the current technical director at Pontet-Canet, Mathieu Bessonnet, who reveals that they converted the whole of the growing area soon after. ‘It’s obviously much more difficult, time-consuming and expensive, so it was very risky,’ he adds. Since then, biodynamic farming has become a significant and growing practice across different classed growths in the region, with some of the most prestigious estates – such as Château Latour and Château Palmer – adopting biodynamic methods (the latter certified). ‘The link between the wines and the place where the fruit came from had become less and less obvious,’ says Château Palmer’s technical director Thomas Duroux, commenting on the region’s turn to the trend. He notes that, since the noughties, many have adopted organic practices in a bid to reverse this perceived drop in terroir definition. ‘Biodynamics is, in a way, the same story as organic farming, but with a larger vision,’ he adds. This shared perspective has led to more cooperation between practitioners. Every spring, the Médoc branch of the Biodynamic Agriculture Movement gathers at Château Ferrière. After unearthing a thousand manure-filled cow horns and replacing them with silica-filled ones (a process reversed in autumn to produce preparations 500 and 501, required for Demeter certification), participants share wines and gardengrown salads. The humus removed from the cow horns is stored in a cold, damp facility and made available to members. ‘We do that for free,’ says Claire Lurton, owner of Château Ferrière. ‘It’s a community.’ Though ‘community’ might be too strong a word for some, these gatherings symbolise a deepening professional exchange that has emerged among estates of all sizes through the practice of biodynamic winemaking. In fact, the shift among the classed growths has happened at the same time as these practices have been adopted by smaller growers arriving in the region. Christophe Landry of Château des Graviers, for example, returned to Arsac in the 1990s and began practising biodynamics around the same time as Comme at Pontet-Canet. He’s consulted for the Lurton estates and other properties. Originally from Minervois in Languedoc, Michel Théron established Clos du Jaugueyron nearby and has been certified biodynamic since 2008, while Laurence Alias and Pascale Choime – who are both from southwest France – established Closerie des Moussis, a patchwork of sites across 2ha, including a 170-year-old pre-phylloxera plot leased from Théron. On the Right Bank, other producers began switching lanes even earlier. Le Puy, owned by the Amoreau family, began practising in 1998, with certification since 2013, and Château Gombaude-Guillot in Pomerol has been certified biodynamic since 2006. While larger estates like Latour and Palmer collaborate on issues like mildew, smaller producers tend to engage more with one another. Shared biodynamic practices, however, are definitely helping to break down barriers. For example, Château Haut-Bages Libéral maintains regular communication with its neighbours at Château Latour, and the son of Théron at Clos du Jaugueyron interned at Château Palmer for two months. Can we speak of a unity of praxis? Not exactly. There is considerable variation in which aspects of biodynamics winemakers emphasise, regardless of estate size. The primary aim across the board is achieving living soil with rich biodiversity to promote deep-rooted vines. In pursuit of this, some winemakers emphasise tree growing or cover cropping (like Haut-Bages Libéral, which also recently planted a variety of local and fruit trees). Others, such as Le Puy, let nature take its course, allowing a diverse array of plants and flowers to sprout from the earth. Whether certified or not, biodynamic practitioners throughout Bordeaux use homeopathic treatments like nettle teas for the vines – they are believed to stimulate soil health, enhance plant immunity and improve nutrient uptake. More important than any of this, however, is the concept of energy. How can the energy of the plant be retained as its raw material transforms into wine? Every winemaker I visited was at least intrigued by the concept – and most were captivated. After a few days in the sometimes eerily flat Médoc, I drive through the verdant hills of St-Emilion to Le Puy, arriving with a raised spirit. Standing before a 5,000-year-old Celtic cromlech, Harold Langlais, the estate’s director, tells me, ‘Le Puy is a place of energy and life,’ pointing to its deep history as an intersection of water springs. At modern-day Le Puy, this philosophy extends from the vines to the cellar. Indeed, many others I speak to express that, since adopting biodynamics, the most striking change in their wines has been an increase in ‘energy’. It’s a term without a precise definition, but according to Château Palmer’s makers, something shifted with the 2015 vintage, the second year after full conversion. ‘You cannot measure it,’ Thomas Duroux says. ‘You can just feel it.’ At Château Durfort-Vivens, where the vineyard was operating under biodynamic principles by 2013 (with full conversion by 2016), owner Gonzague Lurton recalls the 2014 vintage as ‘the first where you really feel the energy of biodynamics’. It’s tactile and warming, with a sophisticated grip and charm. ‘It’s what I love – the linearity of tannins, never weak from start to finish. With many of the estates I visited, their wines showed an immediate appeal, vibrant even in their youth. Is energy just another way of describing freshness? Laurence Alias at Closerie des Moussis trained as an agricultural engineer; for her, energy and vitality are tied to the physical properties of grapes grown biodynamically. ‘We have more acidity, that’s an analytic fact,’ she tells me, standing in front of a newly acquired plot of vines bordered by forest. It might be romantic to think of energy as something ineffable, but it’s also rooted in what remains within the grapes. ‘Our idea of energy is based more on Einstein than Steiner,’ Langlais later qualifies. ‘Energy is matter.’ Biodynamic winemaking in Bordeaux: five to follow Château Pontet-Canet At the 55ha Pontet-Canet estate in Pauillac, an immensely smooth operation is palpable. Winemakers here have spent almost two decades honing their biodynamic craft, continually moving towards a goal of self-sufficiency for the estate. Sturdy Comtois horses, introduced in 2008, now work half the vineyard, preventing soil compaction. Vineyards are sprayed over a single day using compost and herbal teas produced from plants grown in and around the property and processed in the state-of-the-art infusion room. Biodiversity-boosting fruit trees and hedges have been planted. The estate even employs a carpenter who repurposes wood from vats used on the property. Ageing involves custom-made wooden eggs and qvevri-style amphorae, with no fining and minimal filtration. The result? A Pauillac with untypical levels of energy and minerality, and a plush, velvety texture. But it’s more than that – according to Bessonnet, thanks to a low-intervention approach across the board, ‘you can really feel the soil.’ Château Palmer Thomas Duroux’s conviction in biodynamics is based in what he calls a ‘holistic vision’. ‘We started to see the entire place as a living organism,’ he says of Château Palmer, one of the most storied and historically significant third-growth estates in Bordeaux. When converting (a process that started in 2009), the Margaux estate was initially guided by François Bouchet’s son Matthieu, but now it follows its own evolving philosophy, integrating cover crops, animals for fertilisation and estate-grown vegetables and meat. ‘It’s just going back to agricultural common sense,’ Duroux says. ‘That was the way to grow anything before World War II.’ This respect for nature results in wines that are deeply tied to their terroir. ‘If I had to describe the wines how they are today, compared to how they were before, I’ll just say that it’s not a revolution, but we have the feeling that the wines have a better identity,’ says Duroux. He likens biodynamics to restoring an old painting: ‘Suddenly, you see small details that you were not able to see because of the dust.’ The estate uses stainless-steel vats for fermentation and temperature-controlled rooms for barrel-ageing, combined with nativeyeast and low-sulphur winemaking, to produce its esteemed Alter Ego and Château Palmer cuvées; both have been increasingly celebrated among critics and drinkers since the turn to biodynamics. ‘We just think it does help to go a little bit further in the interpretation of the place,’ says Duroux. Château Durfort-Vivens Standing over a rustic sorting table explaining how it used to work, Gonzague Lurton is visibly passionate about the savoir-faire of the past. This sensibility is reflected in the current winemaking practices, too, and in the second-growth Margaux estate’s reputation (and critics’ scores) increasing year on year. The thing to emphasise is that what began with a biodynamic approach in the vineyards led to a series of domino effects that changed the character of the wines. In search of what Lurton calls greater ‘singularity’, the proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon had already risen to over 90% by 2014 (from around 75%); and with the use of indigenous yeasts during fermentation and the reduction of sulphur levels over time (initially sparked by Demeter’s upper limits of 70mg/l), the wines have become more aromatically complex and expressive. The introduction of amphorae by Italian producer Tava has allowed for microoxidation without overextraction, contributing to a more delicate balance of flavours, with the 2019 estate wine a blend aged one third in amphorae and the rest in barrel. ‘It’s not a big wine,’ says Lurton. ‘And it’s what I was looking for with biodynamics, in terms of style.’ Château des Graviers Christophe Landry’s pioneering status in Margaux stems from an instinct refined over decades at his own estate. He grows medicinal plants — horsetail, absinthe, calendula, chamomile — for vineyard treatments, as well as using the manure from his own cows. ‘What we need to remember is that biodynamics isn’t just a practice,’ he tells me. ‘It’s about finding your own path to self-sufficiency.’ His precision extends to the cellar, where he uses concrete tanks, amphorae and oak barrels (produced according to the biodynamic calendar) tailored to each of the five cépages’ oxygenation needs, then ages the wines for different lengths of time. Timing is everything, with harvest choices also following the biodynamic calendar. Obsessive care for the vines’ life cycles goes hand in hand with the level of precision in the cellar. The outcome is two phenomenal wines that are, as Landry puts it, ‘thirstquenching’. Château des Graviers and Quintessence — which contains a higher proportion of Petit Verdot and is aged longer in barrel and amphorae — are aromatically expressive, velvety and strikingly lively, with the latter offering more depth and an enveloping finish. Expanding to 18ha, Landry has also turned his focus to Clos Dufourg, cultivating vines on previously wild land nearby and hand-building a striking new cellar with cement tanks painted with clay from the surrounding earth. Le Puy For technical director Harold Langlais, the Le Puy estate’s significance lies in how it challenges Bordeaux’s conventional identity. Outside of the region’s traditional focus on appellations and classifications, Le Puy sits on a plateau near St-Emilion. The estate’s land is unusual, with no topsoil but a deep limestone bedrock beneath red-brown clay, which forces the vines to develop deep roots to access the earth’s natural water and nutrients. This is further supported by horse-ploughing and biodynamic sprays made from horsetail, buckthorn and nettles, which grow on the property. ‘Our approach focuses on rooting the vine deep,’ Langlais explains, ‘encouraging it to search out hidden nutrients.’ A vigorous wind circulates around the vines, and Langlais explains the effects of the elements. ‘The beauty of Le Puy is that it’s an acid factory. The whole place creates acidity in the berries.’ The biodynamic philosophy extends to the winemaking, with two different processes applied to their 100% Merlot cuvées. Cuvée Emilien uses a ‘decantation method’, or ‘fermentation by infusion’, while Barthélemy is produced with zero sulphites and a process of lees-stirring called ‘dynamisation’, which is done on fruit days and involves a specific motion to create a vortex in the old barrels it ages in. ‘Barthélemy is much more intense,’ Langlais says. ‘All the matter taken by the plant is in there.’

