Bordeaux Chateaux & Their Different Wines

The word chateau may conjure up images of a French country manor or castle. Although by the traditional definition this may be correct, in the wine industry a chateau may refer to any building where wine is produced. To begin to decipher one chateau from the next, it's important to start with the Bordeaux classification systems. Unlike other regions in France, Bordeaux has multiple classification systems that rank the chateau, or producers, rather than the vineyards themselves. When these classifications were made, the chateau were originally ranked on the quality of their one flagship wine, also known as the Grand Vin. These century-old systems still stand today, with only a handful of amendments happening over time. This has resulted in the top-ranked chateau consistently producing the highest quality and most expensive wines. However, it's not always necessary to seek out these flagship first wines. Many chateaux produce a second or even a third wine that can be a great introduction to the top producers in Bordeaux. I'd really like to understand your opinion on second wines. Do you think that they're good quality? It's a good question because second wine, for me, it's very interesting because we have a large choice of second wine. For example, Réserve de la Comtesse, it's a second wine of Chateau Pichon Comtesse. Our second wine of Chateau Angélus, Carillon de l'Angélus, it's a very good wine. And I think now we can buy a third wine, le Saint-Emilion d'Angélus or le Bordeaux de Margaux. It's a very good value for money. Although the best grapes will always go into the making of the Grand Vin, the rigorous selection process means that the second and third wines can still be of exceptional quality but at more affordable prices. So could you please explain what Grand Vin actually means and how that's different to a second wine? In Bordeaux, we have the Grand Vin of the first wine, as we say, and that's the special care, you know, that when we are blending, we decide that this vat will go in second wine and this vat will go for first wine or Grand Vin. That's the difference. It's a totally psychological choice. That's why sometimes I think that my second wines, which are maybe four times less expensive than my first wine, are 20% less long, less sophisticated in the final touch. But some people would pay much more for the 20%, you know, so... No matter if it's a first, second or third wine, the best producers will never compromise on the effort and care that they put into each and every bottle. So what would you say, in one sentence, is your philosophy? I want the best of Mother Nature but also the best of technology and I want to give the best pleasure on Earth to people who drink my wines.