If you have been following iDealwine’s social accounts, you’ll have seen seven members of our team spent two weeks tasting Bordeaux’s 2025 vintage. Long time clients will know that we do this every year, with detailed tasting reports coming soon which will inform all our recommendations for this year’s En Primeur wines. During our visit, we also had the opportunity to sit down with Jane Anson to ask the questions on every Bordeaux enthusiast’s lips.
The world’s foremost authority on the wines of Bordeaux, Jane Anson is a multi-award-winning critic and author. After more than 20 years as Bordeaux correspondent for Decanter magazine, Jane launched her own platform, JaneAnson.com, where the iDealwine team, along with many others, has found a spiritual home for Bordeaux fanatics.
You tasted and rated over 800 wines at this year’s En Primeur campaign. How would you characterise the overall style and quality of the 2025 Bordeaux vintage?
2025 is a fascinating vintage with some exceptional wines, but it’s a surprising year in so many ways. A vintage that was hot and dry for most of the season, and early right from budbreak to harvest, meaning the wines are concentrated and deeply coloured, and yet the alcohols are generally reasonable, and the style of the wines often full of sappy fruit flavours with a ton energy. This unusual style combination comes from slow rising sugar levels after veraison due to the heat and drought, cool evenings, and a generally cooler month of September. It means that finding freshness it not an issue in 2025 – but how châteaux handled the low pH and ensured fully ripe tannins is the key to discovering the best wines.
What really sets 2025 vintage apart?
This combination of concentration and freshness makes it unusual, and in the best cases extremely successful.
How would you assess its ageing potential?
I would say there is clear ageing potential for the wines with structure and ripe fruits, helped by acidities that give backbone and lift – that is an excellent combination for bottles that can power through the years.
From your recent tastings, are there any lesser-known appellations or producers that you believe deserve more attention from collectors?
Some of the estates that have been absolutely on a roll recently include Château Giscours, Clos du Clocher and Château de Pressac. In 2025, it really is about individual producers more than appellations.
On the other end of the scale, from your En Primeur tastings, which well-known wines are absolutely worth it? Which three would you splurge on?
I would absolutely splurge on Château Margaux, Château Beauséjour JDL and Château Calon Ségur.
Given current market conditions, particularly in key export markets, what do you think needs to come together – pricing included – for this year’s En Primeur campaign to be considered a (commercial) success?
Enough brilliantly priced wines that really do offer great value for money to build a sense of momentum, and to indicate that Bordeaux wants to generate excitement in this method of selling (think 2008 style – which then set the scene for the price rises of 2009 and 2010). Buyers need to get a feeling of being welcome into the world of En Primeur. My personal feeling is that buying En Primeur should offer a personal and intimate link to a château, whether through a personal note, or team photos from the harvest in the wine case as a surprise on opening, a special discount on a tasting at the château, or access to great châteaux merch… whatever feels natural to the indivdual estate but that creates a connection that feels authentic. Make buyers feel valued, and the rest will follow.
What do you wish every wine enthusiast knew about En Primeur or Bordeaux wine more generally?
That it is a region in flux, clearly, with a new generation that are wanting to break a few codes!
At iDealwine, we love listening to your podcast. Which upcoming episode are you most excited about?
We have Nicolas Audebert talking about Rauzan Segla and Canon, and his life in wine from Krug and Cheval des Andes to Chanel’s Les Vignobles – he has such an interesting perspective on winemaking, terroir and building brands, and I can’t wait for everyone to see it. I also loved the recent podcast (back in January) with Alex Hall talking about buying vineyards, and where are the upcoming regions to invest in (spoiler alert – white wine regions like the Loire and Alto Aldige are hot right now!)
Now that you’ve completed your En Primeur tastings, what’s next on your agenda: are there any upcoming projects, events, or stories you’re looking forward to diving into?
I am off to India this week, visiting Sula on Friday for the first time, which I can’t wait for. Then in June, we have the 4th edition of the Connoisseur Week that I host with Sarah Kemp, and in September, the 5th edition of Bordeaux Mentor Week with Chinedu Rita-Rosa, where we try to open the possibilities of Bordeaux for the next generation of sommeliers and wine retailers. It’s always such an inspiring few days, and we now have a wonderful community of former scholars around the world.
Many thanks to Jane Anson for sharing her insights at such a pivotal moment in the Bordeaux calendar. We look forward to following her upcoming projects and continuing the conversation as the campaign unfolds.
To read Jane’s in-depth Primeur reports, iDealwine customers can avail of a special rate for new subscriptions at janeanson.com. Use code CEP2515 to enjoy 15% off (valid until 30 June 2026).
Subscribers also get a 10% discount on Inside Bordeaux maps, Sy glassware and Wine Searcher Pro.
Read our 2025 Bordeaux vintage report here
