No other wine region in the world has as prestigious a collection of names as Bordeaux. Knowing them all is like being able to list the seven wonders of the ancient world. They are luxury wines, accessible only to a few, privileged consumers. But don’t let that scare you away. Here they are in alphabetical order for your enjoyment:
1. Chateau Ausone
- Named after the Latin poet Ausonius
- Thought to be the oldest wine château in Bordeaux
- Privately owned by the Vauthier family
- Première Grand Cru Classé ‘A’ in St-Émilion
- Typical blend: 55% Cabernet Franc, 45% Merlot
- Young vintages with a price range of £400-1,800/ bottle
- Second wine: Chapelle d’Ausone
2. Chateau Cheval Blanc
- Première Grand Cru Classé ‘A’ in St-Émilion
- Considered the most famous wine in St-Émilion
- The vineyard landscape is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO
- Owned by chairmain of LVMH and his business partner
- Blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot with proportions depending on the vintage
- Young vintages with a price range of £500-1,200/bottle
- Second wine: Le Petit Cheval
3. Chateau Haut-Brion
- Première Grand Cru Classé, from Grave, on the Left Bank
- Smallest of the Left Bank first growths
- The first property in Bordeaux to start selling wines under its own name
- Bought in 1935 by Mr Clarence Dillon, an American banker. Today, managed by his grandson with his mother
- Makes both red and white wines
- More austere in style than the other Left Bank first growths, but also the most reliable
- Typical blend for red: 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc
- Typical blend for white: Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, with proportions depending on each vintage
- Young vintages with prices starting at £300/bottle for red and £1,000/ bottle for white.
- Second wine: Le Clarence de Haut-Brion (previously called Bahans-Haut-Brion)
- Sister wine: Ch. La Mission Haut-Brion
4. Chateau Lafite-Rothschild
- Première Grand Cru Classé, from Pauillac, on the Left Bank
- Owned by the family of Baron Rothschild
- One of the most famous first growths in Britain
- Most sought after first growth on the Chinese market
- Blend of 80-95% Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot making up much of the rest (though there are variations in every vintage)
- Young vintages with prices starting at £600/bottle for less famous years
- Second wine: Les Carruades de Lafite-Rothschild
5. Chateau Latour
- Première Grand Cru Classé, from Pauillac, on the Left Bank
- One of the most sought-after and expensive wine producers on the planet
- Owned by the French businessman François Pinault
- In 2012, it decided to withdraw from the en primeur market, releasing wines only when they are ready to drink
- Typical blend: 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, with a dash of Petit Verdot
- Very consistent in style every year
- Price: ~£600/bottle for 2005 vintage, ~£1100/bottle for the 2010 vintage, which was rated 100 points by Robert Parker
- Second wine: Les Forts de Latour
- Third wine since 1989, developed primarily for restaurants
6. Chateau Margaux
- Première Grand Cru Classé, from Margaux, on the Left Bank
- Considered the most elegant of the first growths
- Poor performance in the 1970’s and 1980’s, but serious improvement in quality after that
- Among the first properties in Bordeaux to start selling wine under their own name
- Owned by the Mentzelopoulos family
- Average price of £500/bottle, with 2005 and 2010 vintages more expensive than that. Less famous vintages at lower prices
- Makes a superb white wine as well, Pavillon Blanc de Ch. Margaux, which can only qualify for Bordeaux AOC appellation because Margaux AOC is red only
- Second wine: Pavillon Rouge du Ch. Margaux
- Third wine: Margaux du Ch. Margaux
7. Chateau Mouton Rothschild
- Second growth in the 1855 classification – the only wine promoted to 1st growth in 1973, following the persistence of its owner
- From Pauillac, on the Left Bank
- Owned by the family of Baron of Rothschild
- Famous from its art-deco labels on the grand-vin, designed each year by a famous artist, among them Chagall and Picasso
- Artists designing the label for the grand vin are paid in wine!
- Typical blend: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot
- Known for its inconsistency in style
- Price at ~£600/ bottle for younger vintages
- Make a white wine, Aile d’Argent, again only Bordeaux AOC
- Second wine: Le Petit Mouton
8. Le Pin
- From Pomerol, on the Right Bank, not part of any official classification
- Started as a vin de garage, with only 1ha of vineyard. Now it has 2 ha, but still minuscule production
- Has a mystical, secretive quality – the producer doesn’t even have a website (trust us, they don’t need it!)
- Owned by Jacques Thienpont
- 100% Merlot
- Considered the most expensive wine in the world, more expensive than the Burgundian La Tache
- Price: 2009 vintage: £3,900 (BBR); same year La Tache (Domaine de la Romanee-Conti): £2,750/bottle
- No second wine
9. Chateau Pétrus
- From Pomerol, on the Right Bank, not part of any official classification
- Owned by the Moueix family and distributed through exclusive, hand picked agents
- Started to receive international attention with the legendary 1945 and 1947 vintages. I remember hearing about this wine in the RED2 movie, when Catherina Zeta-Jones threatens to smash it as a torture measure
- Best after a decade or two in the bottle
- 100% Merlot
- Price per bottle: £1,600-2000 for young vintages
- No second wine
10. Chateau d’Yquem
- The greatest wine of Sauternes and, according to the famous 1855 classification, of the entire Bordeaux region
- Sweet, golden, luscious, and apparently immortal
- LVMH acquired majority ownership in 1999
- Typical blend: 80% semillon and 20% sauvignon blanc
- If the grapes are not good enough, they release no wine
- Price starts at ~£150 for a half-bottle
So there you have it – the most acclaimed producers in all of Bordeaux. For more about Bordeaux check out our articles on Essential Bordeaux wine knowledge and 10 Quirky facts about Bordeaux.