Written for Club Oenologique in 2025, Joel Hart visits Bordeaux to track the region’s belated embrace of biodynamic winemaking. While other French regions ploughed ahead, Bordeaux had its reasons for delayed adoption. Yet now the practice is booming, and Hart gauges its employment across estates.

Written for Club Oenologique, contributor Joel Hart visits Bordeaux to track the region’s belated embrace of biodynamic winemaking. 

Taking root: the rise of biodynamic winemaking in Bordeaux

This week saw the release of the Wine Advocate’s first report on 2016 Brunello di Montalcino, written by Monica Larner. It’s only a first look rather than full review, as – with the current restrictions on travel, some producers have preferred to hold back their samples until early
next year – so the report doesn’t include the full line-up of releases. This is the third major report to be released on the vintage in the last few weeks, following on from the Vinous (courtesy of Eric Guido) and James Suckling reports earlier in the month. All are in agreement, 2016 is an exceptional vintage. Perhaps the most exciting thing about 2016 is the huge range of excellent wines. The sheer scope and variety between them could keep a collector very happy for a very long time. There is universal agreement that the younger generation of more open-minded Montalcinesi are bringing real excitement to the region. Their impact has only become more evident in the region’s most recent yet completely contrasting vintages. 2015 showing off the fantastic concentration and fruit purity. 2016 its precision, structure and elegance. With 2017 looking like a much more difficult vintage – it’s worth making hay while the sun shines, and it has never shined brighter in Montalcino than today. 
2016 versus 2015 
For Monica Larner and Eric Guido, 2016 eclipses the hugely successful 2015 vintage. For Guido, who was a lot less taken by the 2015 vintage, there is little comparison to be made – 2016 is by far the better vintage in terms of typicity, precision and aging potential. For James Suckling, 2015 and 2016 are the best vintages ever made in the region and he is well-equipped to make such a statement, having tasted Brunello extensively back to the early 1980s. For Suckling, the 2015 just pips the 2016s to the post, but largely due to their approachability, stating that the 2016’s “intense tannins” make then a lot less accessible at this early stage. Eric Guido’s views of the two vintages are more polarised. In his 2015 report, he felt the exuberance and warmth of the 2015 vintage in the wrong hands could produce wines that were made “simple” by their ripeness, questioning their potential for “serious evolution”. He states that the 2015s do not compare with the other great modern vintages of 2004, 2006, 2007 or 2010 – yet 2016 certainly does, stating, “They are like a well-muscled black stallion in its prime. They are dark yet radiant, expressive, nearly explosive at times, yet pure, poised and structured… I frankly cannot remember the last time I tasted young wines from Montalcino that possessed such symmetry from start to finish.” Monica Larner feels there is less between the two vintages when it comes to quality, although she admits a personal preference to the style of the 2016s, stating. “I prefer the classic purity and linearity of the slightly cooler 2016 vintage to the more exuberant and texturally generous wines from the warmer 2015.” She actually believes the 2015s generally are “more even keeled” than the 2016s, where the “transparency” of the vintage has exposed both the highs and lows of the vintage. Despite this, she believes the power and elegance is greater in 2016 overall. Although too early in the wines’ evolution to directly compare with the 2010s, she believes it certainly is up there in terms of quality in the best examples. For James Suckling, it is the consistency of quality that marks out a great vintage – and both 2016 and 2015 tick that box: “I learned a long time ago as a wine critic that great years are years when everything is outstanding from the lesser-known properties to the most prestigious ones. The 2016 and 2015 vintages certainly achieved this, making this pair of years the greatest ever for Brunello di Montalcino.” He concludes that 2016 Brunello is the ideal vintage for laying down and enjoying over the long term, whereas 2015’s open-knit style makes them already approachable and enjoyable now.  

 The rise of the crus Larner makes the points that 2016 has certainly been a vintage that has showcased the rise of the Crus in the region, with many of her favourite wines coming from single vineyards. Most notably, she awarded Il Maronetto’s Madonna delle Grazie 100 points, but also Casanova di Neri’s Cerretalto and Tenuta Nuova both featuring in her top 10. A winery that has championed the concept of single vineyards in Brunello since the early days, first releasing the Cerretalto with the 1981 vintage. Eric Guido believes that this is still early days for the region’s Crus and we should expect many more over the coming vintages, with many producers registering names for future releases. The fact that all the top Crus in 2016 – Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona’s Pianrosso from Castelnuevo dell’Abate, Casanova di Neri’s Crus from Canalicchio and Il Maronetto’s Madonna delle Grazie from central Montalcino – are situated in very different parts of
Montalcino bodes well for the potential and variety set to develop as more producers start producing single-vineyard wines. Eric Guido points out that to produce a Cru wine, by law producers must reduce their yields from Brunello’s nine tonnes per hectare to seven. This means that these single-vineyard wines are about more than just terroir, the lower yields adding more intensity and concentration to the wines. Larner says, “Over these past six years, there has been a significant shift to
single-vineyard and so-called “Selezione” wines. This signals an important change in perspective and illuminates the very way the ilcinesi see themselves: not as a monolithic wine region but as a complex and fluid assembly of various moving pieces and parts. This self-awareness is key to Montalcino’s future success in an increasingly competitive marketplace.” 
Top-rated wines There’s no shortage of high scores this year – and many are already on the market. Here’s a short-list those that are well worth looking out for. Casanova di Neri Few producers have been so universally well scored than the single vineyards of Cerretalto and Tentua Nuova from Casanova di Neri. The Cerretalto 2015 Riserva being awarded 100 points from Suckling and 98+ points from Larner. Their Tenuta Nuova 2016 awarded 97+ points from Larner, 96 points from Guido and 99 points from Suckling. Their wines remain some of the most seductive and complex and consistent of the region. Poggio Antico Poggio Antico in terms of price-to-quality ratio also seemed to fare very well across the critics. Although the Altero might not be for the traditionalists, it is an outstanding wine and both their 2015 Riserva and straight 2016 Brunello are exceptional. Altesino Altesino’s straight Brunello, priced at just £185 per case of six in bond and awarded 95+ points from Larner, seems an absolute steal. Giodo Carlo Ferrini’s Giodo was also a fantastic hit for both Suckling (100 points) and Larner (98 points). Larner described it as a “career-defining wine from this proud Sangiovista”. With just over 800 cases produced, it will be a rare find in years to come. Gianni Brunelli Gianni Brunelli’s wines have been remarkably successful in 2016 and remain well-priced for the quality, although availability will likely become difficult, particularly for their Le Chiuse di Sotto, which Larner awarded 100 points – the only 2016 wine other than Il Maronetto’s Madonna delle Grazie to receive a perfect score. Any wine from Brunelli including their 2015
Riserva is well worth seeking out. Other great-value buys include Baricci, Livio Sassetti, Il Poggione and Castiglion del Bosco – all of which received glowing reviews

