Are you a Bordeaux aficionado? Maybe someone with a cellar full of wines from Margaux, Pomerol and Saint Estephe? This article is not for you. This is aimed at wine lovers who might be a little less in-the-know about Bordeaux – but no less curious — about the wines from this historic French region.

I just returned from the Union de Grands Crus de Bordeaux a tasting in Chicago, where owners and principals of hundreds of Bordeaux chateaux were pouring their new 2020 vintage wines. A total of 13 Bordeaux crus (which refers to “growths,” as in premier cru) were showing their wines, and the consensus from all the pros is that the 2020 vintage is a winner. Bonus: these wines are drinkable right now. (I mean, sure, you can cellar them and all that, but you don’t have to.)

Did I taste the wines from Saint Émilion Grand Cru? I sure did – because I loooooove Merlot, and Saint Émilion is my favorite right bank region. Did I taste Pomerol (another Right Bank region I love)? Nope. Margaux? Skipped ’em. I got so excited about the quality from some of the lesser-known areas like Listrac -Médoc, Moulis-en-Médoc, Haut-Médoc, Médoc (I know – that’s a lot of Médocs), and Graves and Pessac-Léognan, that I went to town tasting and spitting to bring you some affordalicious insights!

Wine Eye Opener: Bordeaux is divided between Right Bank and Left Bank of the Garonne and Dordogne Rivers; Right Bank wines are generally Merlot-dominant, Left Bank wines are generally Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant.

As I tasted and talked with people, I started asking about average prices for bottles at retail – and was wowed by a lot of bodacious bottles that can be had for … are you ready for it? Less than $50! THIS is what I mean when I use my favorite word, “affordalicious.”

These wines from some of lesser-known crus might not boast “premier cru” status – but they drink like wines that are far more expensive. Trust me when I say that the Bordeaux classification system is enough to drive a person to drink, but the bottom line is this: there are glorious Bordeaux reds and whites that you want to taste – and you can do it without selling your first-born. Check these out.

These five wines from Listrac-Médoc and Moulis-en-Médoc are all on the Left Bank, so slightly more Cabernet Sauvignon-forward, backed up with plush Merlot and sometimes a little Petit Verdot, for structure. They were all absolutely, mouthwateringly delicious.

Here we have eight beauties are from Haut-Médoc and Médoc, also on the Right Bank, so most – but not – all lead with Cabernet Sauvignon.

The white wines from Graves and Pessac-Léognan are all blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, and they … are… THE BOMB! Bright, fresh, singing with acidity, but softened a bit with that Semillon. I could drink these all day long.

So that’s what’s in that bottle this week! These wines will all soon be arriving in retailers, and I say, if you’re curious, and ready to invest $25 or $35 or $40 getting to know affordalicious Bordeaux, let your wine shop know. They’ll call you when the wines come in and will help you choose. Salut, mes amies!