Recommended Bordeaux Wines for Under $30 – Part 2, Left Bank Wines

Thank you for the great response to Part 1 of this three-part series on my recommendations for Bordeaux Red Wines for under $30.  In this second post in the series, I will be covering wines from the Left Bank of Bordeaux with a short write up of ten wines that I really like.  The third and final part of this series will be on Right Bank wines.  There is a downloadable list of the ten recommended wines at the end of this post and I also make available the download on how to get the best flavor out of these wines by letting them breathe and serving them at the right temperature and the link to my post on where to get the wines, both of which were also included in the first post in this series.

Why is such a big deal made about wines from one side of a river versus wines from the other side of the river?  To keep this post short, the answer to that is available in the download below –  Micro Crus, Left Bank Terroir, and Medoc Classifications.  This is intended to add on more knowledge about Bordeaux to what you learned from the download in the first post on Bordeaux Geography and Geographic Classifications.  Yes, there will be another download with the final post in this series that will cover Right Bank terroir and the St. Emilion Classification. 

Taking the list at the end of this post to a good wine store and getting a couple of the recommended bottles so you can sip some good wine while you read about the Left Bank might be the most enjoyable way to learn more about Bordeaux red wines. 

Recommended Left Bank Wines

Here is a short write up on each of the ten Left Bank red wines that I am recommending.  While the Left Bank is known to lead with Cabernet Sauvignon and enhance it with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and sometime a little Petit Verdot, a few of these recommended wines have more Merlot than Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Chateau Noaillac: This stylish Cru Bourgeois is owned by the Pagès family, who also own Château La Tour de By, another highly regarded Cru Bourgeois of the Médoc. The vineyard now totals approximately 100 acres, with an average age of vines of 20-25 years. Made from a roughly equal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, this wine is a classic Médoc, with rich notes of cassis and mineral, and with a finishing polish of toasty oak. Robert Parker describes this wine as “Unwinding in the glass with aromas of minty red berries, cassis, pencil shavings and loamy soil, it’s medium to full-bodied, supple and elegant, with an attractive core of fruit, refined tannins and a penetrating finish.”  Classification: Cru Bourgeois.  Varietals: Approximately equal mix of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  Typical Price: $16

Chateau Bel Air: Dark ruby/purple. Fruit and some dustiness on the nose, opens up nicely with air and becomes more complex with notes of leather and earthiness. Bone dry, elegant but powerful fruit on the palate, grippy well-rounded tannins, and mouthwatering acidity well integrated with the fruit and oak. Medium to longish finish.  Classification: Cru Bourgeois.  Varietals: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 13% Petite Verdot, 7% Cab Franc.   Typical Price: $17. There is also a Chateau Bel-Air Lussac, very similar name, that is on the right Bank in St. Emilion that I am not familiar with. 

Chateau Caronne Ste. Gemme: A Bordeaux estate just south of Saint-Julien in the Haut-Médoc. Its “grand vin” is a classic Bordeaux blend, and it was classified as a Cru Bourgeois Supérieur of Haut-Médoc in 1932 and Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel in 1966.  The vineyard covers a single 40 hectare (98 acre) plot. It is planted on a layer of gravel overlying a combination of iron-rich sandstone, sand and clay soils. Plantings are divided into 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and 6% Petit Verdot, with the average age of these vines totaling 30 years old.  It was recently purchased by 4^th Growth La Tour Carnet, which it neighbors, and will likely be added to their Grand Cru Classe wine and not continued to be sold under a separate label, so buy this now and if you like it, stock up as 2021 might be the last vintage it will be available.  Various reviewers have given them 88-91 points.  Classification: Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel.  Varietals: see above.  Typical Price: $20

Chateau La Cardonne: This vineyard sits on a high plateau in the north of the Medoc peninsula where gravel soils are dominant, layered on different depths of clay. Further down the slope, there are parcels comprised of clay-limestone soils, layered on blue marl with limestone outcrops. There is such diversity in each parcel, each creating their own variety of wine so each parcel separately, giving rise to complex and elegant wines.  The wine is deep crimson, with a relatively subtle nose. Nicely polished fruit with some energy and real zest in this Cru Bourgeois. Fine, classic, and silky.  One of the few nice Bordeaux that some of the Montgomery County Maryland stores carry for those who live close to me.  Classification: Cru Bourgeois.  Varietals: 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc. Typical Price: $23.

