Bordeaux Values

Bordeaux wines are one of the more frequent themes here, and its not just because I happen to like their style (I like wines from just about everywhere!). There are 7,000 wineries in Bordeaux, and most of them would dwarf typical wineries in Canada and similar countries. Annual production of 5.7 million hectoliters places the region almost on par with the entire country of Portugal, the 11th largest producer.

Bordeaux is obviously not just about quantity, it is the billboard for quality. The iconic classified growths such as Château Margaux fetch almost unbelievable prices, having built up their reputations over generations as some of the best wines in the world. Increasing demand has made such wines, and their near neighbours, pretty much beyond the reach of wine lovers with modest (or even not-so-modest) means. But there is hope for us to enjoy good Bordeaux!

With so many wineries and so many wines (some 10,000 labels each year) there are many hidden gems out there which are good value purchases. I recently attended two events created with the specific purpose of finding such treasures which would be available for purchase here in the province.

The first event was jointly hosted by Dialog Wines and Great Vintages, and presented nine red wines from several appellations within Bordeaux which will be here for the wine show in November. I did not recognize any of the labels – perfect! Prices were in a reasonable range from $19 to $39.

Château de Ribebon, Bordeaux Supérieur, 2014 ($22.27) – lovely aroma of red and black fruit, rustic tannins. Score: 15

Château German, Côtes de Bordeaux Castillon, 2014 ($23.58) – quintessential Bordeaux! Score: 15.5

Château Moulin de Grenet, Lussac Saint-Émilion, 2015 ($30.15) – weighty fruit, spices, grippy tannins. Score: 15

Château Caroline, Moulis Cru Bourgeois, 2014 ($37.03) – rustic tannins and perhaps an excess of wood aromatics which might tame with more time. Score: 14

Château des Combes, Bordeaux, 2015 ($18.99) – less of the complexity and freshness of the other wines. Score: 14

Château des Demoiselles, Côtes de Bordeaux Castillon, 2014 ($26.94) – medium body with beautiful sweet fruit. Score: 16

Château d’Arce, Côtes de Bordeaux Castillon, 2015 ($38.99) – cranberry and cherry aromas with licorice accents. The higher price delivers this time. Score: 16.5

Château le Vieux Fort, Medoc, 2010 ($27.98) – The extra age shows with beautiful integrated mature fruit and structure. Good drinking now, but can last. Score: 16

Château Bellevue Figeac, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, 2015 ($32.11) – Red fruit and violets, elegant smoothness and structure. Score: 15

My next event, just a few days later, was a blind tasting of twelve Bordeaux reds. All we knew was that the wines were originally available as futures for $40 or less and were all from the 2014 vintage. We started with an elimination round where we cut the selection down to seven wines. Five of the seven final selections were chosen by all members of the panel, so there was general agreement on the top wines. We then gave more serious consideration to those remaining wines, applied our individual scores, and then the wines were ranked by the average score across the panel.

The top ranked wine of the night was the Château Capbern Gasqueton (Saint-Estèphe) which showed a complex nose with refined fruit character and smooth tannins, and was already drinking very well. The second ranked wine, Château Labégorce (Margaux) was delicious with mature ripe fruit and silky tannins for its young age. Château Brown (Péssac-Leognan) was the third ranked wine having warm, soft fruit, smooth tannins, and a good finish. The value wine selection of the evening was the Château les Grand Chênes (Médoc Cru Bourgeois) which ranked fourth overall but was the lowest in price.

While the selections above are not well-known, you will find that some of them are located on properties adjacent to a famous label, or just happen to be owned by a great label and produced by the same management. Wines such as these are worth having in your cellar, and the search for them is just as rewarding!