Jane Anson
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Covering Bdx & icon wines on the Place. Author Inside Bdx, Wine Revolution, Bdx Legends, Angélus, Club of Nine, Haut-Bailly. IWSC 2023 Wine Communicator Trophy.
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Articles by Jane Anson
Bordeaux Mentor Week 2026 Diary
‘What an amazing week! So much learning, inspiring conversations, and meaningful connections. I’m leaving with wonderful memories and so much gratitude’ Geoffrey Hi, I’m Tanmay, secretary of Bordeaux Mentor Week, and for the second year running, the one who ends up scribbling down everything that happens over these packed days.
The Rise and Rise of Jesse Katz
by Adam Lechmere Winemakers love to speak in metaphor, and Jesse Katz’s image of choice is the rabbit hole. The first time he disappeared down that tunnel of discovery was when he was doing a stage in Bordeaux. He’d become entranced by the whites of that great trio of properties, Haut Brion, Domaine de Chevalier and Smith Haut-Lafite. “I was fascinated with how complex these wines were, the layers of detail and the tension, the acidity and vibrancy, opulence and texture and roundness.
News Digest: September 2026
FEATURES | News by Valeria Tenison As the harvest is coming to an end in most Bordeaux vineyards, picking is still underway for the Cabernets on both banks, although even in Pauillac some of the big names have now finished entirely, including Château Pichon Baron and Château Latour on September 18. France’s 2026 wine harvest is expected to reach only 34 million hectolitres, according to the first estimates from the Ministry of Agriculture.
Seats Open for Connoisseur Week Tuscany 2027
Following the extraordinary success of our first Connoisseur Week Tuscany, as well as the continued momentum of our Bordeaux editions, we are thrilled to return to Tuscany for the second edition of this very special program. The Connoisseur Week is something we created so that guests can engage deeply with the estates we admire most.
Red-heeled Dandies and the Science of the Bordeaux Barrel
by Charlie Leary A single line in an 18th century letter illuminates an unexpected connection between Bordeaux, Burgundy, and the Enlightenment: “Adressez a M. LeClerc, chez milord duke de Kingston, à l’adresse de M. Alexandre Gordon, négociant à Bordeaux.” The writer was Georges-Louis Leclerc, the future Count of Buffon, sending instructions from Nantes to a friend in Burgundy in November 1730. He was then just 23, still years away from becoming Europe’s most celebrated natural philosopher.
Behind the Headlines: Jérémy Cukierman moves to CEO role at Château Cos d’Estournel
La Rentrée is the season for new beginnings in French vineyards, and there’s a fascinating one underway at Château Cos d’Estournel, 1855 2nd Growth in St Estèphe, with the arrival of Jérémy Cukieman MW at the helm of the estate. He is taking on the role of CEO, a position that has been empty since Aymeric de Gironde left in 2017 to join Château Troplong Mondot.
News Digest: August 2026
After a summer marked by five heatwaves across France, the harvest is already well underway in Bordeaux. The growers have had to move or shorten their traditional summer vacations. Picking for crémant and white wines began on August 6, the earliest start on record for the region, with the dry white for Y d’Yquem also beginning in the first week of August.
News Digest: July 2026
by Valeria Tenison Before this month’s news, it is worth pausing on the situation on the ground: wildfires have burned around 42,000 hectares in Gironde and forced 220,000 people to evacuate. It is one of the biggest evacuations in French history. The flames are advancing as close as 15 kilometres from Bordeaux’s suburbs. Thousands of firefighters and soldiers are on the ground fighting the blaze. Temperatures will rise again this week, so the fight is not over yet.
Paulée de Castillon shows a way forward for Bordeaux
A hot summer evening, a throng of 450 people sitting around a series of long tables that stretched from one end to the other of the Pont de Castillon-la-Bataille, high over the Dordogne river. The bridge itself dates only from 1949, despite its historic appearance – a replacement of the previous suspension bridge that was destroyed by the French army on June 23 1940 to stop the German advance towards Bordeaux in World War II.
