12 Bordeaux wines for everyday drinking

Does ‘Everyday Bordeaux’ sound like an oxymoron to you? I know it does to a lot of people and I totally get why. Who wants to pick up a midweek wine from a region they perceive to be complicated, unpredictable, and expensive? 

Yes, these accusations have been fuelled by a wine region accused of being greedy, but it’s a two-way street. My own introduction to Bordeaux was completely upside down; in my very first job – at the Institute of Masters of Wine – chief among my roles was to organise the annual program of London tastings for MWs and its students. The Annual Claret Tasting was the big-ticket event of the year and always massively oversubscribed. In between lugging around gigantic spittoons and nursing endless cuts from foil capsule mishaps, I lapped up all the knowledge that MWs were sharing before, during, and after the event. By the time I left that job, I could pretty much tell you all the cru classé property names, specific hierarchies, and, in many cases, the style of each château. Sounds impressive on paper, but together with all the en primeur sagas, it filled my head with the notion there was only one type of claret – the pricey and posh kind. 

But no. As soon as I physically stepped foot in Bordeaux, I realised I’d been naive. As the largest vineyard area of fine wines in the world, and with an annual production of around 650m bottles, it only stands to reason there must, MUST, be other wines coming out of those hallowed vines that are capable of giving us serious pleasure at prices that don’t involve remortgaging the house. 

Bordeaux is perceived to be complicated, unpredictable and expensive, but there are plenty of wines to be found here that don't involve remortgaging the house.

Four principles for finding value in Bordeaux

While Bordeaux isn’t the most straightforward of regions to understand, it’s easier to navigate than you might think, especially if you follow one of the following four principles. 

Firstly, look at ‘lighter’ or underrated years. When reviews for a particular vintage – 2022 being the most recent example – are outstanding, take a look at a nearby but unassuming vintage instead – like 2021 – which is listed everywhere as ‘challenging’ (a total purchasing put off). But those were mostly early vintage reports. If you look at the later vintage reviews, reports describe 2021 as appetising and balanced, and that’s where some serious bargains can be found.

Secondly, pay attention to the price of second wines from good but not extortionate properties. If the first wine is good, the second wine from the same stable is very unlikely to be a dud, as it’ll still be made with the same vineyard and winemaking approach of the first wine. 

Thirdly, don’t be afraid to drink young red Bordeaux. There’s a misconception about these kinds of wines, that just because they carry Bordeaux on the label, they need at least five years of age on them. Rubbish. If wines from a lighter year, from a subregion that produces fresher styles, or they are just made in a lighter style (e.g. less oak) they could well be at their best when super young. The only appellations really worth leaving for a good eight years or so are Margaux, St-Julien and Pauillac. 

Finally, be bold. Drink unfamiliar names. There are 6000 properties in Bordeaux, yet about 10 per cent of them seem to grab the limelight. We can’t be expected to know all the others of course, so a word of mouth recommendation from your friendly merchant is well worth taking up on, especially now that online ordering makes it easier than ever before to track down one of those unfamiliar names.

One of the keys to finding value in Bordeaux is to look for wines from underrated vintages.

12 wines from Bordeaux for everyday drinking

So, now I appeal to your romantic nature. If you’re into wine (and I’m guessing if you’re reading this, you are), surely your heart strings tug a little at the mere mention of Bordeaux, a place with such an intrinsic and historic connection to wine. This is the chance to give the everyday a go. And by everyday I’m talking $45 and under. Still pricey at the top end – granted, but remember this is well out of the league of the top names, and by comparison, they truly are ‘everyday’. 

These names are all little gems that are made with care and love, and drinkability in mind, at least they taste as though they are. Although, remember the golden rule of buying Bordeaux, no matter what price point you’re looking at – don’t get too hung up on appellations, the property and grower names are the ones to follow. And with that in mind, I hope you enjoy the below. 
  
2020 Château Beaumont, Haut-Médoc
13.5% alc. RRP $40, drink by 2035 
A Cru Bourgeois with a well-deserved reputation for classy yet sensibly priced reds. A heady mix of fleshy fruit with, in this vintage, a brisk freshness sweeping over the richness of dark red fruit. Hugely enjoyable now, but could also keep well. 

