The wines are as good as they have ever been, and pricing for many releases has fallen to levels that remind us of campaigns from a decade ago. Few regions in the world can offer this combination of pedigree, quality, ageability, and value.
Okay, we’re taking a quick break from our all-out Burgundy Blitz of the past few emails to turn our attention to another of France’s great wine regions: Bordeaux.
Burgundy certainly knows how to grab the headlines these days. Whether it’s a $40,000 theft involving bottles of DRC, or Jon Hamm’s character in Your Friends & Neighbors swiping a bottle of Domaine d’Auvenay Chevalier-Montrachet 2013—a wine that can sell for more than $30,000—Burgundy and its increasingly astronomical prices seem to get all the attention.
Heck, we had a customer walk in a couple of days ago and drop more than $7,000 on nine bottles of Grand Cru Burgundy.
But here’s the thing: Bordeaux just keeps delivering.
Vintage after vintage, Bordeaux continues to produce outstanding, age-worthy Grand Vins—and many of them sell for considerably less than even village-level Burgundy from top-flight producers. For anyone looking for serious, cellar-worthy French wine without venturing into Burgundy’s increasingly stratospheric pricing, Bordeaux deserves a fresh look.
Of course, finding the right Bordeaux at the right price isn’t always as easy as it sounds. The wines are much more widely available than Burgundy, but Missouri’s three-tier distribution system can make tracking down the real sweet spots a little tricky. Lately, we’ve been searching high and low for exactly those bottles.
After scouring yet another round of Bordeaux offerings, I think we’ve dialed in on some terrific values from the Médoc and Saint-Émilion.
And there’s another reason to pay attention to Bordeaux right now: you don’t necessarily have to wait 20 years to drink it.
History tells us these wines have long lives ahead of them, but modern winemaking has made Bordeaux—particularly in strong recent vintages—far more approachable in its youth. The structure and cellar potential are still there, but so is the fruit.
So don’t be afraid to pull the cork, bust out the decanter, and tuck into a young Bordeaux sooner rather than later.
I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Château Haut-Bages Libéral — Pauillac 2019
$68.99
96 Points — James Suckling
A mature-vintage opportunity from Pauillac and a great example of why Bordeaux deserves another look when you compare what $70 buys here versus Burgundy.
Château Haut-Bages Libéral — Pauillac 2023
$59.99
96 Points — Vinous
Same château, younger vintage, and under $60—a compelling way to put serious classified-growth Pauillac in the cellar without breaking the bank.
Château Phélan Ségur — Saint-Estèphe 2023
$68.99
96 Points — James Suckling
Classic Saint-Estèphe territory from an estate that has developed a devoted following among Bordeaux drinkers. Built to age, but modern enough that you won’t necessarily have to keep your hands off it forever.
Clos Fourtet — Saint-Émilion 2023
$149.99
98 Points — James Suckling
The big gun of the group. Clos Fourtet is one of Saint-Émilion’s benchmark estates, and the 2023 brings serious pedigree and cellar potential while remaining a fraction of what comparable prestige can cost on the other side of France.
Bordeaux may not be stealing the headlines from Burgundy—but when it comes to what’s actually going into our cellars, that might be exactly the opportunity.