2024 Futures

The star of Graves blancs, offering each vintage a very pure and straightforward wine, discreetly woody. It is not surprising to see this regularity in performance, as it is the own property of  Florence & Denis Dubourdieu, hence the name of the wine.

Family property of the Dubourdieu family. Always very bouquety and expressive, round with buttered notes, perfect to accompany a cheese platter.

The dry white wine of Lagrange, in a precise and pleasant style. As always in Lagrange, the quality/price ratio is there!

This classified growth, owned by INRA, has grown considerably since the Institute's researchers decided to apply the results of their most advanced research to it, and the arrival of Mr Derenoncourt as an advisor. In a rather lively and tense style, Couhins is today by its price the best deal among the white classified growths of Pessac-Léognan.

Built on freshness and tension, Esprit de Chevalier distinguishes itself from the appellation's other second wines by its extra smoothness and remarkable aromatic richness (green mango, citrus fruit, white peach...). The development of a third wine is undoubtedly no stranger to this.

Very pale, crystalline colour, aromatic notes of lemon and grapefruit, lively and delicate on the palate, Carbonnieux is by its refined style the most Medoc style of Pessac-Léognan whites.

The Latour-Martillac white wine is aromatic, straightforward and has excellent ageing potential. It is one of the most consistent and interesting wines in the appellation, and holds up formidably well to ageing (10 years or more).

Based on Sauvignon (with a hint of Semillon), Caillou Blanc has been presented for 50 years as the archetype of Médoc dry white wine: pale colour, between delicate freshness and aromatic distinction (citrus fruits, bitter orange, honeysuckle), never too full or demonstrative. And always reasonably positioned in terms of price.

Known to produce Léognan's most voluminous and expressive white wine, Larrivet Haut-Brion has gained in freshness, precision and aromatic complexity since the arrival of Mr Lemoine (cellar master from Montrose), advised by Mr Derenoncourt, and vinifications in ovoid vats.

Alongside its famous Sauternes, Suduiraut has been producing for 20 years now a dry white wine for gourmets, made from 45-year-old vines and aged entirely in barrels.

With near-maniacal intransigence at every stage of its development, the Bonnie family delights us with each vintage with its white wine, very Sauvignon (80 to 90%), combining energy, supreme finesse and exemplary straightness.

Like many Sauternes crus, Climens has been producing a confidential 100% Semillon cuvée since 2022. Thanks to precision work during pressing and ageing in glass globes, Lilium expresses with a great purity the aromatic richness of this emblematic Sauternes grape variety, in a great gourmet white wine with a silky texture.

Full-bodied, fat and with a characteristic vanilla woody taste, the dry white wine of Lynch-Bages plays the charm and fabric card. Less than 4000 cases produced each year, far insufficient for global success.

The great white wine of Ch. Valandraud, with a sparkling sap and balance. With only 4000 bottles produced, it is a nugget that will do wonders on the table in 5 years (to take advantage of its youthful brilliance) or in 15 years.

A blend of predominantly Sauvignon Gris and Sauvignon Blanc grapes, topped up with Semillon.

In white, Domaine de Chevalier produces a model unique among its peers, made of tension, vivacity and energy. Its mineral side and its capacity to age (30 years and more) bring it closer to the greatest Burgundy whites.

Sophisticated white wine from Pape-Clement, with a balance of tone and concentration that is always perfectly defined. Its 2020, precise, intense, discreetly woody and less smoky than usual, will be among the greatest Bordeaux whites of the decade.

Smith Haut Lafitte's white wine has built up a solid reputation over the past 20 years, even though it is not a grand cru classé (but neither are Haut-Brion blanc and Pape-Clément blanc). A happy marriage of wood and fruit, it always delivers a beautiful aromatic complexity, from lime blossom to citrus fruit, and a lively, rich, fine structure.

The dry white wine of Mouton-Rothschild, very confidential (1000 cases produced per year).

