Wine enthusiasts are beginning to look at smaller Bordeaux vineyards after something of a backlash against the major labels such as Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Chateau Mouton Rothschild.

With the price of First Growths ever escalating, many wine enthusiasts have been shunning Bordeaux, according to author Jay McInerney.

In a piece for the Wall Street Journal, he suggests that high prices paid for First Growths "tend to depress the average wine drinker and to harden the perception of Bordeaux as a commodity rather than a beverage".

Mr McInerney notes that US wine importers are now looking at selections of smaller Bordeaux vineyards to rediscover their taste for the region.

Choice offerings cited by the author include 2005 Clos du Marquis, 2007 Chateau Jean Faux and 2008 Chateau Bel Air.

Armelle Falcy-Cruse, owner of Chateau du Taillan in Haut-Medoc, recently told the Pittsburgh Post Gazette that smaller Bordeaux vineyards are learning to promote themselves independently to compete with the major labels.