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Good Value Right Bank Bordeaux

Bordeaux has a reputation for producing expensive wines, and for those drinking on a restrictive budget it can be difficult to sample the delights that this region has to offer. Forming a wine tasting group is one way to lessen the financial impact, and enables you to taste multiple bottles, and I wholeheartedly recommend this practice. But what of drinking wine at home, with a meal, as wine is really intended to be consumed. How can the Bordeaux drinker on a budget get the fix he or she needs without breaking the bank?

There are several approaches to this problem. Purchasing off-vintage wines is one method, but it demands careful research to avoid the disappointing bottles. Others opt for the hierarchical approach, purchasing lesser wines (preferably from great vintages). These can be second wines from great chateaux - Clos de Marquis from Léoville-Las-Cases is an appropriate example - but even these can be pricy. Another option is to step down the staircase of appellations, taking wines from Cru Bourgeois chateaux and even those that qualify for only the basic Bordeaux appellation. Careful selection here can reveal Cru Classé quality from the former group, and certainly some classically styled wines from the latter.

Another option is to shop around the peripheries of Bordeaux. Pomerol, on the right bank, spawns some of the most expensive wines in the world. Yet paradoxically, just a few minutes drive away, are a number of 'lesser' appellations which offer great value for money. Good value wines may come from a number of St Emilion Grand Cru properties, the St Emilion satellite appellations, Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac.

St Emilion Grand Cru

There are dozens of chateaux classified as St Emilion Grand Cru, but beware - this grand sounding classification does not guarantee a grand wine. You are more likely to find these (at a price) among the superior classifications of Premier Grand Cru Classé (class A and B) and Grand Cru Classé - it's a confusing system on which I provide more details here: St Emilion classifications. Nevertheless, among the Grand Cru chateaux there are some delicious wines which are easy on the pocket as well as the palate. One example is the recently featured Chateau Teyssier. The following is another example, a wine which typifies the success of the 2000 vintage, from which there are so many delicious and good value wines.

St Emilion Satellites

Another approach to finding good value drinking around St Emilion may be to explore the satellite appellations of Montagne-, Lussac-, Puisseguin- and St-Georges-St-Emilion. With careful selection these regions may yield good value wines that offer an obvious Bordeaux fix, and the producers behind the following two wines are typical examples. Chateau Roudier is one of a portfolio of properties run by Jacques Capdemourlin, and has been in the family for generations. Chateau du Lyonnat is owned by the Milhade family, who also have control over a portfolio of properties.

Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac

Some of the best value wines in Bordeaux originate from these appellations. Chateau Villars, owned by Jean-Claude and Brigitte Gaudre, operate a modern winery and produce good value wine typical of the region. Chateau La Riviere and Chateau La Vieille Cure are two old favourites of mine, and have been discussed in some detail on this website before.

Here I explore some of the wines discussed above. For more information along the lines of my thoughts above see my article on the Price of Claret. (30/7/03)

Good Value Right Bank Bordeaux - Tasting Notes

Tasted in July 2003. Click to locate stockists:

Chateau Lapelletrie Grand Cru (St Emilion) 2000: Typical youthful red-purple colour. Obvious youth on the nose, which flits from blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, to wet pebbles, to vanillin oak, and back to more of the black fruits. Full, almost lush texture on entry, but with plenty of evident grip and tannin from midpalate onwards, and really dominating the finish. Some good fruit, fresh but balanced acidity, and medium body. Strong on texture and structure, but not packed with character, although this may come with time. Needs two to three years in the cellar at least. 15.5+/20

Chateau Roudier (Montagne-St-Emilion) 1995: A moderate colour, with a dense, earthy tone. It seems quite perfumed on the nose, which offers some hints of graphite and violets, but this doesn't belie the disappointment that awaits. A hollow midpalate leads to a dead finish. Bitter finish. Absolutely dead - clearly past it. In view of the reputation of the producer I can only suppose that this wine is in someway faulty, although there are none of the telltale flavours of TCA, exposure to heat or oxidation. 11/20

Chateau du Lyonnat (Lussac-St-Emilion) 1995: Showing some maturity. On the nose it has a fruitcake and black fruit nose, which is full and plump, and there is also some persisting toasty oak. A touch creamy on the palate, with a full texture. Plump, ripe black fruits, and some grippy tannins on the finish. Nice spice. 15/20

Chateau Villars (Fronsac) 1994: Somewhat light in colour, but still vibrant. Showing some maturity. Quite full and rich on the nose, which still has youthful, vanillin, toasty-oak, but overlaid with plenty of fruit. Good body, with some woody tannins, and correct, unassuming acidity. Otherwise it seems quite supple on the palate, and a touch creamy. It has a spicy, mildly tannic finish with some length. 15/20

Chateau La Vieille Cure (Fronsac) 1995: Good deep colour, with an earthy tinge of age. Still very primary on the nose, with smoky, claretty, stony, blackberry and blackcurrant fruit. The toffee-oak notes found on last tasting, eighteen months ago, have disappeared as the oak has integrated. Fairly lean on entry, medium bodied, with firm, ripe tannins still very much in evidence. Still has good black fruit, with a lemony, acidic edge. It fleshes out nicely on the midpalate, but maintains an elegance and has great structure. Needs another year or two in the cellar. 16/20

Chateau La Rivière (Fronsac) 1996: A good deep colour, displaying just a tinge of earthy mahogany. Smoky black fruits on the nose, with notes of liquorice and violets. On entry it is medium to full bodied, with firm, ripe tannins that still need to fully integrate. Quite good concentration, good, slightly cedary fruit and correct acidity. Nicely structured stuff which will do well in the cellar for another two to three years. 15+/20