Ultra-confidential white wine from Cos d'Estournel, with a predominance of Sauvignon Blanc (75%) on a terroir located at the northern tip of the Médoc. The proximity of the Gironde estuary and the Atlantic Ocean gives the wine its freshness, its mineral notes and its marine accents.

Straddling Barsac and Sauternes, Haut-Bergeron enjoys a quality terroir superbly exploited by the Lamothe family for 9 generations (!). It is the artisanal cru and the sure value of Sauternes, of which each vintage wins its share of awards in competitions and guides.

Administered by the Rothschilds (Mouton) since 1996, Coutet has joined the leading pack of the biggest Sauternes after Yquem. Like Climens, it is a true Barsac, pure and remarkably subtle, but with a more marked liquor. Since 2005, Coutet has been in great shape! In a rare feat, the exceptional 2020 vintage came top (ahead of Yquem) in the Revue du Vin de France's ranking of Sauternes 2020 « un sommet de pureté, de précoce harmonie, de naturel ! ».

Doisy-Daëne may never be the sweetest wine in its sector, but its expression and aromatic refinement are unrivalled. A pure Barsac, brilliantly orchestrated by Denis Dubourdieu until 2016. The 2014 vintage was rated 94-96/100 by the Revue du Vin de France « with pure fruit and generous liquor, it is balanced by the finesse and minerality of the soil »; 96/100 for the 2016 vintage « sparkling, crystal-clear fruit, the pure character of the Barsac terroir ».

Classified among the first growths of Sauternes during the classification of 1855, the vineyard of Rayne Vigneau (84 hectares, including 62 in one piece) is famous for its soil, which is well known to geologists, as it is composed of a great variety of precious minerals of Pyrenean origin. Without losing sight of these "luxurious" origins " Rayne Vigneau offers smooth, easily accessible wines with floral aromas that are particularly marked in their youth.

The only 1er cru classé in the commune of Sauternes with Yquem, Guiraud offers rich, voluminous, powerful wines with a formal classicism. Certified organic since the 2011 vintage.

In the commune of Preignac, Suduiraut offers a wine that reflects its geographical position: halfway between Sauternes and Barsac. The latest vintages are dazzling in terms of contained power and aromatic distinction.

According to Bettane & Desseauve (Guide 2025), “Yquem is the only wine that can still do a little better”.

Climens has been, for more than 50 years, the finest, the fruitiest and the most endearing of the Sauternes wines. Almost discreet in its first youth, Climens does not cease to develop and to refine itself in bottle. Biodynamic since the 2014 vintage. Magnificent 2016 "a fruit of an exemplary purity" noted 99/100 by the Revue du Vin de France.

Following 4 years of almost no production (none in 2017, 2018 and 2020, barely 1200 bottles in 2019), Climens changed hands in 2022.

Mrs Papon-Nouvel is known for her 2 wonderful Saint-Émilion wines: Clos Saint-Julien and Petit-Gravet Aîné. But it also owns Peyrou, a small vineyard (10 ha) of the Côtes de Castillon in organic farming. Excellent and highly recommended.

Puyguéraud is the reference of the Côtes de Francs, producing with great regularity wines of very high level. The owner, Nicolas Thienpont, also manages Pavie-Macquin and Larcis-Ducasse in St-Émilion. Always well rated, Puyguéraud proves better than others that it is possible to taste a beautiful and great Bordeaux for less than 15 € a bottle.

A 6 ha property (92% Merlot) acquired in 2011 by Mr. Thienpont (Pavie-Macquin, Larcis-Ducasse...). After a break-in period, Alcée takes off in 2016, standing out from its neighbours by its emphasis on finesse, minerality and distinction. A wine with more length than breadth.

According to the Guide Bettane & Desseauve 2025, “Alcée has become the favourite vintage of wine lovers looking for excellent value among Bordeaux wines”.

A 4 ha plot selection from Château Rigaud, La Mauriane is not yet another luxurious cuvée on the right bank but a wine built on fine grain tannins where the brilliance and precision of the fruit prevail. A true gem in the right bank !