2019 Clos Manou, Petit Manou, Médoc 
14% alc. RRP $29.99, drink by 2029 
This second wine is from a ‘newish’ property with a real focus on fruit quality, and here, all the vineyards are converted to organic as soon as they can be. This doesn’t have the ‘money’ taste of the first wine (100 per cent new oak), making it approachable and charming in its infancy.  

2019 Château Caronne Ste. Gemme, Haut-Médoc
13.5% alc. RRP $35, drink by 2032 
If you’re looking for perennially good value, look no further than this estate, which has Gruaud Larose and Lascombes for neighbours. Beautifully firm structure, with a very concentrated core of cassis and mint, this has purity and class.   

2021 Château Cru Godard, Francs Côtes de Bordeaux
14.5% alc. RRP $45, drink by 2031 
Right bank, first wine, certified organic, biodynamic, and just south of St-Émilion. This heady combination of silky tannins and soft red fruits just as much as black fruits is extremely satisfying and with a freshnes to the acidity to gift it all lift. It makes for great early – but very smart – drinking.  

2017 Château Fourcas Dupré, Listrac-Médoc
13% alc. RRP $41, drink by 2030 
Listrac-Médoc is a real gem of a location on the Left Bank, tucked in between big hitter appellations St-Julien and Margaux. The tannin layers really characterise this cabernet-led blend. But there’s more to it, in the form of cedar, tobacco and good dose of cassis and mint.  
 
2015 Château Bernadotte, Haut-Médoc
13.5% alc. RRP $38, drink by 2026 
For a lovely claret under $40 with a bit of age on it, this is quite the buy. With dried tobacco and a hint of black tea just overtaking the cassis fruit, it offers a glimpse into a wine proud to be in its prime together with supple tannins and a mineral lift to finish.   

2020 Château Beauregard Ducasse, Cuvée Albert Duran, Graves
14% alc. RRP $25, drink by 2026 
A son, father and uncle team from the southern tip of the Graves. There’s real complexity here despite its youth and affordable price tag, and one of its biggest assets is this voluptuous ripe fruit with lovely fine tannins. A red that belies its price and destined for happy youthful drinking. 
 
2018 Château Clinet, Ronan by Clinet, Bordeaux
13% alc. RRP $33, drink by 2026 
Although very much a ‘classic’ flavour profile of this 100 per cent merlot, it’s the balance that wins the day for the money here. It has tonnes of appeal thanks to its deft hint of woody nuttiness and plush dark fruit. Delicious now so don’t hang about. 

2020 Château Beausejour, Fronsac, Bordeaux
14% alc. RRP $26, drink by 2026 
Mostly merlot with a touch of both cabernets, this has lovely layers of texture and flavour. Fruity at first, turning savoury on the finish. Well made, but would benefit from drinking from now to the next 18 months – which is where the value in this price lies. 

2021 Château de Chantegrive, Graves
13.5% alc. RRP $44, drink by 2027 
A very new property by Bordeaux standards, this estate arrived on the scene in 1966 as a collection of vineyards that were brought together. Bright fruit shines through in this 50/50 merlot/cab sav blend, which has a real succulence on the mid-palate.  

2020 Château Beaumont, Les Tours de Beaumont
13.5% alc. RRP $28, drink by 2030 
From the same owners as Beychevelle, this environmentally friendly farmed red has some real left bank pedigree. Steel fermentation and a year or so in oak gives this cabernet sauvignon dominated blend suppleness of black fruit together with pretty silky tannins, offering good bang for buck.  

2019 Château Le Roudier, Montagne Saint-Émilion
12.5% alc. RRP $30, drink by 2034 
The easy drinking nature of this bottle is partly down to the cement tanks, making the fruit both bursting with character and very appetising. About two-thirds merlot from roughly 35-year-old vines gives this a distinct fruitiness while also carrying real presence.  

This article first appeared in issue #76 of Halliday magazine. Become a member and receive four issues per year, plus digital access to over 180,000 tasting notes and more.

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