Most wine lovers and collectors have a good knowledge of the classification of the Bordeaux requested by Napoleon III in 1855 when sixty Bordeaux red wines were classified and subdivided into five raw or growth, but few know that there were four other subdivisions which included Cru bourgeois de Médoc This represents incredible wines at more affordable prices. THE Cru bourgeois de Médoc has always maintained very strict guidelines and the classification has been updated every five years since 2010. The organization continues to set high quality standards which involve an assessment of the vineyard, harvesting practices, vinification, cellar management, traffic jam, labeling and storage procedures. Also, and perhaps the most important, the last five vintages of Cruise Médoc bourgeois The wines were blind by a panel of winegrowers, wine masters, sommeliers, traders and better journalists from French wine.
The jury is led by Philippe Faure-Brac, the best sommelier in the world which is currently president of the Sommelier French Association. The wines that succeeded in this strict verification process were presented in Wine Paris in February 2025 and we had the opportunity to taste through dozens of wines, especially Cru bourgeois exceptional, bourgeois superior bourgeois, And Bourgeois vintage. The price / quality ratio is exceptional with many of these wines at less than $ 40 per bottle. Here are the best seven Bourgeois vintage Bordeaux that we tasted.
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Château d'Arsac 2019 Margaux Bordeaux
Château d'Arsac bears the name of the first owner Guillaume Geraud d'Arsac who developed the estate at the beginning of the 12th century. It was then sold in Thomas de Montaigne and later at Ernest Duboss who, in 1880, improved it to the largest wine estate in Medoc. At that time, it boasted by more than 600 acres, but it later fell into a state of dilapidation and the property funds were reduced to less than eight acres. Today, it has been restored with love and wines are considered an excellent value on the wine market. The 2019 Margaux has aromas of crushed purple petals, black blackcurrant and a touch of cedar which turns into flavors of black raspberry, black plum, with just a touch of tobacco in the finish.
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Château de Malleret 2020 Haut Medoc Bordeaux
The wines made at Château de Malleret are produced under the direction of the famous wine consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt and they constantly represent an excellent quality / price. We are big fans of Stéphane and we always find his wines to have a perfect balance among acidity, feeling in the mouth and elegance. Château de Malleret 2020 Haut Medoc is a mixture of 60% of Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 3% of Petit Verdot. He has aromas of red plum, blackcurrant and a puff of iodine raised with rich flavors of black redcurrant, black plum, purple petals and tobacco leaves.
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Château Laffitte Carcasset 2018 St Estephe Bordeaux
Château Laffitte Carcasset is one of the oldest in the domains of Saint-Esphe, with the first written mention of the Carcasset vineyard dating back to 1759. Jean Laffitte, lawyer for the king, bought the property in 1781 and the name was extended to Laffitte Carcasset. Their wines are some of the best values of the name of Saint-Esphe and the 2018 is drinking beautifully at the moment. It has aromas of crushed purple petals, cigar box and wet river rocks that lead to velvety tannins and flavors of black raspberry, red plum and blackcurrant.
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Lalaudey Castle
Château Lalaudey is located in the Moulis-en-Médoc de Bordeaux region known for the vines cultivated on clay and limestone which give a feeling of minerality to finished wines. It is a small strip of land between Margaux and Saint Julien and the wines of this region are held in high esteem by many wine lovers. Château Lalaudey 2018 Cru Bourgeois has aromas of black olive tapenade, black blackcurrants and red plum with fine tannins and juicy flavors of blackcurrant, plum and finely ground black pepper.
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Barton and guestier
In addition to 75 acres of excellent High Medoc appellation vines, the 18th century castle and the surrounding property also welcomed the siege of the famous Company Barton & Guestier. Their Magnol Château 2022 Cru Bourgeois is a mixture of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc and although he is a little young at the moment, this will improve with the age of two to four years. It has very fruity aromas, in particular the blackcurrant and red blackcurrant which result in corsic flavors of toasted oak, black raspberry and black plum wrapped with pleasantly adhesive tannins in the mouth.
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Château La Cardonne 2018 Medoc Bordeaux
The old castle La Cardonne was acquired by the Rothschilds barons areas (Lafite) in 1973 and the vinification team quickly put the cellar to work, improve drainage and replant the vines. The Charloux family resumed ownership in 1990 and continued the modernization process. The 2018 family is in ruby red in glass with aromas of blueberry, cedar board and black raspberry. He has beautiful tannins and black blackcurrant flavors, brown cooking spices and a touch of vanilla in the long finish.
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Château Paloumey 2020 Haut Medoc Bordeaux
The Octave Dupuy wine merchant established Château Paloumey in the early 1800s and planted vineyards in local winegrowers, considered fairly good because of their proximity to the classified properties of fifth growth. Unfortunately, the castles and the vineyards were decimated by the phylloxera and continued to languish during the First World War and the Second World War. They were abandoned in the middle of the 20th century, but today, the castle again produced quality wines and we were quite impressed by the 2020 vintage. It is colored garnet in the glass with aromas of black blackcurrant, finely ground black pepper and red plum which led to a full -bodied wine with flavors of black raspberry, dark chocolate and luxurious cinnamon.