Bordeaux Vineyard Prices: ‘Everyone impacted’
FEATURES | Bordeaux economy The Fédération Nationale des SAFER recently published its annual study of the French rural land market, which includes the only statistics relating to the sales of vineyards and wine estates in France. Although there was an increase in the number of transactions (+6.9%) and the surface area changing hands (+28.9%) in 2025, the value of transactions in the Bordeaux region decreased by a further 23.8% in 2025, having fallen by 18.4% in 2024.
An Economist View of Bordeaux 2025
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Connoisseur Week 2026: Behind the Scenes
A picnic under the trees with Guillaume and Emma Thienpont at Vieux Château Certan, a dinner in the magnificent drawing rooms of Château Margaux with owner Alexis Menzelopoulos, a magical lunch of birth year wines in one of the most historic sites of the Right Bank. Just a few of the unforgettable experiences enjoyed during the 5th edition of the Connoisseur Week – the greatest party in Bordeaux.
Pre-Order Bordeaux Chronicle: Peter Aaron and Jane Anson
A richly woven portrait of Bordeaux and its legendary wines, pairing Peter Aaron’s rare photographic archive with Jane Anson’s authoritative perspective to illuminate the region’s dramatic evolution across more than five transformative decades, Bordeaux Chronicle presents a deeply evocative portrait of the world’s most celebrated wine region through the lens of photographer Peter Aaron and the authoritative perspective of writer Jane Anson.
News Digest May 2026
While on Saturday, 23 May, in Bilbao, the rugby club Union Bordeaux Bègles defeated Leinster to claim the Champions Cup for the second consecutive year, the vines are in full bloom in Bordeaux and growing quickly, so the growers are already performing the first trellising operation. There was some rain in May, so preventive treatments were necessary, but so far the vines look healthy and happy.
The American Constitution, Beaulieu Vineyards, and Religious Exemptions
by Don and Lisa Drakemen America’s New England founders are often recognised for something they didn’t invent — Thanksgiving — but not something they did — religious exemptions. Even less known is that a little wine knowledge can shed light on both things, and help deepen our understanding of the First Amendment. Religious Exemptions Let’s start with America’s first official religious exemption.
Behind the headlines: is the failure of a barrel-leasing company the biggest story of the year?
The judicial liquidation of a barrel leasing company might seem like a side show among the general crises that Bordeaux, and the wine world in general, faces right now. But it just might turn out to be the one with the longest-lasting impact. The H&A group is named after its two founders Richard Hardillier and Florent Arrouy. I first met up with them in 2013, when I wrote a piece for Decanter about this then fast-expanding company, based in Chartrons on the quayside of Bordeaux.
Connoisseur Week Bordeaux 2027
The Connoisseur Week Bordeaux will be held from June 8-13 2027, and is the sixth edition of the most sought-after and talked about wine experience in Bordeaux. This experience is being offered, by invitation only, to lovers and collectors of Bordeaux’s finest wines who wish to deepen their knowledge and relationship with the region.
Adam Smith’s Claret: How Bordeaux Shaped The Wealth of Nations
by Charlie Leary This year marks the 250th anniversary of The Wealth of Nations, the book that more than any other laid the foundations of modern economics. Its author, Adam Smith, endures as a Scottish philosopher of markets and free trade. Less well known is how deeply his masterwork is steeped in Bordeaux: its wines, its commerce, its vineyards, and, perhaps above all, its people.
Announcing the 2026 Mentor Week Scholars
We’re happy to share our chosen scholars for the 5th edition of the award-winning Bordeaux Mentor Week. Out of a remarkable pool of hundreds of candidates, spanning 35+ nationalities, and after 25 interviews – this is where we’ve landed.
News Digest April 2026
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What’s New 2025 Vintage
FEATURES | News There is no better time than En Primeur to check in with the goings on in Bordeaux, and to share news that helps all of us keep up to date with this critical wine region, from vineyard and personnel changes to new wines and appellation news – basically anything that has happened over the past 12 months that might have an impact on the wines in this vintage and going forward.
Ten Things to Know, 2025 Vintage
The 2025 vintage is a surprising vintage in many ways. Best approached without any preconceptions, but armed with a few key facts: A year that looks a lot like 2022 in some ways… and not at all in others You might be hearing a lot of talk about this being another 2022 after the drought of the summer and the exceptionally early picking dates. If this is true, can someone please tell the wines?
The British footprint in Bordeaux
by Victor van Kommer ‘The links between England and Bordeaux are deep and ancient’. This line, in Bordeaux Magazine in 2020, sums up a widely-accepted truth. But can we define what this English influence exactly means? Were the English settling in vineyards and producing wines? And what does this mean today? The Early Years The trade alliance had its roots in Roman times, but the modern era started with the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine with the future king Henry II of England in 1152.
Napoleon and Bordeaux: Barrels Under Blockade
by Charlie Leary Napoleon Bonaparte did not love Bordeaux wine. He preferred Burgundy, or the coarse Corsican varieties of his youth. When Bordeaux appeared in his correspondence, it usually counted as a logistical irritation. In 1811, he dismissed the idea of sourcing wine from Bordeaux for Central Europe as “une opération bien compliquée.” Too far. Too expensive. Too awkward.
Corkage fees in Bordeaux: How much, and where's best?
SUBSCRIBE FOR ACCESS WHY SUBSCRIBE? Subscribing to Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux will give you full access to our Tasting Reports & Tasting Notes, allowing you to search the entire wine database. Having a subscription gives you a personalised account area where you can add any wines on the website to ‘Your Cellar’ for quick reference.
News Digest: March 2026
FEATURES | News The 2026 vintage has got off to an unusually early start. Merlot budburst is running two weeks ahead of the ten-year average on both banks and a full week earlier than the already-precocious 2025. That early advance brings anxiety to growers as the cold temperatures might return and damage the vulnerable young buds. Adding to the pressure, the precocious season has already prompted some growers to consider their first preventive mildew treatments as early as March.
Behind the Headlines: Bordeaux rugby boss buys Château Picque Caillou
The purchase of Château Picque Caillou by the president of Bordeaux’s rugby team Union Bordeaux Bègles (UBB) has got to be one of the biggest news stories of the year. But behind the headlines there is an even more interesting footnote, with one of Bordeaux’s most exciting winemakers – someone I have long championed – already appointed to head things up. It was always going to exciting news that UBB president, Laurent Marti, is joining the ranks of Bordeaux châteaux owners.
Obituary Michel Rolland: 1947-2026
There are a handful of figures in Bordeaux wine that can truly be said to have had a global impact, but Michel Rolland was unquestionably among them. This was someone who was regularly described as tireless, indefatigable, life-affirming, making the news that he died – suddenly and unexpectedly – of a heart attack on Friday March 20 a shock, despite turning 78 a few months ago. It was a reminder also that the generation who built modern Bordeaux is not going to be with us forever.
The Odd Couple of 17C Bordeaux
by Charlie Leary It was a brief letter, yet it contained the seeds of a global ambition. In January 1682, James Claypoole, a London merchant, wrote to William Popple and Robert Stewart in Bordeaux: I am desired by Wm. Pen, who is my singular good friend, whom I suppose Wm. Popple has also some knowledge of, to write to get abt. 1500 or 2000 vine plants to carry with him to Pensilvania, a Colony in ye West Indies near Mary Land wch. the King has given him, lying in 41, 42, 43 degr.
News Digest: February 2025
FEATURES | News By Valeria Tenison January and February 2026 in Bordeaux were defined by what Météo-France called “remarkable” rainfall. At the Bordeaux-Mérignac station, 154mm fell in January (versus 87mm on average). February showed no sign of reversing the trend: the first eight days already delivered 30-50mm, against a monthly norm of 80mm.
