News of November 2026

Bordeaux sets a €1,100 bulk-wine reference

On October 20, the Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux published a voluntary reference of €1,100 per tonneau for non-organic AOP Bordeaux red wine sold in bulk.

The reference sits within a wider regional debate about viable production costs and the prices growers can obtain. Its influence will depend on how buyers and sellers use it in actual transactions.

Source: Vinetur The Fine Wine MarketVineyard and Cellar

Graves de Vayres marks a century of defending its identity

The Graves de Vayres appellation union will celebrate its 100th anniversary on Saturday, November 7, 2026, marking a century of efforts to defend the small Libournais terroir’s identity.

Graves de Vayres remains easily overlooked beside the better-known appellations of the Libournais. Its centenary puts the relationship between collective identity and market visibility back into focus.

Source: Sud Ouest GravesGraves de Vayres History and ArchivesThe New Bordeaux

Mouton plans Sotheby’s sale with Warhol magnums and 2025 barrel

Sotheby’s London will auction Château Mouton Rothschild wines on February 4, 2027, including four artist-label magnums, 77 bottles plus one magnum spanning 1924 to 2024, and a barrel of the 2025 vintage.

The sale combines Mouton’s label history with direct access to the young 2025 vintage. It will offer a visible test of collector demand for rarity, provenance and estate-specific experiences.

Source: Haute Living Château Mouton Rothschild The VintageThe Fine Wine Market

Pesticide dispute returns to the Bordeaux Court of Appeal

The Bordeaux Court of Appeal examined an appeal by Alerte aux toxiques, which was ordered in 2021 to pay €125,000 after disclosing pesticide traces in Bordeaux wines.

The case keeps the conflict between environmental advocacy and Bordeaux’s protection of its reputation before the courts. Its outcome will be closely read by growers, trade bodies and campaigners.

Source: Le Monde Rules and Classifications

Laurent Basse-Cathalinat takes charge at the Cité du Vin

Laurent Basse-Cathalinat is set to succeed Philippe Massol as general director of the Cité du Vin, working alongside president Jean Bernard after Massol leaves on December 31, 2026.

The appointment completes another step in the leadership transition at Bordeaux’s principal wine cultural institution.

Source: Vitisphere Estates and PeopleVisiting Bordeaux

Bordeaux 2010 revisited as a long-distance classic

A tasting of 37 red Bordeaux wines from 2010 characterized the vintage as tannic and suited to extended ageing, according to aktien.news.

The appraisal adds a vintage-specific perspective to the renewed market interest in mature Bordeaux and long-term cellar value.

Source: aktien.news The VintageHistory and Archives

Bernard Magrez launches non-traditional Bordeaux blends

Bernard Magrez unveiled a new range of 22 limited-edition Bordeaux wines in Paris, blending vintages and appellations and using unusual vinification techniques, according to Decanter.

The launch tests whether limited runs and unconventional blending can create fresh demand for Bordeaux beyond its familiar formats.

Source: Decanter The VintageVineyard and Cellar

Mouton-Rothschild prepares a historic London auction

Château Mouton-Rothschild will offer exclusive lots at a London auction on February 4, 2027, estimated at £1.9 million to £3.1 million and including the 1924 artist-label vintage, previously unoffered large formats and a barrel of 2025, according to Terre de Vins.

Direct château provenance and exceptional formats should make the sale a revealing gauge of demand for blue-chip Bordeaux and Mouton’s label history.

Source: Terre de Vins Château Mouton Rothschild The Fine Wine MarketHistory and Archives

Unions fear closure of the Vayres bottle plant

The CGT fears O-I’s Vayres glassworks, where production has been halted for months, could be the European site selected for permanent closure; the plant employs 170 people and makes bottles destined in particular for Bordeaux vineyards.

The site is Gironde’s only industrial glassworks and has received €60 million in recent investment, making its future significant for Bordeaux’s packaging supply chain.

Source: Vitisphere The New BordeauxThe Fine Wine Market

Valérie Murat’s pesticide appeal reaches court

On November 3, 2026, the Bordeaux Court of Appeal heard Valérie Murat’s appeal. Murat maintained that she acted in good faith, while the wine industry argued that Bordeaux wine had been disparaged.

The case tests the boundary between environmental advocacy and reputational harm in a region still debating pesticide use and sustainability claims.

