En primeur, also known as wine futures, is the centuries-old tradition of purchasing wine before it is bottled. Each spring, the chateaux of Bordeaux open their doors to critics and merchants, offering barrel samples of the previous vintage. This is your opportunity to secure wines at their opening price, before they are released to the market.
For sought-after wines, en primeur offers several advantages: guaranteed allocation of wines that may be impossible to find once bottled, the opening price which is typically below the eventual market price for great vintages, and the ability to purchase in quantity direct from the chateau.
Our sommeliers taste hundreds of barrel samples across Bordeaux.
We present our curated selection with detailed tasting notes and recommendations.
Full payment at time of purchase secures your allocation.
Wines are bottled and delivered 18 to 24 months after purchase.
While Bordeaux remains the heartland of en primeur, we also offer early-release wines from Burgundy, the Rhone Valley, and other regions where advance purchasing can secure rare allocations.
En primeur is not always the best value. In lesser vintages, or for wines that are widely available on the secondary market, buying on release or from merchants' stock may offer better value. Our sommeliers will always give you honest advice on when to buy en primeur and when to wait.