There is some confusion among consumers about what is a second wine and what is a second label. Both are similar in that they are wines produced by top quality wineries (often classified Bordeaux) that are not included in their Grand Vin. Second wines usually use their own grapes mainly from a distinct part of the first wine’s vineyard. Clos du Marquis for Leoville Las Cases is a good example. One of your scribe’s earliest experiences with second wines was the memorable first 1966 Les Forts de Latour separate parcel by Château Latour.

Second labels on the other hand are usually wine produced from exactly the same sites as the Grand Vin but not selected for inclusion in it. This could be from younger vines or barrels with slightly lesser top quality balanced ripeness not chosen for the Grand Vin. Similarly in Burgundy look for top producers for declassified vineyard plots or regional Bourgogne Blanc & Rouge. Among many PYCM (Pierre-Yves Colin-Leger), ROULOT, COCHE-DURY, ROUMIER, SAUZET, DENIS BACHELET, BENJAMIN LEROUX, and others immediately come to mind. Nonetheless these days it is generally an excellent wine at a significantly lower price point.

Important in these days of high wine prices. All this came rushing back to me last night as I enjoyed an at home dinner with a delicious duck leg confit paired to an amazing second label bottle of 2000 PAVILLON ROUGE DU CHÂTEAU MARGAUX produced by CHÂTEAU MARGAUX. They used the “second wine” label noted on some Chateau Margaux way back before 1906 when they first officially started with the specific name Pavillon Rouge. Now they produce a Third Label MARGAUX DE CHATEAU MARGAUX (first one so named in 2009) and Fourth Label MARGAUX AOC Generic so that Second Label is pretty choice juice.

On their website they have an interesting note dated October 2018 that states: “The exceptional concentration of the grapes in 2000 was not only achieved in the old vines, which produce the first wine; in fact, all the plots produced very ripe and concentrated grapes. The fabulous potential of this vintage led us paradoxically to make a strict selection at the blending so that Chateau Margaux 2000 would have the most perfect expression possible. Naturally, this very rigorous selection was also of direct benefit to Pavillon Rouge, which was made richer by very good wines which did not go into the Chateau Margaux. At the same time, it was not blended with the lesser wines which were reserved for the third wine. The 2000 Pavillon Rouge has the complexity and density of a first wine, and it certainly has the ageing potential. It has probably not reached its peak, although it is difficult to resist today.”

Yesterday on February 1, 2026 some 7+ years later than the note this bottle was showing dark young red colour, rich dense complex bouquet and flavours now mellowed out on a beautiful plateau for current enjoyment.

It was purchased at the BCLDB store in October 2003 for $85 Canadian while the perfect score 100 First Growth Grand Vin Chateau Margaux was way more expensive. In 2026, there are lots of second wines and second labels available for purchase. Don’t overlook them in the marketplace and buy some of those made by your favourite Bordeaux property from the well-structured vintage 2022 for ageing and earlier memorable drinking. Some recommended 2022 selections include: PAVILLON ROUGE DU CHÂTEAU MARGAUX, LES FORTS DE LATOUR, CARRUADES DE LAFITE, LE PETIT MOUTON, LA RÉSERVE DE LA COMTESSE, LA DAME DE MONTROSE, CLOS DU MARQUIS, LE CLARENCE DE HAUT-BRION, LA CHAPELLE DE LA MISSION, ALTER EGO DE PALMER, LE PETIT CHEVAL, and many more. Enjoy.

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Question: I have been noticing that I often prefer the next day some bottles of wine I open but don’t finish. Is this a common thing?

Answer: Yes. You might decant wines to help them get faster airing and open up more quickly – as well as to avoid sediment. Similarly the next day the wine may not be as fresh and vibrant as it showed when you initially opened the bottle but can show improvement with more oxygen exposure as it evolves and softens. Red wines especially can show easier tannins the next day but your scribe has noticed this development as well with white Burgundy including Chablis and other younger whites. Young wines with potential for longer aging are perfect candidates for this. Personal taste is a big factor. A recent posting by the quality winery Orofino Vineyards.com in the Similkameen Valley of British Columbia explains this experience very well. See their detailed explanations below:

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Your scribe has always been quite fascinated by Icewine. It is a unique wine that seems increasingly difficult with global warming to find the right conditions to produce it. John Schreiner wrote a Monograph in 2004 for IWFS titled as Icewine: The Wine of Winter. He opens by defining Icewine as follows: “Icewine is distinguished from all other dessert wines in that it is made from the juice pressed from frozen grapes. Authentic Icewine is made from grapes that have frozen naturally, on the vines, to be picked and pressed in a frozen state. It is bitterly cold work, since the temperature must be -8C (18F) or lower during picking.”