Seats Open for Connoisseur Week Tuscany 2026
Following the extraordinary success of our first Connoisseur Week Tuscany, as well as the continued momentum of our Bordeaux editions, we are thrilled to return to Tuscany for the second edition of this very special program. The Connoisseur Week is something we created so that guests can engage deeply with the estates we admire most.
Bordeaux, the Statue of Liberty, and Frédéric‑Auguste Bartholdi
FEATURES | Bordeaux history When the Statue of Liberty was officially unveiled on October 28, 1886 by President Grover Cleveland in front of one million-strong crowd, it seems highly likely that a few politicians in Bordeaux were paying particular attention, discussing a design that had been languishing in the city’s archives for over three decades.
The Chemist of Claret: Robert Boyle, Haut-Brion, and the Scientific Birth of Modern Bordeaux
by Charlie Leary On April 10, 1663, Samuel Pepys walked into a London tavern and drank “a sort of French wine, called Ho Bryan, that hath a good and most particular taste that I never met with.” This line is routinely cited as the first appearance of a named château wine—Haut-Brion—on the historical record, and as the birth of Bordeaux as a luxury brand. Yet Pepys leaves us with a frustrating question. What did that wine actually taste like?
The Chemist of Claret: Robert Boyle, Haut-Brion, and the Scientific Birth of Modern Bordeaux
by Charlie Leary On April 10, 1663, Samuel Pepys walked into a London tavern and drank “a sort of French wine, called Ho Bryan, that hath a good and most particular taste that I never met with.” This line is routinely cited as the first appearance of a named château wine—Haut-Brion—on the historical record, and as the birth of Bordeaux as a luxury brand. Yet Pepys leaves us with a frustrating question. What did that wine actually taste like?
Obituary: Daniel Cathiard
SUBSCRIBE FOR ACCESS WHY SUBSCRIBE? Subscribing to Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux will give you full access to our Tasting Reports & Tasting Notes, allowing you to search the entire wine database. Having a subscription gives you a personalised account area where you can add any wines on the website to ‘Your Cellar’ for quick reference.
Bordeaux Mentor Week 2026 - Monday September 21 to Friday September 25: Application Form
FEATURES | Impact Step 1 of 3 Facebook This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Name(Required) First Last Nationality(Required) Address(Required) Street Address Address Line 2 City ZIP / Postal Code Country CV Max. file size: 100 MB. Nominated By (If Relevant) First Last When and how did you get into wine?
Obituary: Chris Foulkes
Many of you will have come to this site, and perhaps to my writing, through the book Inside Bordeaux. So much of its brilliance was due to the incredible dedication and expertise of the team behind the book, led by publisher Chris Foulkes. It makes it almost impossible to believe that Chris died on Tuesday 9 December, 2025, aged 75, after a short illness.
News Digest: January 2026
FEATURES | News by Valeria Tenison The winter months are a relatively quiet time in the vineyards. The vines are dormant, and the Bordeaux weather can be nasty. Many chateaux start their pruning work, especially if a sunny, cold day comes up. Meanwhile, the previous vintage wines rest in barrels, waiting for the coming spring. The 2023 vintage is bottled and presented to the critics after the release. Beyond the vineyards and cellars, the business goes on.
The forgotten trade route that built Bordeaux
by Charlie Leary When, in 1601, the best-seller L’Agriculture et Maison Rustique published deprecating remarks about the wines that “cause obstructions and accumulate quantities of melancholic humour, as do the thick, dark, and reddish wines that are sent to us from Bordeaux by sea voyages,” the authors did not write from the perspective of French colonial residents, as it might seem, but rather as “northerners” in Paris and Orléans.
1% for the Planet 2025 Charity
SUBSCRIBE FOR ACCESS WHY SUBSCRIBE? Subscribing to Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux will give you full access to our Tasting Reports & Tasting Notes, allowing you to search the entire wine database. Having a subscription gives you a personalised account area where you can add any wines on the website to ‘Your Cellar’ for quick reference.
Wine on the High Seas
by Charlie Leary The oceans have long doubled as an accidental archive for the wine trade. For centuries, the relationship between fine wine and the sea was defined by peril; bottles were smashed in shipwrecks, jettisoned to lighten distressed hulls, or pirated for English elites circumventing trade wars. As the age of sail ceded to steam, the wine carried aboard ships has revealed shifting tastes, evolving technology, and the enduring entanglement of commerce and politics.
Mouton reveals its 2023 label
For the first time ever, a Portuguese artist has created an artwork for the Château Mouton Rothschild label. Joana Vasconcelos’s “Paraíso” illustrates the 2023 vintage, adding her name to the list of contemporary artists who have preceded her. Famous for her monumental, joyful installations and monumental sculptures, Joana Vasconcelos chose the challenge of creating a label-sized artwork.
Book Review: Saint-Julien by Marc Bouffard
by Panos Kakaviatos When Marc Bouffard invited me to his home in the summer of 2023, I wasn’t expecting a blind tasting of 1955 Saint-Julien wines. The entry in his magnificent book for the 1955 Léoville-Las Cases reads “sadly oxidized” – I was there when we shared that sadness – but the evening also delivered surprises of the finest kind: the 1955 Beychevelle – described by Bouffard as “attention-grabbing, arresting” – proved beautifully fresh and expressive when tasted blind.
News Digest: November 2025
by Valeria Tenison November is a calm month in the vineyards, with mostly soil work and fertilisation. It is a good time for the producers to open their doors and meet consumers. No wonder November and December are full of wine events.
The Auld Alliance: how the Scots helped shape Bordeaux’s finest wines
by Charlie Leary After travelling the byways of his northerly neighbour, Daniel Defoe noted that “French claret is to be had in great perfection all over Scotland, except in the heart of the highlands, and sometimes even there.” That Bordeaux wine should have reached so far and in such quality owed much to an old affection between the two kingdoms, a Franco-Scottish friendship tempered by centuries of war, exile, and trade.
Connoisseur Holiday Gift List
FEATURES | Features Holiday gift ideas curated by the Connoisseur Week team for friends and family who love food, wine, travel and small luxuries. Dix Hectares The new seasonal beauty range launched by Charlotte Bouygues in 2025, all organic plant-based products from their own botanic garden at Château Montrose in St Estèphe, ready to take your skin through the year. There are so many gorgeous products to choose from, but we’ve seen great results with La Crème de Saison (€290).
Behind the Scenes: Inaugural Connoisseur Week Tuscany
Truffle season in Italy was the perfect moment for our inaugural Connoisseur Week Tuscany.
News Digest October 2025
by Valeria Tenison Harvest 2025 is officially over in Bordeaux – the last grapes for Sauternes picked in mid-October. The quality is inspiring significant optimism, as the conditions for botrytis were ideal. While yields remain modest, they have increased to 14-16hl/ha, slightly higher than in recent years.
Diamond Creek: the next chapter of a Napa Pioneer
by Adam Lechmere “There should be fruit, there should be pleasure. There should be green glimmers. There should be edges,” Graham Wehmeier says. It’s as nice a description as any for a wine. I especially like the ‘green glimmers’. Wehmeier is head winemaker at Diamond Creek, one of the most revered of the great old Napa wineries, 20 acres (8ha) of vineyard draped like a bedspread over the dry, steepish hills of Diamond Mountain.
Review: A Sip of Irish
A running joke through Frank Mannion’s new film A Sip of Irish is an argument over who invented whiskey first – the Scots or the Irish (spoiler alert – the film comes down heavily on the side of the Irish, if only by a few decades). This isn’t Mannion’s first documentary on the drinks industry. In 2021 he released Sparkling: the Story of Champagne, with a running joke over who invented sparkling wine, the British or the French (no spoiler needed here surely).
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