23 April 2026

Day 3 - Bordeaux EP 2025: Saint-Émilion

Sean Wright

Day Three took us across the river to the Right Bank for our first full day in Saint-Émilion. Nine estates, and a set of wines that made it clear the Right Bank has produced something magical. As can be an indicator of a great vintage, the stylistic distinction between Bordeaux’s two banks feels more pronounced this year. Both have produced exceptional and compelling wines, each expressing unique terroirs in their own manner.

Angélus

We started at Château Angélus, where the stunning new suspended cellar is one of the most remarkable winery spaces we have ever seen. Carillon d'Angélus continued the trip's strong run of second labels. Now 90 per cent Merlot with 10 per cent Cabernet Franc, it was soft, layered and approachable.

The 2025 Grand Vin is labelled "Irresistible", a name the family settled on early in the year, and a description we found very hard to disagree with. The Grand Vin was the most perfumed wine we had tasted, with complex floral aromatics, real signature spiciness from the Cabernet Franc, and a long velvety finish. Alcohol came in at 14 per cent, which it carries with ease.

Beau-Séjour Bécot

Beau-Séjour Bécot (BSB) was one of today’s revelations. Joanin Bécot, the smaller sister estate, was excellent: floral, red-fruited, with soft tannins and real freshness, and a strong candidate to be the best-value wine of the vintage.

BSB itself was outstanding, with a gorgeous perfumed nose, impeccably integrated oak, velvety tannins and real tension on the palate. Yields were down around 25 per cent, and the team's long-term work on row orientation, higher planting density, and a very passive, gentle approach to extraction has clearly paid off. One of the wines of the day!

Troplong Mondot

Troplong Mondot gave us two of the most approachable wines of the day. Mondot, made from a specific set of eastern-slope plots, gave a zippy wine, with pure-fruit, freshness and minerality. It is not released en primeur, so it will only appear on shelves in five years' time. Picking took place on 28th August, before the late-August rains arrived, having judged the fruit ready.

Troplong Mondot itself was sensational: dense dark nose, cedar and clove, juicy and fresh, with terrific acidity and floral blackcurrant notes. Both wines come in at 13.5 per cent. Produced in tiny volumes, but what they picked is of genuinely high quality. A strong candidate for overperformer of the vintage.

Ausone

At Ausone, one headline is that there is no Chapelle d'Ausone this year. They felt the fruit quality was so high that everything, including a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon, went into the Grand Vin. The Grand Vin was excellent: deep purple, chocolatey oak, coffee notes, layered and aromatic, and surprisingly approachable Ausone at this stage.

Among the wider range, La Clotte stood out with a perfumed nose, gorgeous black fruit and lovely acidity, and Moulin Saint-Georges was imbued with tension and silky tannins. A strong showing across the range.

Lunch and the UGCB at Valandraud

Lunch was hosted at Château Valandraud for the UGCB tasting. As on Day Two, the UGCB tasting format across the appellation reinforced how consistent the vintage in Saint-Émilion is. Further evidence of the quality and that they represent strong value opportunities once release prices land.

Pavie

Pavie produced only 21hl/ha in 2025, well below their usual average. The Premier Grand Cru Classé ‘A’ notably reduced the percentage of new oak on the Grand Vin from 75 per cent down to 62 per cent to ensure the quality of the fruit remains at the fore, continuing Pavie’s stylistic development we’ve observed in recent years. Monbousquet was charming, well-balanced and approachable. Clos Lunelles felt more linear and will surely reward patience.

Arômes de Pavie was an impressive showing, continuing the trend of second labels shining in 2025: ripe black fruit, pencil shavings, elegant on the palate, and the 14.25 per cent alcohol that it carries without showing. Pavie itself was rounded, charming, layered and beautifully composed, with a finesse that is becoming a hallmark of this new era of Pavie.

Canon La Gaffelière & La Mondotte

Canon La Gaffelière and La Mondotte, organically-cultivated from the Comtes Neipperg stable, are two wines we’ve enjoyed following the evolution of over the past 10-15 years. Canon La Gaffelière was powerful, structured and elegant, with cherry and blackberry and a chalky mineral lift. La Mondotte, darker and riper, was fruit-forward and generous, with red fruit, vanilla and damson – a real highlight for several of the team!

Château La Gaffelière

Up the road at La Gaffelière, the Grand Vin was 65 per cent Merlot and 35 per cent Cabernet Franc, slightly less Cabernet Franc than usual because the variety suffered from a little more hydric stress in the heat. Rich dark fruit, yet simultaneously delicate and elegant, with serious ageing potential and beautifully integrated tannin. Many clients will be aware of our affection for La Gaffelière, and the 2025 offering is no exception!

Figeac

Figeac was our penultimate stop of the day and certainly did not disappoint!

Another estate electing to show the Grand vin only during EP week, we weren’t complaining at either the prospect of a swift visit given the time of day, nor the subject matter! Coming in at 13 per cent alcohol and with a harvest that ran from 1st to 19th September.

Perfumed and violet-driven on the nose, juicy and simultaneously cedar-edged with a touch of graphite and fresh pencil shavings.100 per cent new oak, noticeable but beautifully integrated. The tannic structure is fine-grained and powerful at once. It will need time, but the foundation is extraordinary for an exceptional Figeac.

Cheval Blanc

We finished at Cheval Blanc, which may well have delivered the wine of the vintage!

Yields were 15hl/ha against their usual 32, the lowest in living memory, and the alcohol came in at 12.7 per cent for the Grand Vin, the lowest at the estate since 1979. The Merlot was picked just after the late-August rain refilled the berries. The Cabernet Franc, on cooler clay, was given more time. There is no Petit Cheval this year, for the same reason Ausone skipped Chapelle: many estates have observed uniformly exceptional fruit quality, meaning almost all of the grapes that could go into the Grand Vin ultimately did.

The resulting wine is remarkable. One of the most complex, floral noses we have encountered on the whole trip, with cedar, violet and a mix of red and dark fruit. The palate is focused and concentrated but not heavy, with velvety tannins, real cocoa and coffee depth, and a long, aromatic finish. An astonishing wine!

Our Take after Day Three

The Right Bank has produced wines of a distinct character, adding floral finesse to the ripeness and balanced concentration of the vintage. We’ve seen variation between yields for estates on either bank. Overall production will be very low in 2025, with some estates producing less than 50% of a typical harvest volume.

The sacrifices were made by the oenological gods amid the challenges of 2024, reducing bunch potential for 2025, alongside drought periods during the peak of summer, requiring the selective dropping of fruit. Many winemakers reflect gratefully on quantitative challenges rather than qualitative ones during the 2025 season.

A theme from today was the discernible consistency of exceptional-quality fruit, which required almost no sorting, prompting producers to make the rare decision to skip a second wine entirely.

The Grand Vins of St. Emilion have invariably produced outstanding wines in 2025. Strong performances from Carillon d’Angelus, Mondot, Arôme de Pavie, Joanin Bécot, Moulin-St. Georges and others show there is real quality and value to be found throughout the pyramid.

Day Four takes us to Pomerol and a foray into Pessac-Léognan. Stay tuned for more Cult Wine's coverage of Bordeaux En Primeur 2025 vintage and follow us on social media for daily video recaps.

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