En Primeur

This crisp white is perfect for summer drinking. Given the heat and drought conditions of 2022’s growing season, I was amazed and delighted to see such fresh white wines produced here. Expect delicate peach and citrus aromas with a fresh acidity and great length. An ideal wine to have on hand for any occasion.

On the first day of the En Primeur week in April, I had lunch at Chateau Lynch Bages with Jean-Charles Cazes and was blown away by his white. I just knew we had to offer some for Majestic customers – easier said than done, as this wine is on very strict allocation. I’m delighted to be able to offer it to you. Discover elegant aromas of white peach and stone fruits, with lingering notes of mango, lime and tropical fruit on the finish.

The palate has silky layered tannins with great depth leading to notes of chocolate, toast and fruit on the long finish. 2022 is a blend of 51.7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43.2% Merlot and 5.1% Cabernet Franc. Delicious – one to snap up while you can!

Nice floral notes of violets intermingle with mulberry and cherry fruits. A blend of 55% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Petit Verdot, it will be delicious for drinking 2026-2030.

The 2022 Grand Vin is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec and 1% of Petit Verdot planted in 1948. Oaky aromas of cedar and pencil lead currently dominate the nose. It’s maturing in 50% new oak barrels, but the power of the fruit shines through from behind with a supple mid palate. Drink 2028-2045.

A blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 1% each of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carménère, this wine is produced solely using grapes from the plateau of the estate. Expect lots of ripe forest-fruit notes with flavours of mulberry, crushed raspberries and blackcurrants. The fruit notes are complemented by hints of coffee and dark chocolate with smooth tannins and a velvety finish. Drink from 2026-2045.

Yields were down 25% at Chateau Palmer in 2022 compared to the 10 year average. This is a rich and concentrated blend of 51% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot, with lots of appetising ripe black-fruit flavour. Will be drinking nicely from 2026-2040.

A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot – 2022 will see less new oak used for its 14-16 months maturation, just 15%. With violet aromas, notes of black cherries and bramble fruits, this is a rich yet elegant wine. Drink from 2026-2040.

Château Margaux is a joy to visit – its iconic buildings are often referred to as the 'Versailles of the Medoc'. The 2022 vintage is a more opulent and concentrated style of wine than previous vintages. This year’s blend contains no Petit Verdot as the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot were so rich and in flavour. A blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, this is a big wine with savoury, vanilla and black cherry spice. Drink from 2030-2060.

Les Griffons is a little known classic which always shows well and punches well above its weight. The 2022 is vinified in amphorae and has concentrated forest-fruit flavours with fine, silky tannins. It’s currently maturing in 40% new oak, and will continue to do so for roughly 18 months. Drink from 2026-2035.

This wine is scrummy – it’s full of dark succulent fruits and an oaky, sumptuously silky palate. Produced for enjoying earlier than the Grand Vin, the 2022 is made up of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. It will be delicious for drinking in between 2025-2035.

As we were leaving Pontet-Canet after our tasting, we bumped into owner Alfred Tesseron. In his opinion, this is the best wine he’s made in 48 vintages – and I agree. It was also their longest ever harvest, lasting 2 days. It oozes fresh blackcurrant, black cherry and liquorice aromas which lead to a concentrated palate, fine in texture and balanced with good acidity. Drink 2028–2045.

All the hallmarks of a great Lynch-Bages, this cassis and brambly fruits with a smoky edge. A blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, it’s rich and layered with cedar flavours lingering on the finish. It will remain in barrel for 18 months, with 75% new wood used. A wine that will easily last for decades – drink 2030-2055.

This is aged for 15 months before it’s bottled, giving it plenty of time to develop complex flavours and texture. It has the classic savoury tannins typical of Lafite, complemented by a rich and concentrated palate. This is a wine that will undoubtedly age for decades. Drink from 2030-2060.

A stunning wine, this has savoury aromas complemented by black cherry and floral hints. With flavours of ripe red fruits with cherry and menthol notes, it has phenomenal depth and a long, lingering cedar finish. Drink from 2030-2060

Ducru-Beaucaillou is always a highlight of my trips to Bordeaux. The impressive estate leads down to the Gironde estuary with immaculate gardens. Discover flavours of dark fruits, cassis and plum, with a smooth, fine texture. It’s supple and rounded, with notes of savoury spice, vanilla and cedar on the finish. Enjoy from 2028-2045.

This has abundant red-fruit notes: mulberries, cherries and raspberries. It’s exceptionally fragrant with a soft texture and a long finish. Produced from 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, this is not one to miss!

A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot 5% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, it has smoky notes of red and black fruits with hints of vanilla and cinnamon plus a savoury finish. Drink from 2028-2050.

Château Phélan-Ségur has been improving in quality for a number of years now – in my view, it represents a real bargain. It’s concentrated and rich with notes of dark fruits and a delicious savoury character supported by a solid tannin framework. I tasted twice over the week and it shone on both occasions.

The phrase “c'est canon” – meaning it’s fantastic – springs to mind. 2022 Chateau Canon really is canon. Restrained and elegant, it’s remarkably fresh with black-fruit flavours, a fine texture and great acidity. A blend of 75% Merlot with 25% Cabernet Franc, it will mature in small barrels and large oak foudres – one to secure as soon as possible.