Those conditions around the world previously seemed to be easier to find than today and the wine was more popular resulting in counterfeit Icewines in the marketplace primarily from Taiwan & China. Now there are less Icewines produced and they are true treasures.

Reviewing the results of the 2025 National Wine Awards of Canada there is a good category summary by HJ Cha linked here. They note that in 2025 INNISKILLIN dominated the Icewines with the top wine of 2023 Riesling Icewine – “a textbook example of precision and balance.” Inniskillin has been a leader in this field since their 1989 Vidal Icewine surprised with excellent quality at the 1991 Vinexpo in Bordeaux. This consistency by Inniskillin got me thinking back to last year when to my delight five half bottles of Inniskillin Icewine (Brae Burn Estate) from Niagara-On-The-Lake, Canada were tasted. We tried over several evenings vintages 1992, 1991, 1990, 1989, and 1987 ranging from 11 to 12.8 abv. We believe from records at Brock University Library that Inniskillin moved to the Brae Burn Estate in the late seventies and early eighties with winemaker Karl Kaiser harvesting his first Icewine from Vidal grapes in 1984. Ther 1989 vintage that won the Grand Prix d’Honneur at Vinexpo was still showing lovely aged complexity. In fact all five vintages were still interesting because the high sugar content combined with enough lively acidity kept the wines together even in the smaller 375 ml. format. Using the Riesling grape would have better structure and even higher acidity for longer aging. What a bright future for their 2023 Riesling Icewine! Most notable from our tasting was that though all five vintages were now somewhat drier and softer than on release, nonetheless they provided amazing complex interest. Fine winemaking and high sugar were the key to longevity. The conclusion is that though Icewine is delicious early on release that it does in fact age better than the consumer recognizes into an amazing unique keepsake and more.

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Question: My daughter mentioned I should be “flex drinking”. What is that?

Answer: Your smart daughter is on top of the sweeping trend of alcoholic moderation without actually quitting completely. The thought is with flex drinking you can lessen your alcohol load by being flexible in your choices of balancing drinks with alcohol together with alternative drinks with very low or no alcohol. Good idea.

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Pomerol is a small Right Bank Bordeaux region with very limited wine production that has become quite expensive. A comprehensive small publication book Pomerol by critic Neal Martin provides valuable insights but it is out of print and hard to find.

In the old days there were as Michael Broadbent in Wine Tasting described: “Two styles: one deep and firm and Medoc-like, but with full, silky merlot richness, slow developing; the other light in colour and weight, sweeter, more gentle and quick maturing. Each style has a noticeably velvety texture in the mouth. Lighter vintages develop quickly.”

With increased consumer demand and helped by global warming there seems to be much less of the second mentioned lighter style being made. Today the first style dominates with distinctive powerful iron fist intense big fruit terroir wines.

It is a treat these days to taste any Pomerol and a rare vertical provides an amazing insightful education on both this unique region and the specific property for tasting.

Our Vancouver Group of Eight is so fortunate to have our leader Ian Mottershead collect and generously provide for event #138 at Blue Water Cafe on January 13 all the wines including 9 vintages of the scarce Vieux Chateau Certan. Many thanks indeed!

The evening started off well with a complex 2014 BERECHE & FILS (established 1847) CHAMPAGNE AY GRAND CRU of 75% Pinot Noir & 25% Chardonnay grown on thin topsoil on top of dense Campanian chalk disgorged November 2021 as Extra Brut of 4g/l for small production of only 3880 bottles.

Long lees aging, combined with 4+ years of bottle age, showed rich, balanced Krug-like flavors, making it a perfect pairing with an innovative smoked black cod dish. The finale was also an unprecedented match of an apple & quince tarte tatin with 2019 VIN DE CONSTANCE KLEIN CONSTANTIA (established 1685) of 100% Muscat de Frontignan in a sweet 166g/l RS but drier vintage style because of 26 vineyard picking passes to include early higher acidity grapes to late ripe raisined ones resulting in a no botrytis 14 abv honey-sage beauty. A few comments on the main event:

