For my 75th birthday I decided to do a Bordeaux wine tasting for my family before dinner. I raided the wine cellar for four 2nd wines from Grand Cru Classe vineyards and one that was a Grand Cru Classe wine. One was a Graves white wine and the other four were red wines, two Left Bank and two Right Bank. While everyone liked all five of the wines, the red wines got most of the attention.
What was very interesting was that each of the four red wines was ranked #1 by at least one person and each of them was ranked #4 by at least one person. I want to be clear that when someone ranked a wine as #4 it just meant that they liked the other three better, and they would happily drink that wine at any future family party where I want to serve it. None of the wines was clearly the most or least favorite and I was very surprised by that. There was full agreement that these 2nd wines are great values at the prices that they command.
Below is a summary of each of the five wines. At the bottom I put the price of that wine and the price of the first wine from that same estate, just to illustrate the value of the 2nd wines. Note on the white wine from, Graves that their first wine is a lovely Sauternes and the price shown for that wine is for a half bottle. When we were in Bordeaux this summer, several of the winemakers told us that the 2nd wines they are making today are better than the first wines they made 20 years ago because of the new wine making facilities they have with lots of technology to help them. The last wine discussed below, Chateau Lassegue, submitted their 2018 vintage for the 2020 St. Emilion Reclassification and that wine was given Grand Cru Classe status. The 2018 is what we tasted so there is no 2nd wine from that estate.
Because these were very young wines, two of them 2020, one 2019, and the one 2018, I opened them at 9:30 AM and let them breathe in my wine fridge. At 2:30 PM I double decanted them with aeration to help them open up. They were served at 3:00 and were at 60° F. The white Graves was served at 50° and was opened for an hour before serving.
Graves White Wine
Blanc Sec de Suduiraut 2020: Chateau Suduiraut was one of 12 estates in Graves given Premier Cru status in 1855 for its Sauternes wine. Only the famous Chateau d’Yquem was rated higher as a Grand Premier Cru. Today they also make four dry white wines in addition to their Suuternes. The Blanc Sec de Suduiraut is made from a specific plot planted with Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes that average over 20 years old. The plot has fine gravel and sandy soil that brings out white fruit and hazelnut aromas and a fresh, crisp taste with some grapefruit on the finish. The 2020 blend is 54% Semillon and 46% Sauvignon Blanc. It is aged 6 months with 75% in vats and 25% in oak barrels, 30% of them are new oak for a very modest touch of oak in the flavor. We did not visit this estate on our trip to Bordeaux.
Blanc Sec de Suduiraut (750ml)- $22 Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes (375ml) – $50
Left Bank Red Wines
Chateau Beychevelle – St. Julian Amiral de Beychevelle 2019: Chateau Beychevelle is an estate that was a 4th Growth in the 1855 Classification of the top 60 wines in Bordeaux. The Amiral de Beychevelle uses grapes from the younger vines but with the same growing techniques, meticulous sorting (only using about 55% of the grapes harvested), and barrel aging of the Grand Cru Classe wine. It is ready to drink after five years and will hit its peak at about 12 years. The 2019 is 68% Cabernet Sauvignon and 32% Merlot. It has a deep red color with fresh fruit aromas. The tannins are elegant and deep and will round out with age.
Amiral de Beychevelle – $47 Chateau Beychevelle Grand Cru – $125
Echo de Lynch Bages 2020: Chateau Lynch-Bages is a Left Bank estate that was a 5th growth in the 1855 Classification but based on today’s prices would very likely be a 2nd Growth. Echo is made from the Chateau Haut-Bages Avernous plot in Paulliac and for over 30 years has been used to make the Lynch-Bages 2nd wine. In 2008 that wine was given the Echo name. This 2020 wine was the first be made at the new winery facility that we toured. It is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot and is aged 12 months in one year old barrels. The 2020 Echo displays vibrant ruby purple in the glass with aromas of fresh redcurrant and raspberry. The palate unfolds with well-rounded tannins on a fresh and elegant finish.
Echo de Lynch-Bages 2020 – $65 Chateau Lynch-Bages 2020 – $185
Right Bank Red Wines
Virginie de Valandraud 2019: Dubbed the “bad boy” of Bordeaux (a title he relishes), winemaker Jean-Luc Thunevin and his wife Murielle Andraud sunk every penny they had to purchase the Right Bank vineyards they named Château Valandraud in 1991. Now ranked as a Premier Grand Cru Classé, Valandraud is considered one of the finest wines of St.-Émilion. Only 14 estates won the Premier Grand Cru status. Virginie de Valandraud was introduced as their Second Wine in 1992. For the Thunevins, a Second Wine isn’t just a Second Wine, it’s a wine that is able to stand on its own merit. The quality level of this Saint-Émilion Grand Cru is simply superb, and it is one of the better value for dollar wines on the market. Since 1997, the quality of this wine raised its status to that of a First Wine, a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, the sames status as the one below. This is a rare feat for a Second Wine, and proof that sometimes it’s good to be a little bad… Merlot 80%, Cabernet Franc 20%.
Virginie de Valandraud 2019 -$55 Chateau Valandraud – $235
Chateau Lassegue 2018: Chateau Lassegue is a Right Bank estate that in 2003 was purchased by the Jackson Family, best known for their Kendal Jackson wines. They kept the same winemaker in place but provided funding for significant modernization of the vineyards and the wine making process. Based on those improvements when this 2018 vintage was assessed in the 2020 reclassification of St. Emilion, it was promoted to Grand Cru Classe status, one of seventy-one estates to earn that status, so this is their first wine, not a 2nd wine. The 2018 is 62% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon from vines that average 50-60 years old which is approaching “Old Vine” status. It is barrel aged for 12 months in 60% new French oak. On the nose, the richness of the Merlot is complemented by the extravagance of the Cabernet Franc, and after aeration the bouquet develops subtle notes of cassis and violet. The palate explodes with silky round red and black fruit, while the finish is dominated by black fruit with barely perceptible rounded tannins. We did not visit this estate on our trip.
Chateau Lassegue 2018: $60
I hope this post encourages you to try some of these wonderful 2nd wines.
Bill's Thoughts on Wine, Travel, and Food 