An absolute star from the right bank. It’s dense, structured and balanced with flavours of mulberries and cherries. Produced from 85% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc, it is both elegant and powerful – certainly one of the highlights of the vintage.

Unusual for the right bank, Château Figeac has 31% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend for 2022. Intense in colour, it has spicy notes of dark fruits, chocolate and cherry flavours. Full-bodied and velvety, the blend is complemented by 35% Merlot and 34% Cabernet Franc. Enjoy this from 2028-2050.

One of my long term favourites wines from the right bank, Chateau La Tour Figeac always produces high quality wines at great prices. I love the combination of Merlot and Cabernet Franc that in 2022 makes a concentrated supple wine. It has a delicious balance between fruity flavours and savoury notes. It is medium bodied with rich flavours of forest fruits and savoury hints leading to a long, spicy liquorice finish.

Pronounced savoury and earthy aromas mingle with rich notes of dark fruits. It’s rich and concentrated, made from 93% Merlot with 3.5% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc – a benchmark example of the quality the Right Bank is capable of producing.

The expert team of winemakers behind this wine and the addition of the estate grapes make this one of Bordeaux’s best value wines. With toasty dark-fruit flavours and a medium body, it’s a fantastic wine that delivers exceptional flavour at a wallet-friendly price. This is one to watch – be sure you don’t miss out!

This wine shows all the signs of a great Pauillac – it has a concentrated fruit character as well as savoury notes and structured tannins. It’s full-bodied yet elegant with great balance. Part of its secret? The small proportion of very old Carménère—just 1%—in the final wine. It will be matured in barrel with 55% new oak adding extra flavours of spice and toasty notes.

Discover intense notes of cassis and plum – typical of Pauillac and the high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. Cabernet Sauvignon is complemented with 22% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot – and this results in a fantastic, firm structure with plenty of depth of flavour. While it should be drinking nicely from 2025, it has enough concentration to age for another decade or so too.

This was a real stand-out wine for me in April. Word from the Bordeaux wine merchants is that it’s already selling like hotcakes – so I’m thrilled that we’re able to offer an allocation for Majestic customers. It’s seriously supple and silky, with complex flavours of ripe red fruits. There is a slightly higher proportion of Merlot this year, but the wine remains Cabernet Sauvignon dominant with 61%, along with 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. A potential future classic – this is a wine that mustn’t be missed! Drink from 2027-2045.

The higher proportion of Merlot in Langoa Barton than Château Léoville-Barton produces wines lighter in body and ready for earlier drinking. Expect elegant notes of ripe red fruits, with a fine, layered texture. A fantastic wine at great value that should be drinking wonderfully from 2025-2040.

2022 is a vintage to take good notice of, as it’s the inaugural year at their new winery designed to allow increased grape selection at harvest and increasing the potential for even better wine. This wine has delicious soft notes of forest fruits with fine grained tannins. Ripe cassis flavours come from the 83% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, complemented by 11.5% Merlot and 5.5% Cabernet Franc to add body and aromatic complexity. Drink from 2027-2045.

Renowned for its picturesque château and stunning gardens, it’s one of my favourite houses to visit in all of Bordeaux. This is brimming with succulent flavours of ripe red fruits, mulberries and raspberries with delicate floral notes. It has a delicious sour-cherry acidity, perfectly complemented by toasty oak notes that linger on the palate.

Given the high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon at 78%, 2022 Duhart-Milon has a surprisingly supple texture with layers of supple fruits gradually revealing themselves in the glass. Flavours of cassis and mulberries are complemented by a complex slate and cigar box character that will only improve with time. A wine to be enjoyed from 2028-2045.

Medium to full-bodied, this is a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon 40% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Fresh bramble-fruit flavours are enhanced by a touch of woody spice on the finish. It has an intensity and finesse that has all the hallmarks of longevity I look for in a great wine – I expect this to be drinking well from 2026-2045. Not one to miss!

The wines from Saint-Estèphe really stood out for me this year. This has beguiling floral notes of violet with flavours of blueberry and blackberry. It gets its firm structure from the Cabernet Sauvignon – but has a rich, supple mouthfeel. It’s certainly a wine which will continue to mature and develop well in years to come.

Intense and full bodied, with notes of violets, blackcurrant and plum – this is a star wine for me. Scoring highly with most of the wine critics, this may well be the best that Château Beau-Site has ever made. Set to be drinking nicely from 2026 and with the capacity to age well too, this is a stellar wine – and incredible value for money.

This supple red has flavours of raspberry and cherry with a touch of subtle oak, an elegant texture and a fresh, balancing acidity. It will be matured in a combination of new and older French oak barrels and will be drinking wonderfully from 2026-2035.

To be expected, this is intensely concentrated, yet refined. It has floral hints and pronounced flavours of dark fruits, with a layered texture with fine tannins and a fresh acidity. Definitely a wine that will withstand—and likely improve with—substantial ageing.

I couldn’t wait to taste the 2022 Château Guiraud – and it didn’t disappoint. It has deliciously fresh flavours tropical fruits with toasty vanilla notes and a tantalising citrusy finish.