Overture Photo Courtesy Opus One

CRU Photo Courtesy Vineyard 29

     There is real value to be found inside the bottles of the second label offerings of famous wineries.  These are very well-made wines by renowned wine makers that do not quite meet the high standards required for being sold under the flagship label of the winery.  The November 2012 issue of Men’s Journal Magazine had an interesting article on this category of wines.  Stoney Hill Winery is one of this country’s greatest white wine estates with  their flagship label Stoney Hill Chardonnay costing $42 but the second label is SHV Chardonnay that can be yours for only $24.  Opus One is well-known to everyone with the 2009 vintage selling for $225 but did you know that Overture is their second label and is only $80.  You can buy a bottle of Vineyard 29 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon for $225 or go with the second label CRU Cabernet Sauvignon for $54.  Great values can be found with some research and if you want to do some detective work who knows what wine secrets you will uncover.  Here is an example of a great value that could be easily overlooked by the uninformed wine shopper.  Boekenhoutsko is one of South Africa’s top producers and it’s flagship label sales for $45 but their secondary is called The Wolftrap 2010 and retails for $8.  Second label wines are an affordable alternative to their big-name and highly touted first label counterparts and can competently fill the need when a well made wine at a reasonable price is the challenge presented to you.