Weekend Wine: The Best for Less: Lower-price wines from one of France’s top producers – Food
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Cheaper wines from one of the best producers in France
By Wes Marshall, 7:00 a.m., Fri. October 22, 2021
Bodegas Caro Amancaya (Image courtesy of Château Lafite)
In the middle of the 20th century, the two best red wines in the world were considered from the French regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy. In 1855 the Bordeaux Classification Commission selected four wines as their best or 1st he Cru Classé. They were Lafite, Latour, Margaux and Haut-Brion.
The classification bureau even went so far as to call Château Lafite the “leader among fine wines”. The winery had decades of experience for the evaluation. The Lafite vineyards were planted in the 1670s.
Having your family winery named one of the best estates in the world was certainly a godsend for the family, but their production was very low and the prices were shockingly high. Today’s Château Lafite Rothschild Pauillac costs $ 750-1000 a bottle and sometimes a lot more in the very best vintages. Their solution to the problem was to create a range of wines at a cheaper price that would at least give the buyer an indication of what was missing. They had several strategies, but in my opinion the most successful were either going to another country where land and labor prices were much lower, or operating in the same area but using vineyards that had no way of choosing to develop historical status.
An example of the first strategy is their wine called Bodegas Caro Amancaya ($ 20). It is made in Argentina using the best vineyards and production methods. The cuvée is more Malbec and less Cabernet than most Bordeaux wines, resulting in a more fruity wine that is usually ready to drink much earlier. Like almost all Argentine red wines, this one works wonderfully with grilled meat. Amancaya is available from Twin Liquors, Total Wine, Spec’s and WB Liquors.
Les Legendes Bordeaux Rouge ($ 20) is native to Bordeaux, but the vineyards aren’t just in Pauillac like the Lafite. The wine is made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and the blend aims for an easy-to-drink style that you can serve at a party or enjoy with a wide variety of dishes from hamburgers to lasagna. The Legendes is available at many HEBs.
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More of Wes Marshall
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KEYWORDS FOR THIS MAIL
Lafite, Rothschild, Bordeaux, 1st Cru Classé, Latour, Margaux, Haut-Brion, Bodegas Caro, Amancaya, Les Legendes Bordeau
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