Clos du Marquis, Alter Ego de Palmer, Echo de Lynch Bages, Sarget de Gruaud Larose….
These are some of the second wines that have seen their popularity grow and grow and many would argue have a cult status among Bordeaux drinkers.
At approximately 1/3 of the price of the Grand Vin, the second wine of your favourite Chateau still provides the theatre of Cru Classé Bordeaux but at a more realistic level that could, depending on your outlook, be called ‘every day’ drinking.
As the price of top claret has risen over the last 10 years, drinkers have increasingly looked to second wines for their better prices with the added bonus that it is always ready to drink sooner than its Grand Vin counterpart, thereby realising a saving on a few years of storage costs also.
There have also been some spectacular performances from an investment point of view also from some of the 1st growths’ second wines. Take Carruades de Lafite 2000 for example, which came on the market at about £200 per case in 2001, now changes hands for about £2,400.
As well as the first growths (Les Forts de Latour, Pavillon Rouge de Margaux, Carruades de Lafite), look for the ‘cult’ wines mentioned above with the addition of Pagodes de Cos and Duo de Conseillante in En Primeur season.
by Rob Webber
Wine Invest Blog 