Chateau Mauvesin Barton: I am a huge fan of this wine and consider it the Best Buy in Bordeaux.  I did a whole blog post on it last year and you can find it at https://billwinetravelfood.com/2023/07/09/bordeaux-best-buy-chateau-mauvesin-barton/ . The thumbnail is that The Barton family who owns Leoville Barton, my favorite 2^nd growth, and Langoa Barton, a very good 3^rd Growth, bought Mauvesin in 2011 and put a lot of money into the vineyard and wine making facility and manage it with the same team as their Grand Cru Classe wines.  Because it is not in St. Julien, they have to keep it a separate label and it is a steal at this price.  The mix below is for the 2020 vintage.  The winemakers have chosen to change the percentages significantly in different years as the vines mature from the investments made in the last 12 years.  Classification: Moulis en Medoc.  Varietals: 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc.  Typical Price: $22

Chateau Greysac: Situated at the confluence of the Gorgonne estuary and the Atlantic Ocean just north of St. Estephe, it sits on a large swale of Gunzian gravel over a clay-limestone base.  A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with a dash of Cab Franc and Petite Verdot. Fresh red berries, along with notes of cedar and spice, mingled with dusty tannins and impressive structure.  The nose is aromatic, elegant and displays good depth and harmony. There are notes of bourbon vanilla, blackberry and more slightly raspberry associated with hints of blueberry as well as points of racy minerality, nutmeg and sweet spices.  The palate is fruity, mineral, balanced and offers freshness, an acidic frame, a nice fineness of grain as well as harmony, a little tension and greediness. This wine consistently gets 90-92 points from many reviewers.  Classification: Cru Bourgeois Superieur.  Varietals: Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon with a splash of Cab Franc and Petit Verdot, specific percentages not provided.  Typical Price: $25.

Chateau Senejac: The wine has a beautiful red color with bright reflections. The nose is precise with notes of cherry. It continues with spicy notes revealing the expression of the Petit Verdot. The attack on the palate is fresh, balanced and smooth. The tannins are silky and distinctive. On the palate, the fruit is ripe and plump. The finish is long, precise with a beautiful aromatic intensity. It is an elegant, aromatic wine with a beautiful tannic finesse.    Consistently gets 89-93 points from multiple reviewers.  Classification: Cru Bourgeois.  Varietals: Made from a robust blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, percentages not provided.  Typical Price: $25

Chateau Listage: This wine is from the Listrac Médoc appellation which is the most recent and smallest of the Médoc appellations. The soils of Listrac Médoc are typical of the Medoc, composed of Pyrenean and Garonne gravel as well as clay.   Château Lestage shows a deep purple color. It has an attractive, clean and pure bouquet with lifted strawberry and raspberry scents infused with a touch of vanilla from new oak. On the palate, the wine offers a lot of ripe red fruit and black current flavors. It shows good structure with silky tannins, for some good aging. Aged 12 months in oak, 2/3 new oak.  Wine Enthusiast consistently gives this wine 90-92 points.  Classification: Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel.  Varietals: 62% Merlot, 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 1% Petit Verdot.  Typical Price: $25

Chateau Haut-Bailly “HB”: Chateau Haut-Bailly is one of only sixteen estates that has the classification of Cru Classe de Graves and its top wine sells for $120-150.  They make a great “second” wine Haut-Bailly II that is a best buy at $40.  This HB wine is their “third” wine and it was known as “Pessac-Léognan” since 1987 and was recently rejuvenated after 30 years of success and renamed to HB. The initials of the property are highlighted in a more concise format. HB originates from the estate’s youngest vines. A brief stint of barrel ageing provides a little more structure and softness, while retaining a wine that is enjoyable after a couple of years in bottle.  Classification: Cru Pessac-Leognan.  Varietals: 63% Cabernet Sauvignon and 31% Merlot.  Typical Price: $29

L’Orme de Rauzan-Gassies: L’Orme is the second label of the prestigious classified growth, Chateau Rauzan-Gassies, a 2^nd Growth 1855 Grand Cru Classe. It is about 2/3 Merlot, grown on the sandy gravel soils of the Medoc, just outside Margaux. This is full-bodied with ripe cassis flavors, notes of violet, vanilla and sandalwood, followed by a firm, dry yet elegant finish.  A very attractive price for a second wine from such a prestigious estate.  Classification: Haut Medoc.  Varietals: a blend of approximately 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet.  Typical Price: $29.

You can download a list of these wines to take to a good local wine shop here.

 If you are not seeing these wines in your local stores, check out the post that I did: Where Do I Find The Wines That Are Being Recommended? https://billwinetravelfood.com/2023/07/29/where-do-i-find-the-wines-that-are-being-recommended/

This last download, also offered on the earlier Red Bordeaux Wines Under $30 – Part 1, has recommendations of serving good red wine, from any region of the world, to get the best flavor it has to offer.