Pay now, drink later: A beginner’s guide to En Primeur wine
It’s Burgundy En Primeur season in London for the 2024 vintage. En Primeur means buying the wine before it is finished and bottled. You buy before you try. Sounds risky, so why would anyone do it?
Well, it gives the buyer early access to the wines, ensuring themselves a few bottles before they hit the shelves and the laws of supply and demand come into effect. It’s particularly useful with Burgundy, which is the most revered, prestigious wine region in the world. Even in booming harvest years, these wines sell out. The 2024 vintage was besieged by tragedy, with many producers losing grapes, so it will already be in short supply.
Why buy En Primeur?
By taking a punt on an unfinished wine, you generally get it at a discounted price. Once that vintage hits the shops (especially if it is felt to be a good one or from a desirable producer), prices are likely to rocket. It also supports the producers during the winemaking process, making it a great way to ensure the livelihood of the people whose work you enjoy.
So how is the 2024 vintage looking? Aside from being scarce, it seems to be a promising, pleasing vintage in a classic, fresh style.
Eleanore Latour of Maison Louis Latour expressed surprise and relief at the quality of the vintage given the rains, mildew and frost. Thankfully the sun came out over summer and the grapes that had survived bloomed into ripeness. “The reds are super-aromatic with aromas of fresh fruits, cherries, blackcurrant, a certain crunchiness on the palate. And the whites are showing a really pleasing freshness, with a linear character in the mouth. We have a return to a certain classicism of Burgundy which we have not seen so much recently, after a run of warm years”.
The wines are likely to be lower in alcohol compared to those produced in warmer years. There is some debate, however, on how they will develop, with some producers feeling this is a vintage to drink young. There is good fruit and vibrant acidity there, but the reds may lack the structure to store over many years.
Those that have managed to secure good structure have done so thanks to careful work, as Caroline Drouhin of Domaine Drouhin-Laroze explained. “Meticulous vineyard work salvaged what proved to be a successful year.
“Small berries require gentle handling and restrained extraction to preserve tannin quality. Initial barrel tastings revealed pleasant surprises; accessible yet structured tannins with notable depth and terroir expression. A classic yet distinctive vintage offering immediate approachability alongside complexity.”
Whatever the vintage, it is hard for anyone not to fall under the spell of Burgundy. Here are two places I have enjoyed a bottle this week.
Mazarine, Mayfair
Soft lighting, white tablecloths, attentive staff. Mazarine is only a few weeks old, but the Mayfair crowd are already flocking for its French coastal cuisine.
I’m a sucker for small indulgences. Oysters, bites of caviar brioche, crisp slices of lobster croque monsieur and mini doughnuts filled with creamy taramasalata, all served with chilled Chablis 1er Cru. Or try the dover sole meunière paired with elegant glasses of Rully, an area of Burgundy particularly celebrated for their white wines. But give Burgundy a break for dessert, when they serve delicious Sauternes. Oh-la-la!
Chez Antoinette, Covent Garden
This haven under Covent Garden market transports you to the French grandmother’s kitchen you never knew you had nor missed. The dream of ex-interior designer Aurélia, this family-run restaurant feels instantly cosy and calming. Vintage crockery on the walls, jazz playing on the soundsystem, an antique wooden dresser laden with exquisite puddings and pastries.
The bustling kitchen serves up comforting classics like boeuf bourguignon and cheese in all its glorious forms. Baked camembert with honey, tartine raclette, oozing croque monsieur, all washed down by reasonably priced Pinot Noir from Burgundy. A place to put your troubles aside and feel cared for.