Source: Sud Ouest Rules and ClassificationsVineyard and Cellar

Bordeaux’s new leaders confront the sector crisis

Anthony Jezegou, the new director general of the CIVB, and Sophie Martin-Hérisson, the new director of Côtes-de-Bourg, reviewed 2026 and discussed prospects for 2027 as Bordeaux’s wine sector faces an unprecedented crisis.

Their priorities will help shape how Bordeaux responds to a crisis affecting growers, appellations and the wider trade.

Source: Terre de Vins The CrisisEstates and People

Valérie Murat Defends HVE Residue Claims on Appeal

According to Vitisphere, Valérie Murat and lawyer Bruno Bouyer appeared before the Bordeaux Court of Appeal on November 3 in the defamation case brought by the CIVB over her 2020 communication about pesticide residues in 22 HVE-certified wines.

The case keeps scrutiny on how environmental certification is communicated and how Bordeaux’s institutions respond to public criticism of certified wines.

Source: Vitisphere Rules and ClassificationsHistory and Archives

Michelin's Selected Bordeaux Winegrowers Enter the Spotlight

According to Reporter Gourmet, the Michelin Guide highlighted 10 Bordeaux winegrowers at major estates across the region, including Marielle Cazaux at Château La Conseillante in Pomerol and Mathieu Bessonnet at Château Pontet-Canet.

The framing puts individual growers and generational contrast ahead of château hierarchy, offering another route into Bordeaux for international readers.

Source: Reporter Gourmet Château La ConseillanteChâteau Pontet-Canet Pomerol

Sustainable Bordeaux Benchmarks Reach €1,500 for HVE and €2,000 for Organic

Bordeaux’s organic-wine sector and Chamber of Agriculture have applied European tools to establish sustainable reference levels per tonneau. The figures sit above the indicative pricing communicated by the interprofessional body.

The gap exposes the central question in Bordeaux’s bulk market: whether prevailing prices can support certified environmental commitments as well as basic production costs.

Source: Vitisphere Vineyard and CellarThe Fine Wine Market

Right Bank Lawyers Convene a Wine-Crisis Forum in Libourne

According to Vitisphere, 4 Bordeaux Right Bank lawyers will hold a public meeting at Libourne City Hall on November 19 with vineyard stakeholders, Grands Chais de France and insolvency administrators to discuss early legal intervention and crisis management.

The emphasis on early legal intervention signals concern about growers and wine businesses waiting too long before seeking restructuring advice.

Source: Vitisphere The CrisisRules and Classifications

A family succession finds a route to market

Paul Parlange took over his family’s property in Saint-Caprais-de-Bordeaux during the wine crisis and launched Clos des Gommiers in 2022 at €37 a bottle. According to actu.fr, the wine secured a placement at the world’s best restaurant.

The story shows how a small producer can build demand despite the wider Bordeaux downturn and the image problems attached to less celebrated appellations. Direct commercial validation can matter as much as regional promotion for estates operating outside the prestige tiers.

Source: actu.fr Estates and PeopleThe Crisis

Bordeaux captures 41% of Liv-ex trade

According to Liv-ex, Bordeaux accounted for 41% of traded value during the week, with the 2019 and 2020 vintages the top-traded by value. The 2005, 2006 and 2009 vintages also traded actively.

Bordeaux strengthened its market lead, but the regional split in purchasing shows that demand remains uneven. The activity in 2019 and 2020 also gives merchants a useful signal on where current buying interest is concentrated.

Source: Liv-ex The Fine Wine MarketThe Vintage

Margaux records more bats and bees

A new inventory found 36% more bats and 15% more bees in the Margaux vineyard than in 2015, following a decade of expanded biodiversity initiatives.

The findings offer a measurable result from appellation-level environmental work. They also provide a benchmark for assessing whether biodiversity programs can produce sustained changes across a major classified-growth landscape.

Source: Vitisphere Margaux Vineyard and CellarRules and Classifications

Inside Château Haut-Batailley

Château Haut-Batailley, a Pauillac fifth growth, has undergone changes since the Cazes family bought it in 2017, including its distinctive pink winery walls.

Estate profiles can reveal how individual Pauillac properties distinguish themselves beyond classification and appellation. Here, architecture and operating philosophy form part of Haut-Batailley’s public identity.

Source: Decanter Château Haut-Batailley Pauillac Estates and PeopleRules and Classifications