I recently opened a bottle of 2000 Pagodes de Cos, the scond wine of the famous Cos d'Estournel in the St. Estephe region of Bordeaux. In the 1855 Classification of Bordeaux, it was designated a Second Growth. Regardless of the controversy over the subjective aspects of classifying chateaus, and the accordant lobbying and politicking, Cos d'Estournel is one the finest wines in all of Bordeaux. But its price leaves it out of the reach of the majority of wine drinkers. My advice would be to seek out the less heralded vintages, which often are ready to drink much earlier and can be had at a much lower price. (Avoid 2000, 2005, and the stratospheric pricing of the mega-hyped 2009.) But if you, like me, just had to get your hands on a pedigreed Bordeaux from a highly regarded vintage, seek out the second wines of famous chateaus. The Pagodes de Cos comes from the same vineyards as the chateau's first wine, but is produced from the estate's younger vines. And the 2000 was a beauty. Medium-bodied and mature, it showed great secondary characteristics that only come out of a well-aged wine. Pure pleasure and elegance. If I had to quibble--and you know I will--I wished that it was a little more concentrated. I think that's where you really get the difference from the younger versus the older vines. A ton of wineries from all over the world offer second labels or "declassified" wines that allow you to experience the finest of vineyards and wine-making talent. Seek them out! I would love to hear of your favorite wine discoveries; know of some famous names and places at (relatively) reasonable prices? Let me know in the comments.