Bordeaux, examined
Bordeaux Reviews is an independent publication about the wines of Bordeaux, written and edited by Antonio "Guto" Assumpção.
Master of Bordeaux, French Wine Scholar
It is made for the people who carry this corner of France around in their heads: those who drink Bordeaux, hunt for it, cellar it, study it, and argue about it late into the evening, and who want to understand what is really in the glass and why it earns the fuss.
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18cases · 70
The latest case · Case 16/70 CONFIRMED
Before the Rothschilds, Mouton belonged to the Branes. In 1830 the baron de Brane sold it for 1,200,000 francs and then bought Gorse, now Château Brane-Cantenac in Margaux, a vineyard whose wine sold for less. Why, and what could he have known? The reason told today is the one Cyril Ray gave in 1974; the record of the baron's own century shows the shape of the bet.
On Instagram: October 9, 2026 · Margaux
Case 18/70 CONFIRMED
Was Cheval Blanc once part of Figeac?
Château Cheval Blanc was built on land Château Figeac began selling in 1832, and both estates concede the sale. In the first tables both stood in Saint-Émilion's second class. A Paris jury gave Cheval Blanc gold and Figeac bronze in 1878, and by 1898 the trade's book named only Cheval Blanc in its sentence on prices. Only one house tells the story in full.
Case 17/70 LEGEND
Did ships really lower their sails for Beychevelle?
Château Beychevelle, a wine estate in Saint-Julien, takes its name, the story goes, from ships that lowered their sails to salute the Duc d'Épernon, Grand Admiral of France. Did they? No book tells the story before 1846, and Bordeaux's own yearly record, for the admiral's years and those just after, logs a toll on passing ships and no salute.
Case 15/70 CONFIRMED
Were the twins of Margaux ever twins?
Margaux calls Rauzan-Ségla and Rauzan-Gassies twin sisters. Yet more than a century before 1855 the trade already priced several Rauzans, and in 1855 one part was half the size of the other. When did 2 pieces of one estate become twins, and were they ever equal?
Case 14/70 LEGEND
Who said 'my heart is at Calon'?
The heart on the Calon-Ségur label stands for the Marquis de Ségur's famous line: wine at Lafite and Latour, heart at Calon. His tax papers and a merchant's price table for his decade put Lafite and Latour at nearly twice Calon. Who heard him say it, and what did his century write down instead?
The Daily Briefing
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221Tastings
September 18, 2026 · 8
7 Bordeaux, Tasting Night
May 29, 2026
Château des Capucins 2024, Lalande de Pomerol
May 28, 2026
Château Le Chemin 2017, Pomerol
May 27, 2026
Château Perron 2016 and 2017, Lalande de Pomerol
May 26, 2026 · 2
Château Perron La Fleur 1998, Lalande de Pomerol
May 25, 2026
Silex 2022 and 2023, Lalande de Pomerol
May 22, 2026
Château Billeron Bouquey 2022, Saint Émilion Grand Cru
May 21, 2026
Christian Moueix 2005, Saint Émilion
Pierre Castel’s century in the wine trade
Pierre Castel marked his 100th birthday on Saturday, October 17, after building a wine business with his family from a small négociant founded in 1949 into France’s leading wine group.
Castel’s story reflects the scale and commercial reach of a family enterprise that has shaped the Bordeaux wine sector.
Médoc producers reconsider their use of oak
Bordeaux’s Left Bank producers are recalibrating their use of new oak, with Château Lascombes in Margaux, Château Gruaud Larose in St-Julien and Château d'Armailhac in Pauillac taking different approaches this year, according to Decanter.
Élevage is central to both the style and identity of classified and unclassified Médoc wines. A broader reconsideration of oak could change how producers pursue structure, texture and expression.
Lafite 2005 leads as Bordeaux takes 39.6% of trade
According to Liv-ex, Bordeaux accounted for 39.6% of traded value during the week, with Lafite representing more than a quarter of Bordeaux activity and Lafite 2005 leading wines by value.
Demand was distributed across the EU, UK and US, each representing between 27% and 30% of traded value. That balance gives merchants a useful indication of where current Bordeaux demand is coming from.
