Commercially, the wine world’s problems continue. Young people are drinking less or not at all. Those who are drinking are largely not taking up drinking wine. It remains quite unfathomable that spirits remain roughly static, or even increasing, in the decline of alcohol consumption. If alcohol is bad (although only an excess really is) then surely spirits are the worst? Within wine, the traditional categories and regions are suffering the most. Red wine consumption is declining more than white, or rosé. Beer can de-alcoholize with increasing success, which does not yet work well for wine.
People tend not to drink that which their parents, or grandparents, drank. It is possible that the current decline in wine consumption is simply the ‘correction’ of the huge boom in its popularity from the 1970s to the 2000s as it became the alcoholic drink of choice in established export markets. Meanwhile it was declining in the countries which produced it (which was a good thing when you consider the extraordinary domestic consumption figures of, France, Italy, Spain and elsewhere up to 1970s). The vineyards that supplied domestic excess and foreign popularity are just not needed now.
Against this backdrop, Bordeaux has real issues. Bordeaux is tradition. From Roman times onwards it has been regarded as one of the best sources of wine in the world. And that has endured, although today’s is far from the only crisis – if crisis it is – that Bordeaux has faced in its long and noble history. Bordeaux remains very highly dominated by red wine (although white production is on the increase as the creation of a new appellation this year can attest). Most Bordeaux châteaux, certainly the great ones, dare not change their label. Some are innovating, with varying degrees of success, their packaging on other wines, and there are many more lighter weight bottles than before. But Bordeaux is still traditional, and that is almost certainly how it should stay. Perhaps it is up to us, the wine lovers of the wine world, to help to repopularise it.
At least, the 2025 vintage heralds some good news; it is a very lovely vintage, and a fine continuation in the tradition that if a year ends in a five it is good in Bordeaux. And 2025 is even better than 2015. Production volumes are down, which is a double-edged sword. An excess of product risks exacerbating all the above, while a shortfall, especially in a good vintage, tempts producers into increasing prices. This is entirely understandable from their perspective, but potentially risks worsening the crisis as there remains a lot of unsold wine from previous vintages in cellars. What could possibly be the motive for buying something unfinished and off-plan, when a proven, closer to drinking age, already stored, vintage of the same thing is available in the market for the same price, or not much more, or in some cases quite a lot less?
The main spectre of 2024 is its significant unsold stock, despite being a very small year, and increasingly not only with the négociants, but with the properties themselves. This may have the effect of attractive or realistic pricing this year (they dare not risk the prices falling on the secondary market). The Fine Wine Market, according to Liv-ex, has turned the corner, becoming positive again after three years of decline. However 2024 also looms over 2025 in a different way and is, in part, responsible for the small, or very small, yields which most producers had to deal with. The initiation florale of a given year in a vine’s life cycle is set by the flowering conditions of the year before, and in 2024 these were poor and uneven, although not universally so. 2025 was by and large destined to be a small crop before it started, with fewer bunches per vine. In fact 2025 has turned out to be the smallest crop ever in Bordeaux, ‘beating’ the previous record holder, 2024.
Then seven weeks (roughly, appellation dependent) of no rain at all meant that this already small vintage was going to become a concentrated solaire one, which also reduces yield. Bordeaux is getting quite good at handling heatwaves – which is just as well given climate change. Nevertheless the hydric stress resulted in even lower yields of small and very concentrated berries. From such material it is possible to make great wine – and many have – but it is also easy to risk over-extraction and upset balance with jammy flavours and too much tannin in consequence. And at some properties – certainly those who have not successfully continued to adapt from the recent hot vintages of 2018 and 2022– there is a bit of this.
What came as manna from heaven was rain, at the end of August. It was not really enough to affect the berries’ size, but it did help slow down the last of the ripening season and, coupled with notably cooler than average conditions, especially overnight, in September this helped slow sugar level accumulation and concentrate acidity which has resulted in almost unbelievably low alcohol levels (12.5% to 13.5% for Cabernet and 13% to 14% for Merlot) and freshness for such a warm vintage.
Cabernet-dominated reds are pretty much universally good. They do have a lot of tannin, but most places have handled this very well. Merlot reds are a little more up and down, but generally reflect the very good vintage. Whites took some handling: rich vintage, rich wines. The acidity is somehow chasing the fruit, and much needed. Careful use of lees, limiting malolactic and some phenolic grip all are helping here and the best whites are spectacular. Just don’t expect next year’s supermarket Entre-Deux Mers Sauvignon 2025 to be lemony fresh.
The sweet wines, as is usual in such a hot year, are very sweet indeed, but there were fine conditions at the end of the season (although it was early) with excellent botrytis and concentration of acidity to balance.
Just as there will never again be a universally ‘bad’ year in Bordeaux, there will never really be a universally great one either (possibly except 2016). In poor years, someone will always make great wine. Many managed in 2024, and – on the basis of current drinking – there were plenty more successes in 2013 than people acknowledged at the time.
2025 is a really very good vintage indeed in Bordeaux. It will not go down as great in the way that 2016 deservedly has, but could easily sit alongside the trilogy of quality that was 2018, 2019 snd 2020. The vintages since then all have more lows than 2025 does.
Old adages die hard. If it ends in a -5 is is good!
Santé.
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash