Bordeaux loves a milestone, if it falls in an exceptional vintage, all the better. A couple of recently released 2025s celebrate milestones and it’s a wonderful vintage to do so. Exceptional weather conditions, a limited yield but stunning quality, even if the market didn’t respond across the board to the primeur offer. 

Here are a few bottles that really should be on your shopping list for the beauty of the wine but also the bottles it comes in.  

Château Gruaud Larose, second growth of Saint Julien celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2025 and has the bottle to prove it. Established in 1725 by Joseph-Stanislas Gruaud, it became known as Gruaud Larose in the 18th century. The château was built in 1879 by Baron Sarget, who gave his name to the second wine Le Sarget de Gruaud. Jean Merlaut and his family bought the property in 1997. The 300th vintage bottle is etched, and screen printed with golden leaves of Cabernet Sauvignon vine, the signature grape variety of the Médoc, appropriately, as it represents 77% of the 2025 blend. It is available in bottle, magnum, double magnum, imperial, and jeroboam formats. Buying ‘en primeur’ means you can, not only choose your size but also customise the larger formats if you have your own special occasion to commemorate.

Brane Cantenac 

In Margaux, another second growth, Château Brane Cantenac is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2025, releasing the vintage with a special anniversary golden label. Léonce Récapet acquired Brane-Cantenac in 1925, and the property has remained in the family for five generations. Léonce’s daughter Denise married François Lurton in 1923; their second son, Lucien, inherited Brane-Cantenac in 1954

Living well into his 90s, he became known as one of the great architects of the Médoc bequeathing his love of wine and vineyards to all his children. Since 1992, Henri Lurton has overseen the estate; since 2022, he has in turn passed ownership to his children while continuing to lead the management of this property. 

The embossed sun design on the golden label was inspired by a  raised medallion design found on a 19th-century bottle of Brane-Cantenac.  

Appropriate, given that sunshine is very much a theme of the vintage, but also a fitting tribute to Lucien Lurton, whose name signifies ‘bringer of light’

Golden years

There’s a tradition of golden bottles in Bordeaux. Château Mouton Rothschild released its 2000 vintage in a bottle decorated with a golden Augsburg Ram. Since 1945, the château has commissioned an artist to create a label for each vintage . For this vintage the Baroness Pauline decided to make the bottle itself a work of art, as well as a nod to the name of the property.

The inspiration for the design is the Augsburg Ram; a 16^th-century silver-gilt drinking vessel, from the collection of chateau’s Museum of Wine.  Relief-enamelled directly onto the glass, a golden ring around the neck of the bottle echoes the collar around the ram’s neck. The coat of arms, name, vintage and signature are screen-printed on the bottle also in gold.  2000 was an extraordinary vintage and an auspicious year, being the change of the millennium.

In 2012, Château Angelus created a golden version of its characteristic bell label to celebrate the accession to Premier Grand Cru Classé A. The technique uses a similar raised enamelling process at 600°C, after which the bottle is covered with 21.7-carat gold and fired at 500°C. 2012 was also the 230th anniversary of the Boüard de Laforest’s arrival in Saint-Emilion. There are still some large formats on the market from magnums to melchiors (18 litres).

In 2015, Château Margaux released a stunning golden bottle to commemorate, not just an extraordinary vintage (there’s something about Bordeaux vintages ending in 5). 2015 was a historic year for the Château; it marked the bicentenary of the estate’s buildings, dating from 1815, and the inauguration of the new facilities designed by architect Norman Foster. It was also the last vintage overseen by Paul Pontallier, Managing Director of Château Margaux from 1989 to 2015, and is a tribute to him. A magnificent screen print of the Palladian chateau, is affixed directly to the glass, replacing the classic label. 

In 2018, Château Talbot, also in Saint-Julien, celebrated the 100th anniversary of ownership by the Cordier Family, still at the helm of the estate today. The elegant silk-screened image on the bottle represents one of the pillars holding up the barrel cellar, that in turn, evokes the vines rooted in the terroir. I love this modern and original design.

2020 A Celebratory year

Another excellent vintage, saw the release of several commemorative bottles. Château Leoville Poyferre (they’re keeping busy in Saint Julien!) celebrated the centennial of the Cuvelier family ownership. Today, Sarah Lecompte Cuvelier is the fourth generation of the family at the helm. The gold inlaid bottle cleverly represents the terroir of the property.

Further north, 2020 was also a celebratory vintage, the 200th anniversary of Château Cos d’Estournel and also the 20 years of ownership by Michel Reybier. Another golden bottle decorated with a stunning image of the iconic Asian-inspired architecture of this property that dominates your arrival in Saint Estèphe.

Château Smith Haut Lafitte and Château Ducru Beaucaillou also released celebratory bottles in 2020, but with new labels rather than bottles. As well as redesigned their label for this vintage, Château Ducru Beaucaillou etched the 300^th anniversary in their signature orange on the shoulder of the bottle.  

Whereas Château Smith Haut Lafitte, created a striking black and gold label for both the red and the white wine to celebrate the 30 years of ownership by the Cathiards.

Collections 

There’s also couple a of recent special anniversary collections that are worth your attention, if you can find them. Château Rauzan Gassies, second growth of Margaux, is celebrating, the 90^th anniversary of its purchase by the Quié family. Paul Quié bought the vineyard in 1946. Since 2000, the property is run by his grandchildren, twins Anne-Françoise and Jean-Philippe. 

To celebrate this three-generation history, they have created a celebratory wooden case of six bottles, two bottles each of three historic vintages for the property: 1966 in honour of the grandfather, Paul Quié, 1996 in honour of his son Jean-Michel Quié and 2016 in honor of the current owners Anne-Françoise and Jean-Philippe Quié.

Between two birthdays 

There’s another celebratory collection from the Barton family, owners of Châteaux Léoville, Langoa and Mauvesin Barton. 

2021 was the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the Bartons in Saint Julien when they purchased Château Langoa Barton. To celebrate, they launched a stunning label, hand drawn by Anne-Lise Yandell. A collection of images traces the family history, highlighting origin, heritage, nature and evolution – all signatures of the property and the family. They come together to create a unique, colourful label on the celebratory 2021 vintage of Château Langoa Barton. The individual images can be found in the beautiful, limited-edition celebratory packaging, designed by Patrice Begnier that brings together bottles of 1994, 2000, 2009 and 2016 vintages. This year, 2026, is the 200^th anniversary of Château Léoville-Barton. They are looking to the past to create a celebratory label (fingers crossed for the vintage). In reality it’s a re-creation, reusing the famous Art Déco label used by the property from the 1930 to 1960.

Forward looking 

Not all celebratory collections look backwards.  Château Grand Puy Lacoste, classified growth of Pauillac, christened its new gravity-fed cellar with the 2025 vintage. A vintage that represents the efforts of a decade-long renovation of vines and cellar by François-Xavier Borie and his daughter Emeline, who now heads this family estate. The 2025 bottle is screen-printed with an image of the elegant château. Available from 75 cl bottles, magnums, double magnums and imperials including mixed cases of different sizes if you can’t make up your mind! 

These commemorative bottles are beautiful outside and in, in excellent vintages, they are an elegant and long-lasting souvenir of the vibrant past and the future of Bordeaux. The bottles that keep on giving, even when they are empty. 

Did I miss any other special bottles? Let me know below if you have tucked away in your cellars.

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