Any 2nd wine labels people are particularly fond of? I know alter ego is pretty popular as is ducru’s 2nd label (even see their 3rd label at Costco sometimes). Recently picked up some 2016 petit figeac at a reasonable price that I liked so much I bought an entire case of as a quasi-house wine that I can drink over a few days. Would love to hear what other people are enjoying.
I like the Les Griffons De Pichon-Baron as a second. I drank it alongside a 1990 Pichon-Baron once during a dinner and found it quite enjoyable.
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Old Bahans is decent. Dame de Montrose I also enjoy generally when I need to drink Bordeaux - 2016 is still very cheap.
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Baron de Brane from Brane-Cantenac has been a hit for me for both 2016 and 2018. One bottle left of 6 from 2016.
La Sirene de Giscours from Chateau Giscours is often overpriced but reliable.
You already mentioned that Ducru-Beaucaillou’s third wine, Le Petit Ducru overdelivers for the cost, and I agree! I had a bottle of the 2019 that lasted four nights until it really started to fall off. Plenty of life in those bottles.
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I have had very good bottles of Pavillon Rouge from Margaux and Carruades de Mouton is usually very decent, and Les Forts de Latour is always good (I have a bottle of 1990 that I keep thinking of opening). I’m really not a fan of any others as I have found many to be a bit disappointing.
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La Dame de Montrose. Not sure you need any others. :). It’s better than many 3rd growths.
But also
Gravette de Certan
Reserve de Lalande
Croix de Canon
C de Carmes
Forts is great, but would I rather have it than any 2nd growth in the same year? Not really.
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You probably mean Carruades des Lafite or Le Petit Mouton.
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Are these second wines from First Growth properties really worth it? Clarence Haut Brion, Bahans, Les Forts, Pavillion, Le Petit Mouton, Carruades are $200+ per bottle. I have little experience with these wines, except for a pretty disappointing Les Forts des Latour, but seems like it would be better to spend the same money on the Grand Vin from a second growth or some other well regarded producer.
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Dame de Montrose
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou La Croix Ducru Beaucaillou
La Gravette de Certan (of VCC)
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Yeah, Thanks for the correction, Noah. and frankly I don’t think that either the first growths themselves nor their second wines are worth what they want for them. Wine prices are absurd for upper end stuff. Things that I paid less than $100 a bottle are now asking absurd prices, presumably because enough people are willing to pay them what they are asking. Carruades costs around $550 a bottle up here now and the last Lafite (2019) goes for $1600 a bottle.
I had a '16 Gravette de Certan a couple nights ago that was awesome and about 1/5 of the going price for the 2016 VCC.
On the whole though, I find the whole genre to be pretty price-dependent. Alter Ego is great but spendy. I think Dame de Montrose, Croix de Beaucaillou, Pichon Comtesse Reserve, Griffons de Pichon Baron are worth getting at like $40-45ish or below. Once you get up towards $50 you can start to get classed growth first wines that make a 2nd wine less of a value.
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I have heard good things about l’Esprit de Chevalier. No first hand knowledge though. We did have 2016 Bel Air de Gloria with dinner tonight. I believe it is owned by Gloria but is in the Haut Medoc. It was nice.
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Le Dame de Montrose
Comtesse de Lalande
---------those two are pretty reliable.
L’Esprit de Chevalier blanc is pretty solid. (I haven’t tried the red)
I enjoyed the 2015 Les Allees de Cantemerle.
For more humble producers (such as Cantemerle) I find they excel in the bigger/riper vintages; I’d take the same tact when hunting seconds, in general, except for the best of the seconds.
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Chateau Margaux and Cheval Blanc produce white wines that are sold under their second label: Pavilion Blanc and Le Petit Cheval Blanc. There are probably others who do this as well, though these are the two that I’ve tried. I think this is a little different than what the OP was asking about, but for what it’s worth, these two whites were excellent. Pricey but fantastic.
First Growth’s 2nd wines were nearly all $20-$30 wines (and pretty simple ones), except for Les Forts Latour, until about 2010 when the Chinese took Lafite pricing to the moon. Carruades (a simple $25 wine) went to $200 in less than a year. The other 2nds took hold and pricing skyrocketed. These wines are not worth their price in my opinion. Other classified growths are better wines at less cost. But of course they don’t have the status . . .the relationship to First Growth Bordeaux. It’s a bit of a con game to my tastes.