Inside the cellars of Château Angélus, one of Bordeaux’s most iconic wines takes shape — the estate has also released its new price, with Angélus scoring 97–98/100 points at approximately €274.
Bordeaux 2025: Cheval Blanc and Château Lafite set exclamation marks
Giuseppe Lauria, May 2026
Following a relatively slow start to the Bordeaux En Primeur campaign, the releases of Château Cheval Blanc, Château Lafite Rothschild and Château Angélus are now bringing significant momentum to the 2025 campaign.
Cheval Blanc
Cheval Blanc is being offered at a consumer price of around €470 (€336 ex-négociant) — approximately 21% above the attractively priced yet weaker 2024 vintage, while still around 13% below the highly acclaimed 2023 release.
Despite that notable price increase, Cheval Blanc remains attractively positioned in a broader historical context. It represents one of the estate’s lowest release prices since 2008. This must also be viewed in the context of the château’s extremely small harvest. With average yields of only around 15 hectolitres per hectare, the estate recorded its smallest production since 1961, as CEO Pierre-Olivier Clouet explained to me during an exclusive interview. In total, only around 55,000 bottles of the Grand Vin will be produced.
In the video interview, Clouet discusses both the challenges and the uniqueness of this extraordinary vintage. “The berries looked like tiny blueberries.” During the Primeurs tastings, Clouet already appeared notably confident regarding Cheval Blanc’s pricing strategy – an assessment that now seems fully validated. In the interview, he also explains why there will be no Petit Cheval produced in 2025.
I rated Cheval Blanc 97–99/100. A wine of remarkable precision, profound depth and aristocratic refinement. Excerpt from my tasting note:
“2025 Cheval Blanc: 51% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Franc, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon. Harvest from September 1st to 18th, pH 3.76, 12.7% alcohol. 46 out of 47 producing plots made it into the Grand Vin, yields at 15 hl/ha. ‘The smallest berries ever — they looked like blueberries. Not even one gram per berry for the Cabernet Franc. We needed 2.5 kilograms of grapes to produce one litre of wine instead of the usual 1.5 kilograms,’ explains Clouet. ‘In August, we were facing a wall of tannins.’ Seductive, extraordinarily pure and complex bouquet with red and blue fruits, freshly picked blueberries, liquorice and mint, followed by floral nuances of violet and lilac alongside deep mineral graphite notes. On the palate, a texture of velvet and silk, remarkable extract density with delicate tannin texture; despite the very high tannin concentration (IPT 78), everything that defines a great Cheval Blanc is present …”
Château Lafite Rothschild
Château Lafite Rothschild has sent an important signal in the 2025 En Primeur campaign: with a release price of around €470, the First Growth appears significantly more restrained than in many previous vintages – despite extremely low yields and an outstanding vintage. I rated the wine 98–99+/100. A great Lafite with remarkable ageing potential.
Subscribers can find the detailed tasting note in the database.
The message is clear: quality, rarity, and prestige remain intact, yet the pricing strategy demonstrates a new sensitivity towards market realities and long-term customer loyalty. Adding to this is the historically small production, which further enhances the wine's desirability.
Lafite successfully combines two decisive factors: emotional appeal for collectors and intelligent market positioning. “One of the greatest vintages at breathtakingly low prices in times of war,” Heiner Lobenberg tells me.
Merchants such as Lobenberg and Crurated are reporting comparatively encouraging momentum within the campaign so far, although it remains too early for definitive conclusions. “Very selective and cautious demand for individual wines. Whoever hit the right price-quality point – such as Pontet-Canet, Laroque, Jean Faure, Larcis Ducasse, Cheval Blanc and Lafite – is currently enjoying very strong sales success,” says Lobenberg. “The majority of châteaux, however, will suffer,” he adds.
At Crurated, Château Pontet-Canet sold out quickly, while Château Cheval Blanc even exceeded the platform's original allocation. “We are currently working on securing additional quantities,” explains Alfonso de Gaetano, CEO of the fine wine platform specialising in private collectors and wine enthusiasts. Château Lafleur was completely sold out. “We placed every single bottle,” says de Gaetano. Christian Witte, Regional Director DACH, Nordics & Benelux at Crurated, also told me that Château Lafite is already fully allocated.
Also released were Angélus with 97–98/100 (approx. €274) and Lynch-Bages with 95–97/100 (approx. €90) – both magnificent wines well worth close attention. Full tasting notes are available in the database.
The campaign is gradually gaining momentum. While it remains too early for definitive conclusions, market feedback suggests that the pricing of the major “blue chip” wines is widely perceived as historically attractive – a factor that could provide fresh momentum for the entire En Primeur campaign. Overall, however, the market remains selective and cautious. Michael Grimm from Bacchus-Vinothek confirms: Château Lafite is strong and selling well. Nevertheless, I would have liked to see a clearer signal to the downside here as well. At some point, we simply need another campaign where buying En Primeur genuinely feels worthwhile for customers again. Bottle prices after release should be at least 10–20% above the original En Primeur price, so buyers feel rewarded for committing early.
Much currently points towards a pronounced “cherry-picking” environment, with demand focusing primarily on wines that convincingly combine quality, reputation, and compelling pricing. At the same time, numerous wines are available at highly attractive prices. Readers seeking guidance on which wines currently offer the most compelling buying opportunities will find extensive guidance within the FINE WINE GUIDE.