Why Cru Bourgeois du Médoc is Your Perfect House Red Wine
The Left Bank Bordeaux classification offers great quality and value for fans of French wine.
Ask any casual wine lover why they don’t drink more Bordeaux, and they’ll probably cite reasons including hefty price tags, head-scratching labels, and the long cellaring time that bottles often require to tame those tannins. But even enthusiastic fans of First and Second Growths may want to switch it up for an approachable wine they can carry home from the store and uncork straight away on a weeknight. Thankfully, there’s an option for both of those camps: Cru Bourgeois du Médoc.
This Bordeaux classification represents high-quality but wallet-friendly bottles from the storied French region’s Left Bank. Based on either cabernet sauvignon or merlot, these wines are made for everyday sipping, host gifting and even entertaining.
“Crus Bourgeois du Médoc offer the opportunity to discover some hidden gems from the region,” says Sara Lecompte Cuvelier, managing director for Château Le Crock in Saint-Estèphe, the northernmost appellation in the Médoc, “putting the accent on both historic and family-owned property that have made strong investments to let the quality and diversity of the wines shine through.”
Crus Bourgeois du Médoc Classification
The classification, which represents 31% of the Médoc’s production, was created in 1932 as a way to spotlight wines not included as part of the 1855 Classification of Crus Classés. The Union des Crus Bourgeois du Médoc was formed in 1962, and in 1979 the official designation was approved. Today Crus Bourgeois du Médoc is made up of 250 châteaux spanning seven appellations on the Left Bank: Médoc, Haut-Médoc, Listrac-Médoc, Moulis-en-Médoc, Margaux, Pauillac, and Saint-Estèphe, and is divided into three quality tiers: Cru Bourgeois, Cru Bourgeois Supérieur, and Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel. Factors differentiating the three include wine quality, regular tasting checks, environmentally responsible winegrowing, management and marketing.
“These wines are balanced, ripe, elegant, round and charming,” according to Sonia Ozanne, Director of Château Escot, whose best plots are located in the village of Saint Christoly. “They can be enjoyed young or kept for five to ten years.” She believes they especially appeal to curious young consumers whose student loans or modest incomes price them out of higher-end bottles. Yet she goes on to add that they can also be a great inflation-buster in these current economic conditions, perfect for wine lovers who want to feed their passion for Bordeaux even if they are tightening the purse strings.
But while these great finds might be the perfect ambassadors to Bordeaux, some education is still needed to get the word out, according to Chloé Rouyer, sales and marketing representative for Château Poitevin. “The lack of recognition could be stemming from our very French approach to winemaking,” she admits. “We make wines from our terroirs before making wine for our consumers.” Fair enough.
One Classification, Many Chateaux
But Rouyer believes that while Crus Bourgeois du Médoc offerings are similar in terms of quality, each château has its own stamp, and vintage variation piques palates and keeps things interesting. She recommends uncorking bottles at different times of the year to serve alongside seasonal produce. Mushrooms and truffles are sure bets. That concentrated fruit and ample tannins also works with protein including rib eye with red wine and shallot sauce, poultry or game birds, lamb, or roasted veal or pork, according to Ozanne, as well as creamy potatoes, parmesan cheese, and chocolate desserts. “Our wines are charming because of their roundness and fruitiness, so they are easy-drinking even when young.”
The Future of the Crus Bourgeois du Médoc
The next classification of Crus Bourgeois du Médoc in 2025 will raise the environmental standards. Wineries will be required to have a Level 2 environmental certification, with the Supérieur and Exceptionnel tiers required to have HEV Level 3 focusing on four areas: biodiversity conservation, plant protection strategy, fertilizer use, and management of water. Eventually, HVE certification will be required of all three classification levels to simplify the criteria. “It’s essential that our family of producers incorporates a high-level environmental sustainability certification in the classification system,” says Franck Bijon, President of Crus Bourgeois du Médoc.. “Both producers and consumers alike are ready for it.”
In the end, it’s all about seeing another side to one of the world’s most exclusive, expensive wine regions. As Rouyer puts it, “you can indulge and appreciate the wine for its true qualities, and not just its prestige.”
Bottles to Try
Ruby in the glass with streaks of purple, this wine has aromas of blackberries, cherries, honey and tobacco. The palate is silky yet fleshy, with velvety tannins and vibrant acidity, while the lengthy finish shows balance and finesse.
Intense black fruit aromas are joined by fine tannins, a medium body and a pleasant roundness on the palate. Drink now, or cellar for ten or more years.
A great combination of structure, roundness, power and soft tannins, this balanced blend of merlot and cabernet sauvignon is complex and weighty, yet fruity.
2016 Château Escot Cru Bourgeois $28
A fragrant nose of blackberry and blueberry and well-integrated oak is followed by a medium-bodied palate with juicy black fruit and a tinge of tobacco, and a well-balanced finish.