The 2016 vintage in Montalcino is one of the best we’ve tasted – and the critics have now had their say. Here’s an overview of the Wine Advocate, Vinous and James Suckling's reviews – and the wines they rate most highly

Our round-up of the reports from Vinous, Wine Advocate and James Suckling on the 2016 wine vintage in Montalcino. And it is one of the best we’ve tasted

What the critics are saying about Brunello 2016

Brunello 2016: what the critics are saying

The constant tension in wine is between art and science; the best winemakers managing to toe the line between the two to create something that can be inspirational. This relationship is most tangibly expressed on the labels of the world’s most iconic wines, with the likes of Ch. Mouton Rothschild, Leeuwin Estate or Domaine de Trévallon bearing specifically commissioned works. But at Castello di Ama, art is much more than an aesthetic afterthought; it is entwined with the very substance of the forward-thinking Chianti Classico estate. While the property has a long history – its hilltop location praised for the quality of its wines as long ago as the 18th century – the most recent chapter in Castello di Ama’s tale starts in the 1970s, when four friends identified the potential of the abandoned hamlet. It was, however, the arrival of Marco Pallanti in 1982, and then with current CEO Lorenza Sebasti in 1993 – daughter of Lionello Sebasti, one of the founding four – that proved pivotal. Together this duo has drawn equally on the worlds of art and science to thrust the estate to the forefront of Italy’s winemaking scene. When Pallanti arrived, fresh from his studies in Bordeaux, the cellar had been built, the vineyards established. The winery was remarkable for Tuscany – flush with stainless steel and temperature-control technology, lightyears ahead when much of Italy (and Europe) was still making wine in the same way their grandparents and great-grandparents had. The vineyards, however, needed work, planted at low densities and on overly vigorous rootstock. Pallanti gradually transformed the vineyards, switching them over to the lyre system – an open trellis that allowed more exposure for the fruit and fuller ripening, tweaking the varieties planted and using only the finest fruit in the cellar.  While the winery has all the latest gadgetry, there are no hard and fast rules for Pallanti – it’s all about having the option to tailor his winemaking to each cuvée. This palette of possibilities is a luxury of being, in his words, a “pedestrian winemaker” – being amongst the vines and barrels all year round, able to respond and adapt accordingly. “I’m not a consultant… I have the possibility to taste the berry, taste during the ageing and can decide step by step,” he explains. In many ways science allows him the luxury of playing the artist – armed with the knowledge and tools to craft each wine. Over four decades at the estate for Pallanti, and almost 30 years for Sebasti, one thing remains consistent: the importance of their role as “guardians” of Castello di Ama. “I never follow the fashion,” Marco Pallanti tells me. “It’s not about changing vats, or using another kind of temperature, or ageing more or less in barrels… but truly having more and more spiritual identity of the vines. This strong personality – this is what we have to keep. This is a gift.” In search of this spiritual identity, Pallanti has adapted his oak usage over the years – and how he talks about it, placing more emphasis on size rather than origin. At first he worked with big casks, of 20 to 40 hectolitres, but as the wines gained in body, they could support small casks – something which he feels is important for the stabilisation of colour. His aim, however, is never for the oak to be too present; in fact, over the last decade, the portion of new oak used at the estate has been halved, as he seeks to unmask the fruit and its terroir. Their responsibility is not to fads or fashions, but to the soul of this special site. Sebasti and Pallanti (previously married) have always loved modern art – but the inspiration for Castello di Ama’s remarkable project was the restoration of its cellars in 1998-99. Stripping it of concrete and artificial lighting, there was a huge wall just as you entered the winery with a line of large casks no longer in use. The duo felt intensely that they needed to get rid of them. “It didn’t show how we feel about the wine and the winemaking,” Sebasti explains. “Looking at this space, we both dreamed… this is a great space for a contemporary art sculpture.” They had recently been to see a Michelangelo Pistoletto show, and they thought maybe they could invite him to create something. He did just that, finishing his work L’Albero di Ama in 2000.  Since then, 15 artists – including Anish Kapoor – have produced pieces of art that are now part of the estate, gradually infiltrating the gardens, vineyards and winery. Initially the works were commissioned via the influential Galleria Continua, but since 2015 Philip Larratt-Smith has been in charge of curating the collection. The most recent addition, by Miroslaw Balka, was conceived over nine visits, with the Polish artist spending more than two months in total at the property. But every single artist visits Ama – the artwork inspired by the place and its wines, the finished pieces eventually returning to inspire Sebasti and Pallanti in their own art. “I believe our pieces of art can explain my wine better than me,” Pallanti says.  “Our dream has been to develop this collection,” Sebasti explains. “All the artists that we have met, they fall in love with the place… [They] get inspired by the story, by the history, the real methodology of our winemaking, that we don’t produce only from our vines. Somehow the art of wine and the art itself, they can have a dialogue.” That dialogue sparked the creation of Haiku, Ama’s other Super Tuscan – a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Daniel Buren’s Sulle Vigne: Punti di Vista consists of a mirrored wall, two metres high and 25 metres long, that stretches along the edge of their San Lorenzo vineyard, offering five different windows, or five different impressions, of the same site. “So strong, so powerful… it’s about wine, art, history, landscape – everything is there,” Sebasti says of the work. It was standing in front of this impressive installation that Pallanti was inspired to make Haiku, a wine which he sees as an alter ego of the estate.  These remarkable contemporary sculptures are scattered around the hilltop site, providing a dramatic contrast to the original 16th century buildings – and a neat reflection of the estate’s philosophy. “We have this grafting with the new, with the rootstock of the past,” Sebasti says. “We work in a traditional place, with traditional varieties, but for the new world, for the consumer of today.”  The latest installation will be revealed later this year, 22 years after the first piece was commissioned for the collection. “As human beings, we all live with art,” Sebasti says. “If we can bring art into everyday life, it’s a great strength.” Combining respect for their history with the latest technology, she and Pallanti are forging a path ahead, artfully curating the story, and soul, of this extraordinary estate. Explore all listings from Castello di Ama or browse more Editorial

In amongst the vines and 16th century buildings at Castello di Ama, you’ll discover striking modern sculpture. Disruptive and disarming, the art and wine of this Chianti Classico estate is at the cutting edge. Sophie Thorpe spoke to CEO Lorenza Sebasti and winemaker Marco Pallanti to find out more

Exploring the sculpture and art collection at cutting-edge Chianti Classico wine estate Castello di Ama with CEO Lorenza Sebasti and winemaker Marco Pallanti

