Grand Vins Versus Second Labels

Second label wines from Bordeaux have gotten a lot of attention lately because of their relative value, especially in years like 2005. A second label wine is one that is made on an estate but from vines that are either younger, did not produce as much fruit as the winemaker would like, or a variety of other reasons.

The point being that for whatever reason, the fruit from these vines did not meet the high standards to make it into the first wine, but the fruit is still good enough to be used to make a quality of wine (don't get the impression that not good enough for the first wine means that the fruit is terrible, nothing could be further from the truth).

Second growths have benefitted from the improved quality and consistency of Bordeaux wines over the last few decades, to the point that many have become sought after in their own right.

The French Wine Society, here in DC, is doing a fun tasting on the 28th of January: Bordeaux: Grands Vins vs. Seconds Labels. Lisa Airey is leading the tasting and it includes the following grand vins and their second labels:

Grand Vin	Second Label
Chateau Cantemerle	Les Alles de Cantemerle
Clos du Marquis	Leoville Lascase
Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou	Croix de Beaucaillou
Cos d'Estournel	Les Pagodes de Cos
Chateau Montrose	La Dame de Montrose

It looks to be a fun night, and I can't wait to try some of these wines!