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Aging Guide / Bordeaux

Second Growth Bordeaux: The 1855 Classification Explained

A practical guide to the 14 second growths of the 1855 classification: who they are, how they age, where the super second designation comes from, and why second growths are the most efficient cellar buy in classified Bordeaux for collectors who actually drink their wine.

Key Takeaways

Takeaway 1
A second growth (Deuxieme Cru) is a Bordeaux chateau ranked in the second tier of the 1855 classification, which still defines the Left Bank hierarchy 170 years later.
Takeaway 2
There are 14 second growths today, all from the Medoc except Chateau Rauzan-Segla and a small handful that have split or merged over the centuries.
Takeaway 3
Super Seconds are second growths (plus Pichon Comtesse, Pichon Baron, Ducru-Beaucaillou, Cos d'Estournel, Montrose, Leoville Las Cases, Leoville Poyferre, Palmer) that consistently produce at near First Growth quality without paying the First Growth premium.
Takeaway 4
Drinking windows for top second growths run 15 to 35 years from vintage in classical years, putting them in the same arc as some First Growths.
Takeaway 5
On Liv-Ex, a case of Pichon Comtesse or Cos d'Estournel trades at roughly 25 to 40 percent of the equivalent First Growth, which makes second growths the most efficient cellar buy in classified Bordeaux.

What "second growth" actually means

The 1855 Bordeaux classification was commissioned by Emperor Napoleon III for the Paris Universal Exposition. The brokers of the Bordeaux wine trade were asked to rank the chateaux of the Medoc by the prices their wines had been fetching on the open market over the prior decades. The result was five tiers: Premiers Crus (First Growths), Deuxiemes Crus (Second Growths), Troisiemes Crus (Third), Quatriemes Crus (Fourth), and Cinquiemes Crus (Fifth). The classification covered 61 chateaux in total, all from the Medoc except Chateau Haut-Brion in Pessac-Leognan.

The second growths were the 14 estates ranked just below the original four First Growths (Lafite, Latour, Margaux, Haut-Brion; Mouton was added to the First Growth tier in 1973). The original 1855 second growths included Pichon Longueville (later split into Pichon Comtesse and Pichon Baron), Cos d'Estournel, Montrose, Ducru-Beaucaillou, the three Leovilles (Las Cases, Poyferre, Barton), Gruaud-Larose, Brane-Cantenac, the two Rauzans (Segla and Gassies), Durfort-Vivens, and Lascombes.

170 years later, the classification has barely moved. Only one promotion has occurred (Mouton from second to First Growth in 1973, after decades of campaigning by Baron Philippe de Rothschild) and zero demotions. In practice this means the second growth tier is a snapshot of the market hierarchy in 1855, frozen by trade-political inertia. The chateaux themselves prefer it that way; reshuffling would create financial losers, and the system has worked well enough for the Bordeaux trade to leave alone.

The super second concept

Sometime in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as Robert Parker's scoring and the Liv-Ex market started to give the trade a more granular view of quality, a small group of chateaux began consistently producing wines at or near First Growth quality. The trade called them super seconds. The label is informal but the consensus list has stayed stable for three decades.

The widely accepted super second roster: Pichon Comtesse, Pichon Baron, Cos d'Estournel, Montrose, Ducru-Beaucaillou, Leoville Las Cases, Leoville Poyferre, and Palmer. Note that Palmer is technically a third growth in the 1855 classification, but it has produced at second growth or First Growth quality so consistently that the trade includes it. Lascases is sometimes treated as a "super-super second" or a 5th First Growth in the strongest vintages.

Practically, super second means: this chateau delivers First Growth quality (or close to it) at second growth price. A case of Pichon Comtesse 2016 trades at roughly 30 percent of the price of a case of Lafite 2016 and most blind tasters cannot tell them apart with confidence. This is the entire collector arbitrage of the super second tier.

The 14 second growths, by sub-region

Pauillac (3 second growths)

Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Pichon Longueville Baron. Originally one estate split in 1850. Comtesse is the Merlot-influenced, perfumed style; Baron is the Cabernet-led, structured style. Both age 25 to 35 years in top vintages and trade at roughly 30 percent of the prices of the Pauillac First Growths. Either of them in a strong year (2010, 2015, 2016, 2020) is a cellar staple.

Saint-Estephe (2 second growths)

Cos d'Estournel, Montrose. The longest-lived second growths on the entire Left Bank because of Saint-Estephe's higher clay content and the firmer tannin profile of Cabernet from this commune. Cos d'Estournel 2010 and Montrose 2009 are both 40-year wines. In top vintages these can outlive most First Growths from Margaux.

Saint-Julien (5 second growths)

Ducru-Beaucaillou, Leoville Las Cases, Leoville Poyferre, Leoville Barton, Gruaud-Larose. Saint-Julien is sometimes called the "perfect middle" of the Medoc: not as austere as Pauillac or Saint-Estephe, not as perfumed as Margaux. Aging windows run 20 to 30 years. Ducru and Las Cases sit at the top of the tier and have the highest super second consensus. Leoville Barton (the historical, traditionalist house) and Gruaud-Larose deliver textbook Saint-Julien at a slight discount.

Margaux (4 second growths)

Rauzan-Segla, Rauzan-Gassies, Durfort-Vivens, Brane-Cantenac, Lascombes. The Margaux second growths drink earlier and more perfumed than the Pauillac or Saint-Julien wines. Aging windows run 15 to 25 years. Rauzan-Segla under Chanel ownership has elevated the wine consistently since the 1990s; Brane-Cantenac and Durfort-Vivens are biodynamic and offer a different stylistic vector.