Castello di Ama's art and soul 

Art and soul: Castello di Ama

There are myriad fascinating twists and turns in Scotch whisky’s long and storied past. From dizzying boom times to disastrous downturns, the distilling landscape – and the major players within it – has been redrawn countless times. 
There's one era, however, that is legendary – whisky's "golden age". Between the 1950s and '80s, some of the industry's most nuanced single malts were crafted. These are now widely regarded as the greatest ever released, which is reflected in the eyewatering secondary market prices – should they ever appear on the auction block. 
These perfectly imperfect, characterful and wonderfully unique liquids, produced at distilleries that no longer exist, or exist in a very different way today, will never be bottled again – making them real unicorns for whisky collectors. 
To understand what makes them so special, it is important to first appreciate just how little liquid exists from this time. The single malt whisky market was unfathomably small before and during this period and entirely dwarfed by blends. A mere fraction of a distiller’s finest liquid would be bottled as a single malt. These minuscule quantities were also made via practices that are now lost in the annals of history, making them more desirable for collectors. 
For context, Scotch whisky was largely made as it always had been until the 1950s, drawing on traditional methods that had been passed down for centuries. Distillers would use their sight, smell and taste to determine when a liquid was ready to cask, and later, bottle. Whisky-making took mastery and patience – something producers could ill afford when demands on the industry intensified and there was a concerted push to produce more for less during the 1970s. While many producers made these changes around the same time, they didn’t all happen at once, creating a wonderfully varied time capsule of whiskies. 
The 1960s – when some of these great bottlings were produced – was sandwiched in between two vastly different decades. Production in the ‘50s was steady but small. By the 1970s, however, distillers – both large and small – were forced to increase their output by almost double, and names that had fallen silent were reawakened once more as global demand for Scotch whisky grew. 
Sadly, by the mid-1970s, the tide started to turn. The bountiful supply of whisky was not met by demand, resulting in a devastating whisky loch in the 1980s and some of the most difficult years the Scotch whisky industry has ever endured. Swathes of distilleries were forced to close, including the now-legendary Port Ellen and Brora – both of which shut their doors in 1983. This depression continued well into the 1990s with a further 20 casualties (of these, only three ever reopened), before the pendulum finally swung back in the early 2000s when the seemingly unquenchable thirst for single malt whiskies, that is still in full force today, began. 
From the 1950s onwards, holders of the increasingly frayed purse strings sought to reduce inefficiencies in the traditional, labour-intensive practice of whisky-making – which defined the golden age. With the introduction of modern, more mechanised, safer processes, it was a new dawn for Scotch whisky.  During this period in history, every single stage of whisky production was “streamlined”. The money men closed floor maltings, introduced distillers’ yeast, reduced fermentation times, installed semi-lauter tuns, made the switch to indirect-fired stills, replaced worm tubs with shell-and-tube condensers, and introduced ex-Bourbon barrels. By the end of the 1970s, you could almost count on one hand the number of distillers who retained traditional methods. 
It’s important to remember that tweaking one of these processes can alter the entire flavour profile of a whisky – just ask Glenfarclas who reverted back to direct-firing their stills after their new-make spirit lost its characteristically heavy and oily profile during their ill-fated flirtation with steam in 1981. And yet, in many instances, producers permanently changed many of these processes. Traditional practices and know-how that varied slightly at every distillery began to be outsourced as they turned to professional maltsters and installed modern, industrial-scale equipment that increased efficiencies and consistency but in some cases compromised the craft and character of the final spirit profile. 
“Every distillery has its own story and evolution of style,” whisky authority Serge Valentin explains, “their own ups and its downs.” 
Valentin was ahead of his time when he started collecting single malt Scotch, almost exclusively from Old Clynelish and Brora. He couldn’t possibly have predicted what his passion project of buying as many different bottlings as he could “simply because they were [his] favourites”  would become. 
Both Clynelish and Brora – as it would be known – produced heavily peated malt during the late 1960s and early ’70s. Bottlings from this time until 1983, when Brora became a victim of the whisky loch and fell silent, have become highly collectable in recent years. Old Clynelish bottlings, (Valentin’s favourites), which are robustly distinctive with aromas of scented wax and heather, are astonishingly rare and modern collectors clamber over one another to get their hands on these golden-age gems for many times the price Valentin would have paid. 
Stephen Rankin has been fortunate to sample whiskies from one of the most remarkable single malt libraries in the world at Gordon & MacPhail. His team is able to pull out liquids from what he calls “pre-evolutions within distilleries” thanks to his family’s foresight to buy barrels from cash-strapped producers who were selling their stocks for survival. The Elgin-based independent bottler had the luxury and fortitude to bide their time and store casks that would otherwise have been bottled young or blended. He has a particular affection for single malts from what was Milton Distillery, known since 1951 as Strathisla, which he describes as a “great example of a whisky that has the flavours of this past era.” 
Independent bottlers like Gordon & MacPhail played a vital role in bringing many of these now-legendary whiskies into the world. One man in particular, Silvano Samaroli, was responsible for bottling single malts that are now widely regarded as some of the greatest ever released.  
Rome-based Samaroli released his first Scotch whisky series in 1968 in the form of the now-iconic, dumpy Cadenhead bottlings – making him the first independent Scotch whisky bottler outside the United Kingdom. Today, Samaroli’s Bowmore, Glen Garioch, and  Springbank releases are held in especially high regard and his  Laphroaig single malts from 1967 and 1970 are in a league of their own. 
“The late 1960s to the ’80s is definitely one of the most remarkable periods,” Samaroli’s Daniele Liberati says, “largely due to the appearance of certain expressions for the first time.”  
“We started to propose different bottlings, moving away from the classic blends and official distillery releases,” Liberati adds. These included single-cask expressions, numbered bottlings and cask-strength releases, all of which are commonplace today but were revolutionary at the time.
 
In recent years, a handful of new distillers have turned to old whisky-making practices in an attempt to recapture some of its magic. Fledgling Speyside distiller Dunphail, for instance, has faithfully – and at great cost – installed traditional floor maltings, direct-fired stills and wooden, open washbacks where fermentation times are considerably longer than the industry average, to produce a fruit-forward, oily, medium-bodied Speyside whisky. Today, however, these traditional methods are always adopted in conjunction with modern practices in order to achieve all the desirable characteristics of yore in a more efficient way.   While there is the temptation to look back on this era with a rose-tinted view, as there are undeniably some exceptional bottlings from this time, it is wrong to believe that all whisky produced in the golden age was of the same standard. Whisky-making 40 to 50 years ago was imperfect, there was very little consistency in quality and for one good cask, a distiller would likely have 10 or 20 bad ones that never saw the light of day.  It’s also important to appreciate that many of these modernisations were vital to guarantee the safety of distillery workers as several stages in production were unstable. These advancements have also resulted in unprecedented consistency. While nuance and singularity might have been sacrificed, it’s now incredibly hard to find a bad dram.   As times evolve – as they inevitably do – it’s highly unlikely whisky from Scotland’s golden age will ever not be considered precious.    Browse all Scotch whisky or read more Editorial

Some of the most exceptional single malts ever released were produced in an era affectionately known as “the golden age”. Bottlings from this time are painfully scarce and have gained near-mythic status among whisky enthusiasts. Holly Motion explores why whiskies from this age are so precious

Exploring the golden age of malt whisky and its most coveted bottlings that are widely considered some of the greatest single malts ever released.

