Bordeaux Super Seconds: 5 Key Wines for a Bordeaux Allocation

Château Figeac has long been one of our favourites as its quality and brand profile have soared over the past decade. Its promotion to the top echelon of the Saint-Émilion rankings - Premier Grand Cru Classé A - is almost assured in this year’s scheduled reclassification. Even though the Saint-Émilion classification is in disarray at the moment, Figeac’s credentials for an upgrade are well-established.

Although Figeac has delivered impressive price performance in recent years, most of its wines still trade at a discount to current Classé A names, indicating Figeac remains a low-risk purchase.  

Figeac delivered an excellent 2021 wine despite the challenging vintage, benefitting from an amazing new winery facility. This should enhance Figeac’s precision and consistency long into the future, boosting the upside for this estate that rightly sits among the top Right Bank wines.

• Wine Advocate 2021 score: 94-97pts
• Vinous 2021 score: 93-95pts (Galloni); 95-97pts (Martin)
• Performance: 81.9% (average all-vintage 5-year return, Wine Searcher)

Château Canon is on fire. Over the past decade, the Saint-Émilion estate has churned out wines that never fail to fetch critic scores in the mid-90s and sometimes even touch 100. Still, Canon prices sit comfortable below those of other top Saint-Émilion names, pointing to continued growth in the coming years. Canon is a candidate for a Classé A promotion this year, which would certainly give its profile a boost.

Canon’s rise began in 1996 when Alain Wertheimer and Gerard Wertheimer, owners of the iconic luxury goods brand Chanel, purchased the estate two years after they bought Château Rauzan-Segla in Margaux. The Wertheimer brothers oversaw a series of modernisations and vineyard improvements in the ensuing years in addition to bringing in skilled winemaker Nicolas Audebert in 2014. Canon’s scores took a noticeable jump around this time, cementing the estate as one of the most attractive Super Seconds in all of Bordeaux.

• Wine Advocate 2021 score: 94-96pts
• Vinous 2021 score: 95-97pts (Galloni); 92-94pts (Martin)
• Performance: 54.2% (average all-vintage 5-year return, Wine Searcher)

Château Léoville Las Cases often gets called ‘first among the Super-Seconds’, as it stands out as the crème de la crème of Saint-Julien. Its vineyards border those of Chateau Latour to the north on the divide between Saint-Julien and Pauillac, and Las Cases wines often receive comparisons to its First Growth neighbour.

Las Cases’ Grand Vin boasts an average Wine Advocate score of 96.5 points for vintages after 2010 and hit a new level of excellence in the mid-2010s with scores regularly in the high 90s. The estate excelled again in 2021, overcoming the challenging growing conditions to produce a wine that William Kelley called “One of the wines of the vintage, the 2021 Léoville Las Cases is reminiscent of a hypothetical blend of the 1999 and 1996—only better.”

• Wine Advocate 2021 score: 95-97pts
• Vinous 2021 score: 94-96pts (Galloni); 94-96pts (Martin)
• Performance: 23.6% (average all-vintage 5-year return, Wine Searcher)

Pichon Lalande sits in a great Pauillac neighbourhood next to Château Pichon Baron and First Growth Latour. But its fantastic wines deserve Bordeaux lovers’ full undivided attention.

Pichon Lalande attained Second Growth status at the 1855 Classification, but it established itself as a true “Super Second” under the stewardship of May Eliane de Lencquesaing, who inherited and ran the estate from 1978 to 2007. In 2007, the Rouzaud family, owners of Louis Roederer Champagne, purchased Pichon Lalande and implemented a series of modernisations to the winery and vineyards and brought in winemaker and general manager Nicolas Glumineau in 2012.

A sign of a true Super Second is success even during difficult vintages and Pichon Lalande’s 2021 is impressive. It matches the top score (96-98pts) from Vinous’ Antonio Galloni, who called it “epic” and “one of the great wines of the vintage.”

The estate prioritised quality over quantity, meaning volumes of the 2021 are well down versus averages. This scarcity boosts the long-term performance potential of this stellar wine.

• Wine Advocate 2021 score: 94-95+pts
• Vinous 2021 score: 96-98pts (Galloni); 93-95pts (Martin)
• Performance: 42.3% (average all-vintage 5-year return, Wine Searcher)

With a magnificent château and excellent terroir overlooking the Gironde, Ducru-Beaucaillou embodies prestige, luxury and top quality. With roots in the 17th century when it was part of the then much larger Chateau Beychevelle, Ducru Beaucaillou’s rise really began when Borie family acquired the estate in 1941.

Today, Ducru-Beaucaillou a byword for quality and one of the most established Super Seconds that enjoys a strong global following, demonstrated by the array of national flags donning the Château’s perimeter.

The riverside terroir performed very well in 2021, garnering praise from critics including a (tied) top score from Antonio Galloni, while William Kelley comment that “it's a true classic, reminiscent of a modern-day version of Ducru's brilliant 1996.”

• Wine Advocate 2021 score: 94-96pts
• Vinous 2021 score: 96-98pts (Galloni); 94-96pts (Martin)
• Performance: 32.2% (average all-vintage 5-year return, Wine Searcher)