Classified Growths in Pauillac don’t change hands often, so when they do it’s worth taking note. Five years ago, the Cazes family of Château Lynch-Bages acquired Château Haut-Batailley: there are bold changes afoot. “So why did you paint it pink?” we ask Jean-Charles Cazes. We’re standing outside the cellars of Château Haut-Batailley in Pauillac, which Jean-Charles’s […]

Jane Anson is described by Decanter as “the world’s most informed and accomplished expert on the wines of Bordeaux”. Midway through the En Primeur tasting, we caught up with her to discuss the role of the critic and what collectors should be seeking out in the 2021 vintage. You’ve worked in and with the Bordeaux […]

Bordeaux’s négociants: are they anachronistic middlemen or a vital cog in the local machine? Barbara Drew MW takes a closer look. The négociants have been a fixture of the Bordeaux wine world for centuries. On one level, they help reinforce the stereotype of Bordeaux as corporate and commercial rather than romantic: they are middlemen, just […]

Our team’s last day of En Primeur tastings takes them up and down Bordeaux’s Left Bank, from St Estèphe to Pessac-Léognan. After two weeks on the ground, Mark Pardoe MW reports on some highlights and shares his overall impression of the 2021 vintage. Our final day saw us tackle St Estèphe before heading south for […]