The golden age of malt whisky

The golden age of whisky

Overall, the 2024 crop was Bordeaux’s smallest since 1991 – with the region producing 332 million litres of wine. This is in part due to declining vineyard area, with the yield averaging 35hl/ha – slightly higher than that of the 2021, 2017 or 2013 vintages. Diving further into this, however, reveals a significant difference between the Left and Right Banks – with 34.4hl/ha in Saint-Emilion, Pomerol and Fronsac, versus 30.8hl/ha on average in the Médoc and Graves. It's a year where it is hard to generalise, even within each commune, for neighbouring estates produced drastically different results in the vintage. As David Suire of Ch. Laroque explained, there were such varying approaches to the year’s challenges, something that is echoed in the wines produced. RIGHT BANK This year, once again, the Right Bank offered more consistency than the Left. Although it was still heterogenous, the smaller size of estates lent itself to success – making it easier to treat and harvest in the narrow windows of dry weather. Wherever you were, however, it was a challenging year: as Christian Moueix said, “You cannot replace the sun.” Beyond the more overcast weather, hail hit Fronsac, Canon-Fronsac and Lalande-de-Pomerol in June, with some estates losing their entire crop, although Pomerol and Saint-Emilion largely escaped.  Pomerol For Noëmie Durantou (Ch. l’Eglise-Clinet), 2024 was a tough opponent – but one she knew they could win against, and looking back at it, what a game it was: as her wines certainly indicate. For her, there were several key elements to the growing season: the cloud cover that reduced diurnal variation (she recalls warm, sleepless nights), the late véraison, foggy mornings that increased botrytis pressure in the run-up to harvest, and the year’s humidity level – 80% in Pomerol, versus a more normal 50-60%. The hail that struck Lalande-de-Pomerol in June strayed a little into Pomerol, but most estates escaped any serious impact – with just a touch felt at Lafleur at Feytit-Clinet, for example. Treating the vines posed an additional challenge for the team at Clinet, who have to take into account the timetable of the neighbouring school, working around the presence of children and/or parents, on top of inclement conditions. Harvest began in Pomerol slightly earlier than in neighbouring Saint-Emilion, kicking off from as early as 16th September, but most starting to bring their Merlot in from 20th of the month, and the Cabernet finished by 4th October (although some producers had everything in the winery by the end of September). Yields varied significantly – from the second-smallest harvest since 1991 at Belle-Brise to the second-largest crop in the last 25 years at Lafleur.  Jeremy Chasseuil (Feytit-Clinet) emphasised how, for him, leaving the wine on lees for two months was key – helping to build texture, releasing polysaccharides that lend weight to the wine’s mid-palate. While 2024 did not produce the most opulent styles of Pomerol, the best retain a plush texture and exoticism to the aromatics that complements the naturally high acidity of the year. Although quality isn’t entirely consistent here, there are many highlights. Our favourites in Pomerol: Belle-Brise, Eglise-Clinet, Guillot Clauzel, La Conseillante, Lafleur, Le Pin, Vieux Château Certan Saint-Emilion There was a notable difference between Pomerol and Saint-Emilion – with Saint-Emilion seeing significantly more rain in April to June, with 278mm versus 199mm in Pomerol. Despite that, the region’s limestone plateau came into its own – allowing the water to drain away from the vines, despite hitting record levels (at Ausone, the level in their well was the highest-ever). August, however, was significantly drier on the Right Bank – with around half the normal rainfall.  Harvest started a little later here. Although some started as early as 17th September (Cheval Blanc, Canon, for example), most waited until 27th, and with several estates holding off until early October. Despite the year’s challenges (“It was a war,” said Cheval Blanc’s Pierre-Olivier Clouet), the yield across the appellation worked out as fairly average – although varied between estates. At Angélus, it was Hubert de Boüard de Laforest’s 40th vintage, and the bottle bears a cut-through of a tree-trunk with 40 rings as a tribute. At Ch. Beauséjour, it was the first vintage to be made in Joséphine Duffau-Lagarrosse’s new winery, something for which she was particularly appreciative, allowing her to divide the vineyard into smaller parcels and work with greater precision. Saint-Emilion is so large that there is inevitably a broad range of wines this year. Although there are some that can be overly tart, austere or astringent, there are some very impressive, textured, layered wines that retain tension yet also offer plentiful fruit and weight. Cheval Blanc, for example, is a very serious wine that will need time – a real contrast to many of the 2024s that are set to be approachable early. It’s worth highlighting Ch. Laroque, an estate that we have been watching for a while, and where David Suire continues to make wines that offer extraordinary value. Our favourites in Saint-Emilion: Ausone, Cheval Blanc, Clos de Sarpe, Figeac, L’If, Laroque, Tertre Roteboeuf LEFT BANK Yields on the Left Bank were – other than for the whites – generally lower than on the Right. It varies significantly between estates, however, with yields varying from the smallest-ever to normal. While there are years when lesser sites in the Médoc and Haut-Médoc excel, 2024 largely wasn’t – this was a vintage where the quality of terroir, as well as the means to make stringent selection were key. We found quality here was even more heterogenous than across the Gironde, however there are still some brilliant wines to be found.  Saint-Estèphe Quality in Saint-Estèphe is mixed in 2024. The commune’s cooler, northern position was not necessarily an advantage this year, nor were the more clay-rich soils – which have been such an advantage in recent warm and dry vintages. Estates with vines on free-draining gravels fared best, however there are many variables to the quality equation this year. While not every estate thrived, there are some serious highs here, with Montrose vying for wine of the vintage – offering a level of density and complexity that really stood out in our tastings. It’s the second rendition of their Grand Vin to come exclusively from Terrace Four (T4), a decision that is clearly being rewarded, and we also got our first taste of the not-yet-released wine made from T3, called “Terrasse 3” – a wine that will be worth looking out for. The team at Montrose emphasised how the appellation saw less rain between 1st August and 8th September compared to those further south, receiving just 50mm in this critical period (versus 80mm for Margaux and 120mm for Pessac-Léognan), something they felt was key to their success. Calon-Ségur was one of several estates that chose to abandon organics this year, using conventional sprays between budburst and flowering, before reverting to their normal regimen, allowing them to achieve the same yield as 2023 at 45hl/ha (versus 29hl/ha at Cos d’Estournel, who continued on their path to organic certification). Technical Director Vincent Millet – who is at the helm of Calon’s entire portfolio of estates, including Ch. le Prieuré in Saint-Emilion and Vray Croix de Gay in Pomerol – noted how the later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon was particularly tricky this year, making the Left Bank more challenging than the Right in the vintage. Our favourites in Saint-Estèphe: Montrose Pauillac Pauillac had the lowest yield of any of the Left Bank communes this year, with the average across the appellation 29.5hl/ha (versus a 20-year average of 45.7hl/ha). Between estates, figures varied wildly – from the miniscule 11hl/ha made at Ch. Latour (a level more typical in Sauternes) to 33hl/ha at Ch. Lafite Rothschild, for example, looking at two estates working organically. June was drier here than elsewhere, meaning the vines started to suffer from hydric stress earlier – with some properties even saying they saw the vines’ development stall in August, with the first rains at the end of the month a welcome reprieve. Harvest here stretched through the first 10 days of October, with botrytis significantly impacting yields. Pichon Baron estimated they lost around 10hl/ha to rot – just one of the sacrifices that made 2024 such a costly vintage to produce. The resulting wines tend to have higher portions of Cabernet Sauvignon, and vary in both style and quality. Generally, these are lighter-styled Pauillacs, not having the firmness or power that this appellation can often offer. Although some don’t have sufficient concentration or structure, the best have trademark Pauillac