Falstaff – Oh, Bordeaux!

That very expensive wine, is it really worth all that money?

This is inevitably the question that those who taste fine wines ask themselves, or are asked by friends and acquaintances. The event Oh, Bordeaux! organized by Falstaff on November 6, 2025 in the splendid setting of the Hotel Imperial on Vienna’s Ring once again posed this question.

In fact, for the quality of the wines on display, it was without a doubt the highest-level public tasting I have ever taken part in (even better than Mondo Vino 2025). It’s not every day that you have labels like Montrose, La Fleur-Pétrus and La Conseillante all in the same room. And so, faced with such abundance, the question returns:

Expensive Wines, Are They Really Worth All That Money?

In reality, the correct question is: “Do I really want to spend all that money for that wine?” Every wine lover has a more or less defined budget to devote to their passion, and the point is always how a certain bottle positions itself with respect to the potential outlay. For example, Lynch-Bages really moved me — however, if I were to buy more than a couple of bottles I would end up spending an amount that would block other, less onerous purchases and therefore, while recognizing the exceptional nature of Lynch-Bages, I certainly won’t buy a whole case.

And this is the reason why an event like Oh, Bordeaux! is very precious on the Viennese wine scene: because it gives the opportunity to taste wines — many wines — that otherwise many of us would consider too expensive to approach. Then of course, there’s a bit of a crowd, the commotion because someone cut the line for the cheese dish, the great bottles that always run out too soon — but the evident opportunity remains to get to know better wines that are an absolute benchmark of quality. Because this is evident: Bordeaux, being the incredible productive and economic machine that it is, is the standard-bearer of quality wine production and is almost (as we discovered last year) immune to bad vintages.

The power of these great wines became evident when I tasted some second wines, among them Petit-Figeac: truly remarkable quality, but compared with the elder siblings it feels like having fallen from Paradise. And so we are not interested in whether these great bottles are really worth all that money; rather, we want to understand whether we want to spend those sums for those bottles. And, when we decide to make the purchase, experiences like Oh, Bordeaux! give invaluable help. For a deeper look at how the key appellations compare in terms of style, price and character, the guide to Margaux vs Pauillac — and Pomerol — lays out the differences clearly.

The Wines of Oh, Bordeaux!

Saint-Estèphe (Grand Cru Classé) 2015 – Château Montrose

A Montrose in top form: very rich and complete, with endless elegance. The nose is textbook: kirsch, sandalwood, and a well-framed acidic note. In the mouth it is fresh but not sharp, elegant but not rarefied. Very long finish, a Montrose that shows all its aristocratic charm.

Saint-Émilion Grand Cru (Grand Cru Classé) 2022 – Château Jean Faure

Pleasantly peppery nose, nice dialogue between Cabernet Franc and Merlot: ripe and rounded fruit but supported by a stern vein. In the mouth figs and plums, juicy and rich but already with an evolved note. A serious wine, already ready.

Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2017 – Clos Saint-Julien

Salty and with a medium-full body, it grows in the mouth in a reflective rather than layered way. For a right-bank wine, it surprises in how it evokes sensations rather than fruit.

Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2022 – Clos Saint-Julien

Still medium-full body, but here the profile is more Mediterranean: black olives, garrigue and a juicy blackcurrant. Tasty, layered, fascinating. Never immediate.

Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2019 – Château Petit Gravet Aîné

Original, unique nose: red and dark fruits with a savory hint, in the mouth as well. Great freshness and liveliness, salty, follows its own path.

Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2021 – Château Petit Gravet Aîné

Spicy and floral, with touches of licorice and medicinal herbs. On the palate it is savory and fresh, with spices and “pharmacy-like” echoes that act as the common thread. Sexy in a composed yet decided way.

Les Hauts de Smith Pessac-Léognan 2018 – Château Smith Haut-Lafitte

Rich nose: tobacco, cedar, blackberry jam, chocolate plums. In the mouth it is juicy, powerful, sweet. Crowd-pleasing but well built.

Pessac-Léognan (Grand Cru Classé) 2022 – Château Smith Haut-Lafitte

Very muscular and savory, but with freshness that supports the whole. Strong tannins that ask for time. Long, very long finish.

Les Hauts de Smith Pessac-Léognan Blanc 2022 – Château Smith Haut-Lafitte

Perhaps the least interesting of the day. Herbaceous and medicinal, with a hint of lemon zest and white peach — typical traits of a Sauvignon Blanc-led blend, where Sémillon: The Wine often provides the body and roundness that this bottling seemed to lack. Clean and acidic, but short.

Saint-Émilion Grand Cru (Premier Grand Cru Classé) 2018 – Château Belair-Monange –

Alluring: silky fruit (plums) and notable structure. Dusty, demanding tannins. Intense fruit and flavor, a bomb of concentration.

Pomerol 2021 – Château La Fleur-Pétrus

Vibrant and vital, nose of bark, black pepper and leather. Very serious and already evolved. Elusive elegance, hard to explain. Structure for epic aging.

Saint-Estèphe (Grand Cru Classé) 2012 – Château Montrose

A whisper of endless class. Nose of earth and graphite, pure elegance. Minimal extraction, discreet wood. Soft tannin, persistent and refined finish.

Pauillac (Grand Cru Classé) 2015 – Château Lynch-Bages

A wine that hits with a punch: iodine, mint, blackcurrant. Complex, dense and juicy palate. Powerful tannins. A giant.

Pomerol 2015 – Château La Conseillante

A wine that reveals itself little by little, like a continual discovery. Spices, dark fruit, lively acidity. Energy in abundance, to be cellared.

Saint-Émilion 2019 – Petit-Figeac

An excellent wine, but “normal” compared to the others. Simple fruit, creamy medium body — perhaps its best weapon. Medium finish. Remember that these giants are the exception, not the rule.

Other noteworthy Falstaff events were the Schaumweinfestival Wien 2025 and the Weißweingala 2025.