Vieux Château Certan on the Pomerol plateau has 14 hectares (35 acres) planted in a single block of 23 plots 70% Merlot on clay, 25% Cabernet Franc on gravel-clay & 5% Cabernet Sauvignon on gravel. VCC has been in the Thienpont family since 1924 with first Georges who died in 1962, followed by Leon till 1985, and his son Alexandre since 1986 and now together with his son Guillaume. The wine has a distinctive pink capsule that assisted your scribe at a blind tasting when seeing a mostly covered up but slightly peeking through pink that allowed correct identification of VCC – but later admitted why. Interesting vertical:

2009 VIEUX CHÂTEAU CERTAN: MERLOT year: 88% with 6% each of CF & CS harvested September 21 to October 2. Old merlot vines back to 1942 provide dense rich smooth full bodied style. Varied opinions from legendary 100 point scores to slightly one dimensional lacking Chateau signature of elegant complex perfumes. The big very ripe fruit of 2009 at highest 14 abv makes a statement that Nick Wright called ” amazing power”. Impressive opulence with rich full bodied luscious flavours.

2008 VIEUX CHÂTEAU CERTAN: CAB FRANC year with 25% to blend with 65M & 10CS. Lower yields of 34hl/ha harvested September 28 to October 4. 13 months in 2/3 new oak. Structured, balanced with intense plummy fruit not as ripe as 2009. More classic traditional Chateau style with tannins and long finish. Needs airing – should have been decanted earlier as most of these are showing – and should age well with time.

2006 VIEUX CHÂTEAU CERTAN: CAB FRANC year again with 70M & 5 CS harvested September 12 -27 but heavy rains after first picked merlot so lost 2/3 of CF but excellent remaining 1/3. Shows outstanding vineyard skills of Alexandre Thienpont – so admired that his cousin Jacques Thienpont (since 1979) used their vineyard management at LE PIN. Surprised by the 2006 quality from a difficult year and though a touch austere it has Pomerol pedigree with inviting lush silky substantive textures. What success for the vintage. Needs more bottle age.

2005 VIEUX CHÂTEAU CERTAN: MERLOT year 80% with 20% CF but no CS in this outstanding vintage year perfectly harvested September 12-21 and 18 months in 100% new oak. It has great depth + fresh stylish elegance with balanced tight structure from cooler cherry herbs graphite fruit. 2005 is classic with all the elements but needs aging and is my favourite. You can experience the top quality there paired with the delicious truffled tagliatelle and chanterelles course.

2004 VIEUX CHÂTEAU CERTAN: CAB FRANC highest here at 30% with 70%M harvested September 20 to October 6. Note the unusual 2003 has 80% Cab Franc and 1993 has 50CF. IMHO the wide diversity over several vintages between the Merlot and the Cab Franc in the blend has detracted from the Vieux Chateau Certan distinctive signature. Know that Thienpont prefers to have more Cab Franc than mostly Merlot for better elegant aromatics and complexity but sometimes it is difficult to achieve the perfect blend. Dark forwardly charming delight in another difficult year. Well done. Interestingly on their website they suggest grilled fish or white meat with 2004 rustic earthy olive notes.

2000 VIEUX CHÂTEAU CERTAN: More typical 70 M/20CF/10CS harvested September 13-27. Only at 13 abv with a paler rim showing age. Somewhat closed at first though lovely but quite light for a 2000. Acidity higher than expected but tertiary truffle tobacco tea notes are of interest. Fred Withers really liked this developed styling. On a drinkable plateau now but your scribe has had better bottles.

1990 VIEUX CHÂTEAU CERTAN: Looks even older with another 10 years of aging and less alcohol of 12.5 is classy and charming clove scented juicy cherries. Touch medicinal (like Leoville Barton can be) has elegance but is fully mature.

1989 VIEUX CHÂTEAU CERTAN: Early picked merlot on August 31 has sweet plums and earthy floral character though drying on the finish. Not as rich and opulent as expected from 1989 but has a mature softer silky entry. Enjoy. Jim Robertson liked this with the Prime Rib.

1982 VIEUX CHÂTEAU CERTAN: This had rather big tough tannins on release but has improved and softened up after 40+ years. Made by Leon Thienpont but has shown bottle variation. Ours has a paling mature edge with earthy spiced tobacco plus mocha-espresso. Classic style but showing more leafy peppery notes than most 1982s. Hoping for the complex treasures your scribe experienced a while ago now with their outstanding velvety wines from the late forties. Usually not the power of Petrus or Le Pin but VCC can have a special elegant finesse and delicacy from the Cab Franc. They are finding their true unique identity with a very successful 1998 and particularly from recent vintages. Seek out 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020. A special Pomerol property again on the rise.

A wonderful, insightful educational wine event.

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