graphite, complemented by more delicate florals, crunchy fruit, a saline quality and fine tannins. The vintage also marks 100 years of Batailley under the Borie-Castéja family, earning a commemorative label for this benchmark Claret, as well as a special Marie-Jeanne format. Our favourites in Pauillac: Batailley, Lafite Rothschild, Pichon Comtesse, Pontet-Canet Saint-Julien At Chx Léoville and Langoa Barton, Damien Barton Sartorius compared 2024 to running a marathon – tiring, but satisfying, and leaving you ready to sign up for another. The average yield for the appellation was a little bit higher than that of Pauillac, with 32.5hl/ha – still almost 25% down on the 30-year average. As with further north, however, the average is only an average: Beychevelle cropped at 43hl/ha, while selection took the yield down to 23.6hl/ha at Ducru-Beaucaillou (with the team throwing away almost 10hl/ha), and figures varied significantly between estates. At Beychevelle, Philippe Blanc explained how after just 4mm rain between 1st and 28th August, the rain recommenced and never stopped. Their Merlot was more impacted by mildew and therefore the blend is higher in Cabernet Sauvignon (55%) – something echoed elsewhere. The poor flowering and resulting coulure meant looser bunches, explained Barton Sartorius, something which he felt really helped them avoid significant botrytis pressure at the end of the season.  The smaller size of Saint-Julien means it is a little more consistent than Pauillac, however, it’s not entirely uniform. The fruit tends to be a little sweeter, while still on the red rather than black spectrum, the wines offering bright acidity and the best fine tannins and good balance, with the oak seamlessly integrated.  Our favourites in Saint-Julien: Ducru-Beaucaillou, Léoville Barton Margaux Although no appellation is consistent in 2024, Margaux produced some particularly impressive wines. Rainfall may have been higher here than further north, but the slightly warmer microclimate and shallow soils perhaps allowed the grapes to ripen earlier and more fully. There are still some light and tart wines, however the likes of Palmer, Margaux and Rauzan-Ségla produced wines that are among the best of the vintage. Ch. Margaux pointed to their early flowering as a significant advantage in the vintage – “a blessing”, in Aurélien Valance’s words. The 2024 vintage was meant to be the final year of organic conversion at Ch. Rauzan-Ségla, and as the mildew pressure hit, the team had a serious conversation about whether or not to persevere. With the owners’ endorsement, they decided that long-term it was the right decision to continue – knowing it would mean a sacrifice in yield (with a final crop of 30hl/ha), but it would also be their first organically certified wine. The Palmer team – long biodynamic – had to spray as many as 10 times by hand, unable to get their tractors into the vines. However you explain it, the results here speak for themselves – with wines that combine pretty, heady florals with sweet and supple fruit, as well as fine but persistent, powdered tannins: some serious wines that would deserve consideration in any vintage. This was also the one appellation where second wines – such as Alter Ego de Palmer and Pavillon Rouge – showed real quality. Our favourites in Margaux: Brane-Cantenac, Giscours, Palmer, Margaux, Rauzan-Ségla Graves + Pessac-Léognan Yields for the reds in Pessac-Léognan were – unusually for the year – average. The whites are discussed separately below, but the reds from Graves and Pessac-Léognan were as varied as elsewhere. There are, however, some charming wines, and some very impressive wines that defy the year’s reputation. This southerly region saw more rain in August, not benefitting perhaps from the hydric stress that was so key elsewhere – but the rain that month wasn’t excessive, just in line with the norm. At Smith Haut Lafitte, September saw more than three times the average rainfall (164mm versus 48mm), making the harvest far from easy. Although Carmes Haut-Brion picked 40hl/ha, they only vinified 24hl/ha – another example of the extreme selection that quality-focused estates put in place this year. Guillaume Pouthier – who always offers a unique perspective on a vintage – is doing something different with his ageing this year, reducing the temperature of the cellar from 16°C to 12°C over the two-year élevage, to preserve the fruit profile in the wine and encourage tartaric precipitation, thereby reducing the acidity level. Time will tell how this works, so it will be fascinating to retaste the wine in bottle. Domaine de Chevalier produced some particularly impressive wines this year, and although they have long worked organically and biodynamically, this year they made the difficult decision to use conventional treatments – something that has been rewarded, with both generous yields (48hl/ha) and very high quality. Our favourites in Graves + Pessac-Léognan: Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Domaine de Chevalier, La Mission Haut-Brion Dry whites Some people are raving about the dry whites in 2024 – and, while there are absolutely some brilliant whites, quality is far from uniform. The first Sauvignon Blanc grapes were harvested in Sauternes on 20th August, although most producers we spoke to picked from the very end of August/early September, with the last Semillon brought in on 23rd September. Yields were average to generous, with mildew much less of a problem – 30 hl/ha at Margaux, 32hl/ha at Smith Haut Lafitte, 38hl/ha for Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion, 48hl/ha at Domaine de Chevalier, for example, while on the Right Bank the Lafleur stable brought in around 40hl/ha and the Nicolas Thienpont team cropped 43hl/ha and 47hl/ha respectively at Alcée and Charmes-Godard. The cooler conditions preserved a backbone of acidity in the wines, with accordingly low pHs – analytically speaking, the wines have the highest acidity since 2014. The aromatics are precise, dominated by green rather than stone-fruit, and certainly not at the more tropical end of the spectrum. If anything, some of the wines can feel a little green or lean. As Smith Haut Lafitte’s Technical Director Fabien Teitgen explained, the challenge was to get ripeness that would cloak the acid of the vintage, the flesh to complement its skeleton. Owner Florence Cathiard feels the result is “one of [their] best whites”. Similarly at Ch. Margaux, they did a little more bâtonnage to give weight to Pavillon Blanc – and it’s one of the stars of the year. In some, you can feel the growing season’s excess of water – the generous yields resulting in wines that don’t have sufficient concentration. Sauvignon Blanc seemed to fare better than Semillon, which was more susceptible to rot and was more challenging to get phenolically ripe – and many of our favourites were pure Sauvignon, or heavily driven by the variety. Comparisons were varied – although 2021 was common for its acid backbone and cooler conditions. At Lafleur, Omri Ram is convinced that 2024 Les Champs Libres is one of their best, sitting comfortably alongside the 2023 and 2021. At Ch. Margaux, Aurélien Valance looked to a surprising vintage – the warm 2018 season, but in which the wine has a similar saline imprint to that found in 2024. Our favourites: Charmes-Godard, De Fieuzal Blanc, Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, Haut-Brion Blanc, Les Champs Libres and Grand Village Blanc, Pavillon Blanc du Ch. Margaux Sauternes + Barsac It’s easy to assume that because rain and rot threatened the crop in 2024, it was perfect for the sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac: but very specific conditions are required for noble rot to set in, and if they aren’t met, you get grey rot – with both caused by the same fungus, botrytis cinerea. The first pass in Sauternes tended to take place at the end of September, with alternating wet and dry conditions encouraging the development of noble rot from the start of October. But teams had to battle grey and sour rot too – and a high degree of selection was key. At La Tour Blanche, they made just 3hl/ha for their Grand Vin, a tiny yield that matches that of 2021. The grapes that made it into the tank offered high acidity levels, precise aromatics, but not the luscious concentration of the very best vintages. Based on our tastings, the resulting wines are good to very good, if not quite exceptional, but may have particular appeal to consumers who prefer a lighter style of sweet wine – with brighter acidity and slightly lower residual sugar levels. They are vibrant and pure, with plenty of concentration, if not as hedonistic as more lauded years – and will be approachable at an earlier stage in life. Our favourites: Doisy Védrines, Guiraud, La Tour Blanche, Suduiraut Explore Bordeaux 2024 – including our full vintage overview

