Bordeaux Wines Best Affordable Bordeaux to Drink Now

Can’t wait to enjoy Bordeaux but think it’s out of reach? What if I told you there are incredible, affordable Bordeaux wines that rival the prestige bottles—without the hefty price tag? Discover which ones you should be sipping now!

Bordeaux Wines Best Affordable Bordeaux to Drink Now

Sometimes it seems that all we hear is the high price of great Bordeaux wines. The Asian market, for example, has lifted the price of Bordeaux First Growths to unbelievable levels. The national television news this week carried the story of a new high for a bottle of Bordeaux – over $100,000 for a bottle of Château D’Yquem from the Napoleonic era. And so it goes.

But what if you want to find Bordeaux wines: the best affordable wines to drink now?  It can be done!

Bordeaux Wines Best Affordable Whites

•  Monsieur Touton Sauvignon sec.
• Cháteau Fage, Graves de Vayre.
• Château Saintongey

Bordeaux Wines Best Affordable Reds 

• Mouton Cadet red
• Château Le Prieuré St. Laurent
• Château La Grange Clinet
• Château Patache d’Aux

Bordeaux Wines-Price and Quality Depends on Placement and Weather

Prices have risen. (For more on the Bordeaux futures market and how it works, read our blog: Buying Bordeaux Futures) However, there is another side to this wine pricing equation.

• The quality of Bordeaux wines depends largely on where the grapes are grown, how they are grown, and what the weather is like.
• But the weather, or microclimate, is often the same for an entire area, not just for Château Margaux.
• If your wine retailer tells you, for example, that 2009 was a wonderful year for Margaux, the chances are that weather-wise, it was good throughout the Margaux region of the Médoc. The rain doesn’t fall on first growths alone! And so the first rule is to realize that a superior year often produces excellent wines across the board.

            Bordeaux Wines-Buy More Affordable Wines in Quality Vintage Years

Let’s expand that principle a bit.

• The vintages of both 2009 and 2010 have been hailed nearly throughout the Bordeaux region.
• The wines on the bargain end of the price scale can also be of fine quality.
• Is it even possible that a 2010 Bordeaux from, say, a cru bourgeois property might be as good a bargain as a classified growth from a less successful year?

I think so. And that is where your search for affordable Bordeaux should begin, from the excellent vintages that are still drinkable (not passed their prime).

• And do look to see whether there are cru bourgeois or cru artisan wines becoming available. These indications of quality have had a rocky time with the French legal system, but the way lies open for their use. When you find them, the prize will be quality, unpretentious wines at a reasonable cost.
• The corollary is also true – a fine vintage drives down the prices of less favored vintages.  We also have a fondness for less favored vintages because, well, we love the underdogs and know great producers can make great wines.

       Bordeaux Wines-Some Suggestions: Affordable Whites

• For white Bordeaux wines, start with a favorite, Monsieur Touton Sauvignon sec. This is a perennial bargain. This is a refreshing wine, either as an aperitif or with your meal.
• Another favorite is Cháteau Fage, Graves de Vayre. It is on the Dordogne facing Fronsac and is the traditional Bordeaux blend of 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon grapes, from 28-year-old vines. The wine is elegant and refreshing. (I think of it as the husband’s friend. When you are asked to pick up a bottle of white wine, this one has always pleased!)
• Also, a bargain is Château Saintongey, with the same blend, made from 35-year-old vines. I look forward to trying this wine, said to have citrus notes, and going perfectly with a seafood or chicken dinner.

   Bordeaux Wines-Some Suggestions: Affordable Reds

• I start with the always reliable Mouton Cadet red (also their white wine is available) for under $15. These are fine-quality starter wines, from the house of Mouton Rothschild. The taste of either is genuinely that of Bordeaux.
• I also enjoy the Château Le Prieuré St. Laurent.  This wine is from the Libourne area, to the east of Bordeaux towards Pomerol and St. Emilion. It is an unpretentious, flavorful wine, which will go well with beef or burgers.
• Also available here is Château La Grange Clinet. This wine is produced at St. Caprais, some 10 miles south of Bordeaux, in the Premières Côtes de Bordeaux region. Tasty and satisfying, it is proudly produced by sustainable agricultural methods.
• Finally, you might try Château Patache d’Aux, a cru bourgeois supérieure of the Médoc. This is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot. This is one of those fine wines which might be upgraded if the old system were revised. It won’t ever happen, so the price is your bargain for the quality received.