Drinking windows by vintage tier

Per Decanter, Wine Spectator, Wine Advocate, and Vinous vintage reports, second growth drinking windows vary by vintage as follows:

For a specific bottle in your cellar, run it through the Cellared Ageability Index, which applies a vintage modifier per region per year on top of the producer-specific aging curve. You can also check any wine in the drinking window calculator without signing up.

Storage conditions assumed

Every drinking window in this guide assumes proper passive-cellar storage. That means temperature held between 55 and 58 degrees Fahrenheit, relative humidity between 60 and 70 percent, bottles laid on their sides to keep corks moist, darkness, and no vibration. A wine cellar that maintains those conditions will deliver the projected windows. A wine stored at room temperature (70 to 75 F) ages at roughly 2x speed, which compresses a 25-year window into 12 or 13 years and risks heat-damage cork failure.

For older bottles (year 15 and beyond) also check bottle condition before opening: ullage (the air gap below the cork) should be at or above mid-shoulder for Bordeaux bottles. Cork weep or seepage on the foil is a warning sign of compromised seal. Fill levels and provenance matter more for second growth bottles at year 20-plus than CAI projections do.

The collector arbitrage

For drinking, a top super second from a classical vintage gives you 80 to 90 percent of First Growth character at 25 to 35 percent of the price, and you can drink it 5 to 10 years sooner. The First Growths reward investors because of secondary-market liquidity. The super seconds reward drinkers because of price-to-pleasure efficiency.

For a 12-case Bordeaux cellar, the textbook composition is roughly 3 cases of First Growths (held for the long arc and resale option), 6 cases of super seconds (the drinking core), and 3 cases of second wines from the First Growths (Pavillon Rouge, Forts de Latour, Carruades de Lafite) for the early-drinking decade.

Related on Cellared

Frequently Asked

What is a second growth Bordeaux?+

A second growth (Deuxieme Cru) is a Left Bank Bordeaux chateau ranked in the second tier of the 1855 classification commissioned by Napoleon III for the Paris Universal Exposition. There are 14 second growths today, including Pichon Comtesse, Pichon Baron, Cos d'Estournel, Montrose, Ducru-Beaucaillou, Leoville Las Cases, Leoville Poyferre, Leoville Barton, Brane-Cantenac, Rauzan-Segla, Rauzan-Gassies, Durfort-Vivens, Lascombes, and Gruaud-Larose.

Is super second the same as second growth?+

No, but they overlap. A super second is an informal Liv-Ex and trade designation for chateaux producing near First Growth quality. Most super seconds are second growths (Pichon Comtesse, Pichon Baron, Cos d'Estournel, Montrose, Ducru-Beaucaillou, Leoville Las Cases, Leoville Poyferre), but the list also includes Palmer (a third growth that consistently outperforms its 1855 ranking). The 1855 classification is fixed; super second is the market's view of who currently delivers First Growth quality.

How long do second growth Bordeaux age?+

Top second growths from classical vintages (2005, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2020) age 15 to 35 years. Lower-tier second growths or wines from lesser vintages run 10 to 20 years. Per Decanter and Vinous vintage reports, the best 2016 second growths are tracking 35-plus year arcs, which puts them in First Growth territory.

Which second growths are best for cellaring?+

The Pauillac and Saint-Estephe second growths (Pichon Comtesse, Pichon Baron, Cos d'Estournel, Montrose) age longest, often 25 to 35 years in top vintages because Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant grape and the tannin structure is firm. The Saint-Julien Leovilles (Las Cases, Poyferre, Barton) follow closely. Margaux second growths (Rauzan-Segla, Brane-Cantenac, Durfort-Vivens) drink earlier, typically peaking 15 to 25 years.

Are second growth wines a better value than First Growths?+

For drinking, almost always yes. A case of Pichon Comtesse 2016 trades at roughly 30 percent of the price of a case of Mouton or Lafite 2016 and delivers 80 to 90 percent of the character. For investment, the math is closer. First Growths have deeper auction liquidity and stronger secondary-market depth, but second growths can outperform First Growths in price appreciation over 5 to 10 year horizons, especially when a critic re-scores a vintage upward.

Can the 1855 classification be updated?+

In practice, no. The classification was revised only once in 170 years, when Mouton Rothschild was promoted from second to First Growth in 1973 after decades of lobbying. The Bordeaux trade and the chateau owners themselves have effectively frozen the rankings, partly because any reshuffle would create losers with strong financial interests in the status quo. Saint-Emilion runs a separate, periodically-revised classification.

When should I open a second growth Bordeaux?+

Use the Cellared Ageability Index for a specific bottle, since vintage modifier, producer house style, and closure type all shift the window. As a general rule: top vintage Cabernet-led second growths (Pichon Baron 2010, Cos d'Estournel 2016, Montrose 2020) need 15 years minimum and reward 25-plus. Top vintage Merlot-leaning second growths (Rauzan-Segla, Brane-Cantenac) open around year 10 to 12.

What is the difference between a second growth and a second wine?+

A second growth is a chateau ranked second in the 1855 classification. A second wine is a deliberate second-label bottling that any chateau produces from younger vines and less concentrated parcels. A second growth chateau like Pichon Comtesse produces a grand vin (the second growth wine) and a second wine (Reserve de la Comtesse). Both can be cellar-worthy but they sit on completely different drinking-window curves.

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