Following on from our full vintage overview, and as the Bordeaux 2024 en primeur releases continue, we explore how each subregion performed in the year, as well as identifying our favourite wines in each

Bordeaux 2024: a breakdown of the vintage by region, with top picks from Saint-Estephe, Pauillac, Margaux, Saint-Julien, Saint-Emilion and Pomerol

Bordeaux 2024 – breaking the year down by commune

Bordeaux 2024: the vintage by commune

Purity is often pretty high up on the list of desirable attributes when it comes to fine wine. But this intent is sometimes at odds with the process of winemaking. A process which involves plenty of influence beyond just the grapes. Even in low intervention wines (those that eschew additives, commercial yeasts etc), oak, concrete tanks, stainless steel, glass and cork – are all typically used. Wine is a hugely volatile liquid and much of this equipment’s influence is necessary in order to protect it from spoilage and oxidation. But each material brings its own texture and flavour. For vignerons obsessed with terroir expression, and therefore wines without affectation, how can winemakers reduce the impact of their tools, while preserving wine’s purity? The use of stainless steel tanks in winemaking was first introduced in the early 1960s and marked a new chapter in bringing greater fruit purity to wine. Bordeaux legend Émile Peynaud was a key advocate of their adoption. Stainless steel was soon endorsed throughout the winemaking world, bringing a new level of clarity and precision to wine. Its lack of porosity meant that the fruit flavour was less compromised. The introduction of temperature-controlled tanks could also keep fermentations cool, avoiding the loss of the grapes’ aromatics and preserving the vibrancy of the fruit. It is also very effective in protecting the wine against oxidation. But, despite stainless steel’s seeming neutrality, many winemakers have turned their back on it, favouring concrete and oak vessels, and now even tanks made from glass instead. The issue with stainless steel is particularly noticeable in places like the Southern Rhône, where the Mistral wind plays havoc with wines in steel tanks. Quite how an annual wind that blows through the valley can have such an effect, might seem a mystery to many, but winemakers have realised that this wind causes strong variations in air pressure – resulting in huge amounts of static electricity being stored in vessels that conduct it. A steel tank is much more conductive than a concrete one or the inert oak barrel. It turns out the huge build-up of static electricity can considerably alter the texture of a wine, particularly when it comes to a red wine, rich in tannins. For Xavier Vignon – one of the Southern Rhône’s most celebrated winemakers, consultants and all-round alchemists – this became even clearer under the dark cloud of Covid. Vignon caught Coronavirus early on in the outbreak, and like many, he lost his ability to smell and taste for a number of months. Professionally, this is potentially disastrous for a wine consultant whose artform is blending. But losing his smell and taste, at least for a time, allowed him to concentrate on other factors when it came to the blend. When I spoke to Vignon, he made a point that fortunately he was sick between March and May – a time when, commercially, he wasn’t required to blend. This however, allowed him to experiment with things beyond flavour. “Without taste you start to concentrate on texture,” he says, “the composition, the balance. This started to dictate my blending and my winemaking.” Vignon believes the static electricity in stainless steel tanks has a number of negative effects on the texture of the wine. “It destroys the roundness of the wine, it destroys the sweetness. The softer tannins are reduced, whilst the harder tannins stay in the wine.” Static electricity is everywhere. Vignon tells me how a petrol tanker travelling down a motorway can generate so much static electricity that, if not earthed, touching it would be fatal. For wine, Vignon says, “The electricity from the top to the bottom of the tank can be as much as 50 volts; 9,000 hectolitres can produce 600 volts of static electricity!” While the return to concrete tanks and large old wooden casks is preferable for most in the Southern Rhône, Vignon still believes this is a compromise. “Even in concrete tanks there is iron in the composite, which creates static electricity in the blend,” he explains. The clay amphora – a trendy maturation alternative – also brings its own distinct chalk-like texture, so for him is not a solution. Inert oak is a successful counter to the problems of static electricity, but it is not a neutral vessel. While oak has an affinity to certain grape varieties – many perceive its ability to accentuate certain fruit and spice characteristics – if on a quest for purity, the use of oak will always be a trade-off. It is not only oak’s flavour, but its porosity that has the biggest effect on compromising a wine’s purity, particularly with smaller barriques. “The difficulty for small volumes of wine is that it is exposed to lots of oxygen – since the tank is smaller and it is easily affected by atmospheric temperatures as well as humidity, this causes lots of evaporation,” says Vignon. “To protect the barrel from oxidation you therefore need to keep topping up the barrel. Every time you top up, you are adding oxygen to the wine. Therefore, you have to keep adding more SO2 also.” This, Vignon feels, masks purity. This led him to experiment with ageing wines in the ocean – an experiment that worked to great effect. Wines aged in barrels in the sea saw no change in temperature, no variation in pressure, and no static electricity build-up. This meant there was no evaporation. Therefore, there was no need to top up the barrels and removed the need to continually add more SO2. His experiments resulted in Vignon’s “vinarium technique”, where he suspends barrels of wine in larger tanks of wine – enabling him to age the wines for long periods of time without having to expose them to oxygen. While this might solve oak’s issues of oxidation, limiting SO2 inputs and avoiding the textural alterations caused by static – it still doesn’t avoid the compromise of oak’s flavour impact. There is one material in winemaking, however, that eliminates this and is starting to make inroads across the fine wine regions of the world: glass. Many top winemakers in Bordeaux, Burgundy and beyond are already experimenting with it – although many are not yet willing to go on record just yet. It is not that they are unhappy with the results, but they feel it is too early to be completely sure. These include the very finest châteaux and domaines around the world. Glass, unlike stainless steel is inert so there are no issues with static electricity. Glass, unlike oak, is non-porous and therefore does not impart any flavour to the wine. With these qualities combined, could it become the material of choice for the vignerons desperate to produce wines of absolute purity? WineGlobe is a French company that has started to produce giant spherical glass containers of different sizes to ferment and mature wine. Designed by Michael Paetzold, an oenologist by training, a scientist and a vigneron – he claims they are the first glass vats in winemaking history. After three years of trialling the vessels, the result amongst winemakers around the world has been impressive. David Suire, celebrated Bordeaux wine consultant and winemaker at Ch. Laroque, believes that the making and maturing of wines in glass globes produce wines that “are surprisingly whole, with their flesh... mouthfeel and a radiance of unique purity.” For Vignon, glass is the logical solution from his own experimentation – so much so, he is in the process of building a winery made completely of glass. Grapes, and the resultant wine will have no contact with any porous or static material in his quest for purity. It has seen him embrace this material with great excitement and it is revolutionising his approach to winemaking. His next hurdle, is how to avoid the cork. The cork is another porous material that can potentially influence the flavour of the wine. While cork taint has been greatly reduced, it is the cork’s porosity – even as a composite – that is the issue. It is one step away from producing a wine completely unaffected by its materials. Vignon does not have a solution yet, but is experimenting with melting the glass at the top of the bottle neck – therefore avoiding the need for a closure at all. How this works practically and commercially is still yet to be seen. While it remains too early to say, glass has the potential to become a much more prominent material in winemaking. At the moment, it remains an expensive option – therefore limited to fine wine for now, and even then, there are few, if any, cuvées made entirely by glass. But if the technology allows for it and it continues to find favour in the winemaker’s experiments, it could go some way to solving vignerons’ quest for purity. Browse all wines or read more Editorial 

