Text by: Symbolic Wines team
A cool, unpredictable season. Remarkable highs, sobering lows. Bordeaux’s 2024 vintage is a tightrope walk – but for those with precision and nerve, the rewards are brilliant.
There are vintages that soothe the soul with generous fruit and easy balance – and then there’s 2024. This is a year for the sharp-eyed and the steady-handed. Following a rollercoaster growing season and extreme variability across appellations, Bordeaux 2024 demands thoughtful exploration. For wine lovers and collectors, it’s a moment to lean in, not lean back. Behind the headlines lies one of the most thrilling, unpredictable, and potentially rewarding vintages in recent memory.
The Climate Conundrum
Bordeaux’s 2024 growing season began with optimism – a warm, dry spring gave the vines a strong start. But by June, the weather turned, delivering wet conditions that lingered well into July. Disease pressure, especially mildew, forced growers to work overtime. Just when things began to stabilize, a dry and surprisingly cool August set the tone for a delayed and nerve-wracking harvest. This uneven rhythm left a clear imprint on the wines. Some properties harvested underripe fruit. Others, especially those with deep-rooted old vines or exceptional terroirs, waited it out and found brilliance in precision. Follow our Instagram to see multiple reports from top winemakers.
Precision Over Power
The 2024s are wines of detail, not of swagger. If you’re looking for the plush opulence of 2015 or the warm generosity of 2018, this is not your vintage. But if freshness, aromatic lift, and savory tension excite you – 2024 has plenty to love. Cabernet Sauvignon struggled in some zones, especially on the Left Bank, where ripeness came late and sometimes not at all. But where it worked – think Pauillac and certain gravel terraces – the results are striking: floral, elegant, beautifully etched. Think Château Pontet Canet, Chateau Gruaud-Larose or Château Duhart-Milon. Meanwhile, Merlot shone brightest in the cooler clay soils of the Right Bank. Look to Pomerol and Saint-Émilion’s limestone plateaus for real stars – wines that combine finesse and energy with classic depth.
Top Appellations to Watch
The Right Bank outperformed the Left in terms of consistency. Pomerol’s top estates handled the season’s extremes with grace, producing sleek, sculpted reds. Saint-Émilion showed remarkable aromatic purity, especially from older vines on calcareous soils. The great example of that is Château Angelus. On the Left Bank, it’s a patchwork. Pauillac and Saint-Julien produced some of the top Cabernet-based wines of the vintage, albeit in a cooler, more restrained style. Margaux was more variable, while Haut-Médoc and Listrac saw struggles with full ripeness. Dry whites, particularly from Pessac-Léognan, are stunning. The cool season helped preserve acidity and aromatic detail, yielding wines that are vibrant, mineral, and built for aging. Sweet wines are more hit-or-miss, with botrytis less widespread than usual – but standout examples exist for those who dig deep.
Sweet but Sharp: 2024’s Balanced Botrytis
In 2024, Bordeaux’s sweet wines leaned less toward opulence and more toward vibrancy. While botrytis was patchy and timing was everything, the best estates struck gold. Wines like Château Coutet (97 pts) stood out for their crystalline freshness, purity, and lifted aromatics. This vintage may not be the richest, but it’s among the most elegant for Sauternes and Barsac in recent memory. For instance, Château Doisy Daëne 2024 has yielded 95-97 points from Antonio Galloni.
The Collector’s Vintage?
2024 is not a “buy everything” vintage. It’s a year where selectivity is essential. The best wines will age gracefully and reward patience – but the margin for error was razor-thin. Tasting before buying is critical, and following producers known for precision winemaking is key. What this vintage lacks in uniformity, it makes up for in intrigue. When Bordeaux gets technical, it also gets transparent: the wines reveal terroir, winemaking skill, and timing with rare clarity. Bordeaux 2024 is a vintage that asks as much of the drinker as it does of the grower. It’s not a vintage of comfort – it’s a vintage of character. For collectors, sommeliers, and serious drinkers, it’s a puzzle worth solving.
