The 2024 Bordeaux vintage won’t be remembered as a landmark year like 2000, 2005, 2009, or 2010 – those benchmark vintages that command attention and reward long-term cellaring. Yet for all its restraint, unevenness, and subdued tone, the 2024 campaign has been quietly revealing. It offers not just a lens into the wines themselves, but a reflection of Bordeaux’s current reality: a market in flux, a region recalibrating, and châteaux adapting to meet shifting expectations.

While the vintage hasn't delivered across the board, it has signaled something equally important. Lower release prices speak less to panic and more to pragmatism, recognizing both the mixed quality of the vintage, the competition, and the wealth of buying opportunities.

In this context, the 2024 futures campaign is less about the wines alone and more about where Bordeaux stands – and where it may be headed next.

The growing season was anything but easy. A challenging combination of mildew pressure, drawn-out flowering, and uneven ripening demanded real precision in both vineyard and cellar. The result is a vintage of extremes.

At the base, the wines are modest – lean, sometimes green, and astringent. At the top, the classed growths and other top estates have crafted wines of elegance and lift. Moderate alcohol levels and cooler conditions have translated into fresh fruit profiles, refined textures, and a sense of restraint.

Critic Jane Anson placed 2024 above the likes of 2013 and, in some top cases, 2021. Neal Martin referred to the vintage as a potential “reset,” praising those wines that triumphed over adversity with clarity and finesse.

Selectivity has been the mantra from all corners. William Kelley of the Wine Advocate may have called it the “weakest vintage of the last decade,” but others offered a more nuanced view.

Antonio Galloni highlighted a “magnificent eight” that cut through the noise, with Cos d’Estournel, Rauzan-Ségla, La Conseillante, Larcis Ducasse among them. Neal Martin’s top red scores (95–97 points) went to titans like Lafite Rothschild, Lafleur, Trotanoy, and Vieux Château Certan. His top white was La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc, rated 96–98 points.

Among the most talked-about releases were Château Lafite Rothschild and Château Mouton Rothschild – both praised for their poise and aromatic purity. Calon Ségur continued its upward trajectory, while La Conseillante stood out as a beacon of elegance on the Right Bank.

The dry whites made a quiet triumph in 2024, particularly those from limestone terroirs, which have been described as “unique and spectacular.” They share a stylistic thread with the 2017 and 2021 whites, and in some cases, surpass them.

As for Sauternes and Barsac, the picture is more uneven. Some estates delivered wines of richness and grace, but overall, the lack of acidity in many has tempered enthusiasm.

The answer depends on what you seek. Lovers of freshness, lift, and classical structure will like the top wines of 2024. But for those looking to build or deepen a collection with ready-to-drink vintages, the broader landscape offers compelling alternatives.

Over the past year, Bordeaux prices have dropped by an average of 12%, and over the past two years by more than 24%. Even the First Growths have not been immune – many are now available at prices last seen nearly a decade ago.

What this means for collectors: a rare window has opened. Prized vintages like 2009 – for its richness and opulence, 2010 for its structure and longevity, and 2016 for its balance, are now within striking distance. It’s an ideal time to re-explore the classics, and to add benchmark bottles to the cellar without the usual premium.

The 2024 vintage may not be destined for icon status, but it reflects the realities of a changing market and a region in transition. In its best expressions, it offers poise and potential. And in the broader context, it reminds us that sometimes, the best collecting decisions come during times of reset.

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