Producing a wine free of affectation is the goal for many winemakers. We explore the different approaches vignerons are experimenting with in a bid to produce wines of greater purity

Exploring the different approaches vignerons are experimenting with in a bid to produce wines of greater purity

Finding purity through new winemaking approaches

In search of purity

JAMES SUCKLING James Suckling was the first out with his report, published on 19th April, before most people have made it out to taste the new vintage. He’s not shying away from calling this a truly great vintage, saying “it sets a new benchmark for Bordeaux”. It’s the 40th vintage he has tasted en primeur, and he feels it proves the region’s ability to face the challenges of climate change, with its uniquely hot and dry conditions. He notes that while the reds are the undoubted star, it is also a great vintage for Sauternes – with botrytis development in mid-October that produced exceptional wines.  While the growing season urges parallels with 2003, the wines are totally different. The 2022s “can be flamboyant, fruity and tannic, yet they have a freshness and form that give them energy and vitality”, he writes. While he found a few wines that were over the top, he generally felt there was consistent quality across the spectrum, from more modest estates to the grandest châteaux, with the wines “exceptional”. He gives nine potential 100-point scores, versus only one last year (for Lafaurie-Peyraguey in Sauternes – an address he also praises this year).  Suckling’s highlights: Cheval Blanc, Lafaurie-Peyraguey, Lafite-Rothschild, Le Pin, Léoville Las Cases, Pontet-Canet, Trotanoy, Pavillon Blanc du Ch. Margaux, Angélus, Canon Read James Suckling’s full report  WILLIAM KELLEY – WINE ADVOCATE  Publishing his report on the Friday of Primeurs week, William Kelley defines 2022 as “an amplifier” – highlighting differences between sites and how producers work both in the vineyard and winery. “Bordeaux has produced some monumental wines in 2022, but unlike many of the great vintages of the 20th century, the year was not a rising tide that raised all boats,” he says. The best wines offer “remarkable concentration, energy and harmony” but there are some that are “jammy, astringent and rustic”. He highlights that those with higher organic matter in their soils and who managed their canopies well were rewarded. He argues that vines adapted to the long, dry season, and the experience of recent warm vintages ensured that 2022 was not another 2003 – despite its extreme, hot, dry conditions. He warns that the frequently high pHs are a risk for the final hurdle – with an increased chance of volatile acidity and Brettanomyces, suggesting that although few samples showed these faults during the en primeur tastings, “it is certain that some producers will trip before the finish line this year”. Nevertheless, he is clearly impressed by the best wines – with eight potential 100-point scores in the mix. In a first, the work was divided between Kelley and Yohan Castaing, a relatively new member to the Wine Advocate team – so there are notes from both. The highlights noted below are 12 specifically recommended. Kelley’s highlights: Berliquet, Bourgneuf, Branaire-Ducru, Clos Manou, Dame de Montrose, De Retout, Domaine de l’A, Grand Village, Haut Marbuzet, Langoa Barton, Larrivet Haut-Brion, Mangot Read Kelley’s full report, notes and scores on the Wine Advocate GEORGIE HINDLE – DECANTER  Despite the year’s extreme conditions, Decanter’s Bordeaux correspondent Georgie Hindle writes that “a surprisingly large number of vineyards and their growers prevailed against the odds to create a wealth of exceptional wines in 2022”. She feels there are “both serious highs and lows”, but “some estates produced their best-ever bottles” – with “supple textures, excellent definition, long finishes and a sheer brightness and energy that has produced some of the most compelling wines I’ve ever tasted at this early stage”. She also emphasises how, despite being similarly hot, the year is not another 2003. For Hindle, the Margaux appellation was a highlight, as were the wines from the Haut-Médoc, as well as the top end of Saint-Emilion. She has pulled out a list of “coup de coeur" wines – those that were heart-stoppingly good, and it is those that feature as her highlights below. Hindle’s highlights: Beauséjour Duffau Lagarrosse, Canon, Cheval Blanc, Clos Fourtet, Figeac, Larcis-Ducasse, Laroque, Troplong Mondot, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Smith Haut Lafitte, Brane-Cantenac, Giscours, Branaire-Ducru, Gruaud-Larose, Léoville-Las Cases, Pichon Comtesse, Montrose, Phélan Ségur, La Conseillante, La Fleur-Pétrus, Vieux Château Certan, Clos du Clocher, Pétrus Read Hindle’s full report, notes and scores on Decanter ANTONIO GALLONI – VINOUS  The first of the two Vinous reports comes from Antonio Galloni, who declares the best wines of the vintage to be “magnificent, viscerally thrilling wines” – “some of the most memorable young wines [he has] ever tasted” – although does temper this enthusiasm by saying that some selection is warranted. Running through the growing season, he highlights how “patience and technology” were critical – with larger numbers of smaller vats, allowing producers to harvest only what was perfectly ripe. The greatest surprise, of course, is the wines – not rich and opulent as for 2009 or 2018, but wines that “combine flavour intensity, energy and finesse in a way that I can only describe as magical”. He repeats the refrain that the wines bode well for Bordeaux’s fate in the face of climate change, and is clearly enchanted by the best wines. He flags that some of the wines are “a bit fragile” and that “élevage will make or break them”, not feeling it’s totally consistent below the top tier. He does, however, pull out a handful of over-performers, which we’ve listed as his highlights below. For him, the advancements in viticulture and winemaking are what define 2022 – wines of “notable depth and freshness without excess weight”, but exactly why they turned out the way they did remains something of a mystery. Galloni’s highlights: Alter Ego de Palmer, Beau-Séjour Bécot, Brane-Cantenac, Clos Puy Arnaud, Clos Saint-Julien, Figeac, Les Forts de Latour, Giscours, La Conseillante, La Gaffelière, Lafon-Rochet, Larcis-Ducasse, Léoville Las Cases, Le Pin Beausoleil, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Malartic Lagravière, Moulin Saint-Georges, Puyblanquet, Quinault l’Enclos Read Galloni’s full report, notes and scores on Vinous JEB DUNNUCK  Jen Dunnuck is clear that the best 2022s are set to be “legendary”, with “brilliant wines from throughout the region”, but highlights that “there are dramatically different styles in the vintage” – emphasising that this is different to quality, which is “incredibly high”. The vintage is united by its “theme of ripeness and power”, yet yields, winemaking and terroir have all resulted in the aforementioned diversity. He finds the wines of the northern Médoc to be “powerful, concentrated, majestic wines showing remarkable purity and vibrance” and is fast to defend both the pH and alcohol levels, with the former sitting at or below the level of the 2020s and the alcohols “well within the normal ranges of 2009, 2010, 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2020, and very few 2022s show excessive alcohol”. He points to wines from the Right Bank’s limestone and deeper clay soils as “highlights of the vintage” – having retained “an incredible sense of freshness and purity while showing the inherent ripeness and power of the vintage”, although he finds Pomerol “slightly more erratic”. In his view, the satellite appellations have produced a “number of terrific wines” – with Castillon producing many “that rival the best from Saint-Emilion”. He compares the year to a blend of 2020 and 2018, or a mix of 2005 and 2010, with a little 2009 here and there. They are, he feels, “ripe, concentrated, sumptuous wines that have a real ‘wow’ factor”. Dunnuck’s highlights: Montrose, Mouton Rothschild, Haut-Bailly, La Conseillante, Larcis-Ducasse, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Cos d’Estournel, Léoville Las Cases, Vieux Château Certan, Pétrus, Pichon Comtesse, Léoville Poyferré Read Dunnuck’s full report, notes and scores JANE ANSON – INSIDE BORDEAUX  Anson offered early coverage of the growing conditions and yields – ahead of tasting the wines – but her final reports don’t delve much into the detail of the year on its own, instead focusing on tasting notes and the methodology of her scoring. She is one of few critics to mainly offer firm scores rather than bands (apart from when there’s a chance of 100 points, which she doesn’t like to offer to unfinished wines), something she argues is most useful for those deciding on whether or not to buy. As her scores highlight (with five potential 100-pointers on the Right Bank, and two on the Left, but none for dry or sweet whites), she feels it’s a stronger year for reds than whites. She highlights the high levels of tannin and colour, as well as alcohols – noting that because of the latter she has erred on the side of caution with her drinking windows. She found the second wines stronger in the northern Médoc generally, and notes how producers used very different approaches to the vintage. On the Right Bank, she emphasises the advantage of being on Saint-Emilion’s limestone plateau, and that Pomerol offers “muscular swaggering style” this year. She pulls out a selection of wines as value buys, which we’ve listed as her highlights below. Anson’s highlights: Laroque, Saintayme, Peymouton, Bel-Air, Haut-Simard, Feytit-Clinet, Le Rey les Rocheuses, Laurence, Petit Bocq, Roquetaillade la Grange, Cantelys, Ferrande, Angludet, Mejean, De Pez, Fonbadet, Haut-Bages Libéral, Domaine les Sadons, Finegrave, La Fleur Lauga, Larrivaux, Bel Air Gloria, Cap Leon Veyrin, G d’Estournel, G de Guiraud, Charmes-Godard, Clos Floridène, L’Exuberance Blanc Read Anson’s full report, notes and scores LISA PERROTTI-BROWN MW – THE WINE INDEPENDENT  With some major releases arriving earlier than anticipated, Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW initially published a “teaser” article on the year, with notes and scores for wines that had been released or were set to be in the coming days, including more detail on Cheval Blanc, Angélus, the Barton stable and Beychevelle. In her notes on early releases, Perrotti-Brown writes that 2022 was “a faith-affirming vintage for Bordeaux growers” – proving that the region could handle climate change. She highlights the surprising consistency from the year, as well as “a luminosity… that defies what we thought we knew about Bordeaux varieties”. With “its myriad of earthy, nuanced, soft-spoken, shimmery expressions”, it’s “a vintage that Bordeaux fans and serious collectors will want to seek out”. In her full report, released a week later, Perrotti-Brown declares 2022 “a classic, great Bordeaux vintage”. Echoing our findings, she notes that there are no rules in this vintage – picking dates varied significantly, and yet drastically different approaches resulted in excellent wines. She believes that a minority of wines (less than 10% of what she tasted) were acidified which is not in itself problematic, but where it has been done poorly, it shows. She also argues that the record-high percentages of press wine leads to a ruggedness to the tannin structure of some wines. Despite these two quibbles, she was “surprised by how consistent [she] found the wines from top to bottom”, in terms of quality – but she feels, like Galloni, that the heterogeneity of the vintage comes through in the style of the wines. Overall, however, she finds the wines fuller-bodied, high in tannin and quite high in alcohol, but with no dried-fruit character, instead showing impressive bright, red fruit and florals – even if the acidity is relatively low. Stand-out appellations are tricky, but she points to Saint-Emilion’s limestone plateau and areas off it, as well as parts of Castillon, Fronsac and Entre-Deux-Mers with similar bedrock. She writes: “There are many beautiful wines from the Right Bank and Pessac-Leognan, but the top wines of the Médoc are astonishingly great in 2022. If you love Cabernet Sauvignon, you may want to pay special attention to this vintage because the results, in some cases, are mind-blowing.” Perrotti-Brown highlights that the vintage allowed “properties on the peripheries of ‘great terroir’” to thrive this year – and she pulls out a list of estates falling in this category that are likely to offer good value in 2022, which we’ve featured as her highlights below. Perrotti-Brown’s highlights: Branas Grand Poujeaux, Cantemerle, Cantenac Brown, Capbern, Clos Cantenac, Clos de Sarpe, Clos du Clocher, Clos Lunelles, Cos Labory, Couhins-Lurton, D’Arce, De Carles, Haut Carles, De Pez, Fonroque, Fontenil, Fourcas Hosten, Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Gros Caillou, Le Promenoir, Haut-Bages Monpelou, Haut-Simard, Jean Faure, Kirwan, La Mouline, La Mouline Totem, La Rose Perrière, La Vieille Cure, Lafon-Rochet, Lassegue, Latour-Martillac, Les Trois Croix, L’If, Malescasse, Marjosse, Maucaillou, Mauvesin Barton, Montlandrie, Meyney, Pavillon Rouge, Phélan-Ségur, Poesia, Potensac, Siran, Tour Bayard, Tour Bayard l’Angelot, Tour Saint-Christophe, Vermont, Cuvée Prestige Read Perrotti-Brown’s full report, notes and scores on The Wine Independent NEAL MARTIN – VINOUS After the requisite satirical introduction, Martin launches into his report emphasising his frustration at estates’ insistence that he tastes at the château itself, rather than at larger tastings – something he feels is under the belief that it will lead to higher scores. He argues that the anticipated vintage is subject to some fairly typical hyperbole. Although he emphasises that the vines seemed “in verdant rude health” prior to harvest, he’s not convinced that the heat and drought had no impact – as some producers, he suggest, argue. He references the increased use of press wine on the Left Bank, something he attributes to the influence of superstar consultant Eric Boissenot. As to the wines themselves, he seems reluctant to offer glowing praise, but writes that, “The crème de la crème is blessed with kaleidoscopic aromatics, intense fruit, finely-sculpted tannins, structure, elegance and length. Above all, contrary to what the growing season implied, they are suffused with freshness.” These are wines that “dazzle”. He feels however that – and contrary to others – that “terroir is not the be-all and end-all” but instead “a guiding hand” which results in “a partial flattening of the hierarchical pyramid”. Although he sings the praises of the best wines in 2022, he caveats this by saying some wines are “sweet ‘n’ sour”. This he attributes to “human error” and picking dates in particular, with the phenolic and sugar ripeness not always matching up. He feels that it was a season that demanded producers’ “A game”. He found Left and Right Bank are fairly equal in the year, but Saint-Julien was a particular standout. He finds the wines “unabashedly floral”, perfumed and black- rather than red-fruited. He highlights the powdered texture of the tannins in the vintage, as well as the unexpected freshness in the best wines. Most importantly, he emphasises that these are wines for long-term ageing. It’s a far from simple vintage, but, as he concludes, “If you could keep a leash on all that potential energy, greatness was in the offing.” Martin’s highlights: Brane-Cantenac, De Fargues, Haut-Bages Libéral, L’Eglise-Clinet, La Conseillante, Léoville Barton, Phélan-Ségur, Pichon Baron, Ségla, Sénéjac, Vieux Château Certan Read Martin's full report, notes and scores on Vinous Find out more about the vintage and browse all the latest Bordeaux 2022 releases

After weeks and months of tasting, the world’s leading wine critics are announcing their verdict on the latest Bordeaux vintage. Here you’ll find a round-up of what they’re all saying, with a summary of each report and the wines they rated most highly, updated and added as they’re released

Your crib-sheet to what the world’s leading wine critics are saying about Bordeaux 2022 en primeur – including Wine Advocate, Vinous, Decanter and more

Bordeaux 2022 – critics’ round-up

Bordeaux 2022: what the critics are saying

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