Under-The-Radar Wines in Bordeaux Worth Your Attention
Bordeaux is renowned for its Cru Classé wines, reaching the peaks of what wine can achieve across the varied appellations and terroirs in this world-famous piece of South-West France. It’s worth remembering, however, that of the 110,000 hectares of vineyards planted in Bordeaux, only 3% goes towards the production of official Cru Classé wines. So where does the rest go? And what can these other wines offer your wine collection?
Les Petits Châteaux
The term Petits Châteaux refers to wines produced in Bordeaux that are outside of any major classification system. This band of wineries includes scores of fabulous estates producing excellent wines under the more generic Bordeaux AOC and Bordeaux Supérieur AOC labels. It can take a huge amount of trial and error, albeit a hugely pleasurable experience, to find the best amongst quite a large bunch. Luckily there are some handy hints for where to find superb value in Bordeaux.
Lesser-Known Appellations
There are 65 appellations for wine in Bordeaux alone. This includes the famous names of Margaux, Pauillac, Sauternes and Saint Émilion. Even as you count out those better known than most, it still leaves a whole host of other appellations producing wines in similar ways and rooted in similar terroir to the best-known estates and regions.
In the Médoc, much is made of how close the estate is to the Gironde estuary and the composition of the soils in terms of depth, size and span of gravel as opposed to clay or limestone. Further inland, towards the cooling forests, the terroir is much less uniform and as such the wines much less celebrated. As climate change takes hold and winemaking processes continue to improve, the estates in Listrac AOC, Moulis AOC and Haut-Médoc AOC have become increasingly consistent in the quality of the wines.
On the right bank and Entre-Deux-Mers, the same can be said for the Côtes de Bordeaux. This collection of appellations that use the modest hillsides across Bordeaux to produce excellent wines in their own styles. Historic estates in Cadillac and Castillon are well worth trying through, and Bourg (to the northern border with Cognac) is producing fabulous wines including some of the best Malbec in Bordeaux.
Finally, there are the satellite appellations. The famous Saint-Émilion and Pomerol appellations have areas that surround them that produce similar wines on similar soils and that can use the name of the more famous area on their labels. Saint-Émilion has four: Lussac, Montagne, Saint-Georges, Puisseguin. Pomerol has just one: Lalande-de-Pomerol. The so-called satellite appellations are well worth a keen look, especially in the best vintages.
Second Wines
Another great option for Bordeaux lovers are the Second Wines produced by the best Châteaux across the whole of Bordeaux. These wines have been produced for many decades, but in recent years have become a keenly followed subset of wines all of their own.
The premise is that the best producers can offer additional wines than just their Grand Vin and at cheaper price points. This allows even more consumers to buy, drink and enjoy the wines of the estate. There are different reasons they’re made. This might be a great use for the younger vines planted on the estate, whose fruit isn’t quite at the standard deemed necessary for the top wine. It might also be a different blend that the winemaker wants to produce to either trial or simply make in addition to the stoic formula of the Grand Vin. They’re also usually produced to be ready for earlier consumption, often with more Merlot in the blend, meaning the Grand Vins can be ageing in your cellar whilst you enjoy these other fabulous wines from the Châteaux.
Such is the following of the best Second Wines that the likes of Le Petit Mouton of Château Mouton Rothschild and Le Clarence de Haut-Brion now trade at healthy prices on the market. The likes of Pichon Comtesse Réserve and Echo de Lynch Bages offer fabulous value and great drinking wines from some of the best producers around.
150 Word Newsletter
Bordeaux is renowned for its Cru Classé wines, reaching the peaks of what wine can achieve across the varied appellations and terroirs in this world-famous piece of South-West France. It’s worth remembering, however, that of the 110,000 hectares of vineyards planted in Bordeaux, only 3% goes towards the production of official Cru Classé wines. So where does the rest go? And what can these other wines offer your wine collection?
- We explain what is meant by the term ‘Petits Châteaux’
- We discover some of the lesser-known appellations to keep an eye out for when building your collection
- We also look at the so-called satellite appellations on the Right-Bank
- We finish with a look at Second Wines, and why they now have a deserved following all of their own
Bordeaux is a dynamic region with new producers making waves, and we are sure to discover them for our Members.
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