Saint-Émilion & Pomerol 2025: Our Right Bank Tasting Notes

Cross the Gironde — by ferry from Lamarque, if you are following the wine pilgrim's route — and Bordeaux changes character entirely. The Left Bank is the world of Cabernet Sauvignon: structured, mineral, built for decades. The Right Bank is Merlot country: rounder, more generous, ripe fruit and a plushness that can seduce you immediately and continue to deepen long after.

In 2025, the Right Bank was the most variable part of Bordeaux. But where the conditions aligned — and they aligned at the very best addresses — the results were outstanding. Here are our tasting notes from Château Valandraud and Château Beauregard.

Château Valandraud 2025: The Complete Wine of the Week

When Jean-Luc Thunevin created Valandraud in 1991 from a tiny parcel of vines in the lower town of Saint-Émilion, it was the original 'garage wine' — proof that exceptional wine did not require a classified estate, only exceptional care. Today, Valandraud is itself a Grand Cru Classé. A full circle that Bordeaux rarely allows.

The 2025 barrel sample was one of the most complete wines we tasted during our entire week in Bordeaux. The generosity of fruit was striking — but what prevented it from becoming heavy was 2025's signature freshness. The texture was almost silken. The finish was long, precise, and went on well after the glass was put down. This is a wine that shows the vintage's best qualities in concentrated form.

Saint-Émilion in 2025 rewarded estates with good drainage and thoughtful vineyard management. Valandraud delivered exactly that.

Château Beauregard 2025: Pomerol's Iron and Elegance

Pomerol has no official classification — no Premier Grand Cru, no hierarchy. Just a small plateau of clay and gravel that, somehow, consistently produces some of the world's most sought-after wine. Château Beauregard is one of Pomerol's most consistently excellent estates: less famous than Pétrus or Le Pin, but tasted blind against them far more often than its price suggests.

The 2025 showed the vintage's Right Bank story at its clearest. The combination of clay soils and excellent drainage produced a wine of remarkable concentration: dark fruit, truffle, an iron-mineral depth that is Pomerol's signature, and a finish that was still going long after the glass was empty. This is a wine worth cellaring for fifteen years.

Our Honest View of the Right Bank in 2025

The Right Bank requires more selectivity in 2025 than the Left Bank. The Merlot-dominant estates saw wider variation depending on soil drainage, aspect, and vineyard management. On heavier clay soils without good drainage, the warm summer produced some wines of excess — over-rich, short, and likely to age poorly.

But on the estates where the conditions aligned — including both Valandraud and Beauregard — the results were genuinely exceptional. Our recommendation: buy the top addresses with confidence. Approach the second tier with scrutiny. This is exactly the kind of guidance we provide to Dis&Dis clients navigating En Primeurs.

Explore Saint-Émilion Now

If you would like to understand the style of Saint-Émilion before committing to a 2025 futures purchase, we currently stock several wines from this extraordinary appellation, including Château Larcis Ducasse 2017 (Premier Grand Cru Classé, 95 points across three major critics), Château Pavie Macquin Premier Grand Cru Classé, and Les Jardins de Soutard 2014 Grand Cru. All are available now at disndis.com.