In recent years, especially since Asia discovered fine wine, Bordeaux has become the punching bag for oenophiles frustrated by astronomical prices. And it’s true that prices for the top-ranked châteaux have gone through the roof. But while it almost seems that Bordeaux has become the wine people love to hate, it’s a mistake to think of the five First Growths as price drivers for the region.
In fact Bordeaux produces on average 58 million cases of wine every year. And together the First Growths produce an average of 74 thousand cases a year. So (crunch, crunch) the math shows these elite chateaux that get all the press and hoopla about soaring prices represent only .001 percent of the region’s annual total production.
Competition from around the globe has forced every major wine region to focus on quality in order to stay in the game. And today in Bordeaux there is more exciting, and affordable, wine being produced than ever before.
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There is a new generation of quality, as Oz Clarke recently wrote in Decanter Magazine, “…based on youth, as a new generation takes over and is simply not prepared to commit the blood and sweat of their working lives to producing a mediocre drink.”
So if you’re looking for good Bordeaux at affordable prices, search out wines from the un-sexy right bank appellations such as Côtes de Blaye and Bourg, Lalande de Pomerol, Castillon, Fronsac, Bordeaux Supérieur, and even basic Bordeaux. You’ll be amazed at the quality you can buy for under $30.
