How Bordeaux En Primeur Works
Bordeaux En Primeur ("EP") is the time of year when consumers get a first look at the wines of the most recent vintage. Wines are purchased En primeur (similar to a futures purchase) while still in barrel and 2025 vintage wines, sold EP in 2026 are delivered to consumers in 2028. The EP campaign establishes the market pricing for the vintage, revealing which châteaux are pricing fairly and which are taking a more bullish approach. While En Primeur provides châteaux with an early revenue stream, it also gives consumers the opportunity to purchase wines with perfect provenance at attractive prices.
Why the 2025 En Primeur Campaign Matters
In recent years, however, En Primeur has come under fair criticism as Bordeaux release prices have continued to climb. The 2025 En Primeur campaign, however, demonstrated that the region is taking a meaningful step to return to its origin. More than simply lowering prices, the 2025 campaign showed there is reason to be optimistic about the Bordeaux market and helped restore confidence in the purpose of En Primeur.
The Bordeaux En Primeur Pricing Challenge
Over the past several campaigns, wines purchased En Primeur have often reached retail shelves at prices similar to—or in some cases even lower than—their original En Primeur release price. More importantly, many were initially released En Primeur at prices comparable to older, more mature vintages already available in the market. This was especially evident during the 2022 En Primeur campaign.
As an example, Château Lafite Rothschild 2022 was released En Primeur at approximately $750 per bottle. At the same time in 2023, the 2020 vintage (a vintage of similar weather condition and with more bottle maturity) was also available on the market for roughly $750 per bottle. A similar example can be found with Château Ducru-Beaucaillou. The 2022 vintage was released En Primeur at approximately $250 per bottle while, at the same time, the 2020 vintage was available at a similar price. This gave consumers little incentive to purchase En Primeur, as an older wine with additional bottle age was available immediately for essentially the same price as a wine that would not be delivered for several years. The 2025 campaign seemingly corrected that course.
Lafite Rothschild and Ducru-Beaucaillou Lead the 2025 Shift
While not every château released its 2025 En Primeur wines at the most compelling prices, Château Lafite Rothschild and Château Ducru-Beaucaillou stood out as shining examples of what Bordeaux producers should be doing—remaining true to its purpose
As a First Growth, Château Lafite Rothschild continues to set the standard. The 2025 En Primeur release entered the market at approximately $460 per bottle, while the 2022 vintage, with additional bottle age, currently trades at roughly $650 per bottle. In addition, 2025 was a stunning vintage with more limited production, criteria which can set prices higher. This pricing clearly demonstrates Lafite's response to years of criticism surrounding En Primeur. Rather than continuing to raise release prices, the château has returned to the original spirit of the campaign: giving consumers the opportunity to purchase wines at compelling prices with impeccable provenance. Château Ducru-Beaucaillou responded in much the same way. The 2025 vintage was released En Primeur at approximately $125 per bottle, while the 2022 vintage was simultaneously trading around $240 per bottle—a dramatic departure from the pricing trends consumers had come to expect in recent years.
A Cooler, More Balanced 2025 Bordeaux Vintage
In previous campaigns, there was little reason for consumers to purchase En Primeur when wines were widely available and priced similarly to older vintages already on the market. Yet perhaps the most encouraging aspect of the 2025 campaign was the vintage itself – a cooler and more balanced vintage than more recent vintages like 2020 and 2022. Take Château Haut-Brion as an example. The château released its 2025 Grand Vin at approximately 1.5% lower alcohol by volume than recent vintages such as 2022 and 2019. Despite these lower yields and strong overall quality in the 2025 vintage, Bordeaux châteaux still found a way to reduce release prices for the 2025 En Primeur campaign, offering another encouraging sign for the future of En Primeur.
What 2025 En Primeur Means for Consumers
So, what does this mean for consumers, and what does it tell us about Bordeaux today?
It suggests that châteaux and négociants are working together to address consumer concerns. Even in the face of lower yields, many 2025 En Primeur releases have been priced significantly below comparable recent vintages. More importantly, it demonstrates that Bordeaux is listening. The region appears committed to restoring confidence in En Primeur by returning to its original purpose: providing consumers with access to wines of impeccable provenance at exceptional value before they are bottled and released.
