Easter falling early this year has made the wine trade calendar feel a little lopsided, given that one side of the break ususally features the Bordeaux en primeur campaign.
En primeur is essentially Bordeaux futures. Customers are offered the opportunity to buy the wines before they are actually finished their maturation period.
Because of the nature of this transaction there is an expectation, and rightfully so, that the customer should receive some perks for placing their hard earned cash up front. Traditionally these perks came in the form of relatively large discounts in price versus the eventual retail price of the wines.Annoyingly, this is not the case any more with most young wines being offered above the prices of many already in the market and ready to drink. This pricing imbalance has called into question the very existence of Bordeaux en primeur, and who benefits from it
This year's en primeur campaign centres around the 2025 vintage, which will reach our shores in 2027. One chateau, or rather group of chateaux, that can never have the price gouging insult levelled at them is the delicious estates of the Barton Family wines. Year after year these wines represent the best value from Saint-Julien and the left bank.
The 2009 and 2010 iteration of this estate garnered 100 point scores from Robert Parker and set a high bar. The wines are undoubtedly wonderful and they are one of the key leaders in biodynamic farming in the region. First to release their prices this year, their 2025 has drawn complaints about being too steep in a saturated market.
Like Pontet Canet, this estate is based in Pauillac, but unlike its neighbour, Latour is one of the five exalted first growths. Not only are they one of the finest of all wines, they also broke the mould and left the en primeur system, now only releasing wines that are closer to their drinking window. The large price difference reflects the different vintages available.
If you'd like to taste some of the finesse of Chateau Latour but don't want to remortgage, look no further. Here you have a small wine from the estate, with a hint at the joys of the Grand Vin. Not all Bordeaux are bank-breaking, and second and third wines from famous estates are great ways to taste from the best without the price.
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