Bordeaux 2017: a first glance

With all eyes on Bordeaux as the next en primeur vintage gears up for release, Fine Wine Buying Director and Bordeaux Buyer Max Lalondrelle reports on how things are currently looking for 2017 As a Frenchman living in the U.K now for 24 years, I am used to how much the British love to talk […]

Bordeaux 2016: the verdict on the vintage

As Bordeaux 2016 en primeur gets underway, with the first major release (Cos d’Estournel) today, our Buying Director Max Lalondrelle provides his thoughts on the vintage It’s been more than two weeks since we finished our annual en primeur week with a late afternoon tasting at Ch. Haut-Bailly and a quick game of pétanque before […]

Bordeaux 2016: first impressions

With just a month to go before the Bordelais unveil their 2016 wines, Buying Director and Bordeaux Buyer Max Lalondrelle shares his first impressions of the vintage Every year, long before the en primeur tastings in early April, I visit Bordeaux to check on the quality of the vintage. These visits, the first during the […]

Bordeaux 2016: vintage update

Fresh from the vineyards, Buying Director and Bordeaux Buyer Max Lalondrelle reports on the 2016 vintage so far – a year that has proven difficult for Bordeaux but fortunately seems to be producing good quality and decent quantities. Having just returned from my yearly pilgrimage to check on the harvest, I can safely say that […]