Bordeaux
To begin I have to say that there have been countless books written on this wine region and its famous chateau, and so a full detailed description would take far too much time and space to include here. What I will attempt to do is to give consolidated account of the region so as to make it a bit easier to understand the place, and more importantly what is in the bottle that you are considering purchasing. A fair deal I figure.
Bordeaux is a very large place, the largest appellation in all of France in fact. To make it as easy as possible I am going to divide the region into 3 parts and discuss them a separately. But first, where is Bordeaux? The region itself is centered around the city of the same name and has a long history due to its location. It can be considered coastal, as it is not so far off from the Atlantic Ocean, but more importantly as a port city due to its being on the banks of the beginning of the Gironde River. Right around the city itself is where the 2 smaller rivers, the Garonne towards the south and the Dordogne towards the east converge and the Gironde flows north towards the ocean. And so this is very important to understand the land, but also for the ease of division. Region 1 will be the Right Bank, Region 2 will be the Left Bank, and Region 3 will be Graves.
Before I begin with the regions I want to lay down the foundation, the rootstock have you, aka the grape varietals. To keep it as simple as possible, there are 5 red varietals and 2 white varietals that will make up the wines of Bordeaux. For the reds you have Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet France, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. For the whites it is even easier, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc.
Region 1: The Right Bank
When people refer to the Right Bank, they are talking about the West Bank of the Gironde River and as it extends into the Dordogne River through the region Libournais. The two major appellations for wine are Saint Emilion and the smaller Pomerol to its immediate west. The most important single fact about the Right Bank to know is that this is Merlot country. By far the most widely planted varietal here, followed second by Cabernet Franc. The reason for this is the soil. Each of the 3 regions has differences in their soils, making each one unique. What makes the Right Bank so unique is that it is dominated by Clay soils, which Merlot tends to thrive in. There is great variety throughout though, with limestone, gravel, and sand being intermixed in varying consistency within the region. This makes for different wines to be produced from properties which are very close together.
For Saint Emilion, which is the largest of the important communes on the Right Bank, you have a history with vineyards that goes back farther than the Medoc. It was only in 1958 though that a classification was put into place. It is to be revised every 10 years, with the last officially recognized revision being done in 1996. 2006 was ruled void, and so we will have to wait for the next attempt a few years. Premier Grand Cru Classe is the highest level, but the interesting thing here is that there are two levels, an A & a B. Only two wineries, Chateau Cheval Blanc (which sits on the Western border of the commune) and Chateau Ausone (which backs up to the southern edge of the town proper) are Level A, with 13 houses currently recognized as level B. Next there are Grand Cru Classe wines and then Grand Cru wines. You can also find wines simply labeled as Saint Emilion A.O.C. before entering the Bordeaux label. There are a lot of Saint Emilion wines on the market these days, a lot of it for good value too, and so enjoy trying unknown houses and finding those gems in the rough. You will pay more for Premier and Grand Cru Classe wines, but they more often than not will be of very high quality and worth the investment.
To the west of Saint Emilion, and sharing its eastern border with, is Pomerol. In comparison this commune is very small in size, the smallest in Bordeaux in fact, and number of chateau as well. The skinny is that the soils here are very similar in make up with clay dominant but you find a lot more sand and gravel in the topsoil depending where you are. A main point of the wines of Pomerol is that they again are Merlot dominant, but usually much more so than Saint Emilion. They have much less Cabernet Franc and almost no Cabernet Sauvignon within the vineyards.
The commune does have a long standing history, but interestingly enough has never been classified with any type of ranking system. There are a few speculative reasons for this, but let's leave it up to the speculator's. In a commune with ambiguity among the ranks you also find the most expensive wines in all of Bordeaux, possibly even the world. The first to mention is Chateau Petrus which sits on the eastern side of the commune, lying on a little hill higher in elevation than most in the region and very close to the border of Saint Emilion. The soil here in the vineyards of Petrus are a special loamy mix, comprised of clay, sand, and silt over an iron rich subsoil. This combination gives the vines plenty of minerals while keeping the available water low enough to produce high quality grapes. The wine is almost purely Merlot, very rare, supremely expensive, and ridiculously delicious.
Then there is the little house on the prairie called Chateau Le Pin. A wine that is more sought after by many collectors than even Petrus due to its lower quantities, this is a wine that is only obtainable by the wealthy and elite. To date I have only physically seen a bottle of Le Pin once, two bottles (1996 & 1999) in fact in Bordeaux, and on the restaurant menu they were about 7,000 Euro each, to give you an idea.
I recommend, and I will do an article on it myself as well, to try a wine from both Saint Emilion and Pomerol of the same vintage and similar price side-by-side. See which you like more and then go from there.
The remainder of the Right Bank is comprised of many satellite communes who can at times produce quality wines, but for the most part are mid level example of what good Bordeaux can be. There is Lalande de Pomerol to the direct North of Pomerol proper, a poor man’s Pomerol have you. Also to the West of Libourne is Fronsac, and more importantly Canon-Fronsac within. In a good vintage this area can produce some age worthy reds made with pretty equal proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. And lastly of note is Bourg & Blaye which is directly across the Gironde from the Haut-Medoc and can, like Canon-Fronsac produce some good value Bordeaux wines from good vintages.
For the complete list of classified Saint Emilion houses:
Region 2: The Left Bank
Here we are talking about the Left Bank (or West Bank) of the Gironde River which extends north from the city of Bordeaux. The region is called the Medoc and has a very long and fabled history. The Medoc is divided into two parts, the Bas Medoc and the Haut-Medoc, and for ease we are going to concern ourselves only with the Haut-Medoc which, geographically, is farther to the south and closer to the city of Bordeaux. This region often gets the most fame and praise from the wine community, which is interesting because they have the shortest history of the 3 major regions. Up until the 17th Century the Haut-Medoc was marshlands, estuaries of the mighty
Gironde River. It was the Dutch mainly that devised the idea to cut canals into the area and effectively drain the area out. What remained was the perfect soil to grow Cabernet Sauvignon on. The Haut-Medoc is Cabernet Sauvignon country, as most of the bottling are majority this grape, along with varying amounts of Merlot blended in. This region utilizes all 5 of the Bordeaux varietals in their blends, each house differing in selections and percentages of course.
There are 6 sub-communes of the Haut-Medoc, from the north to south: Saint Estephe, Pauillac, Saint Julien, Listrac, Moulis-en-Medoc, and Margaux. For ease we will focus on Saint Estephe, Pauillac, Saint Julien, and Margaux as these are the most important areas. Even as early as the beginning of the 1700’s producers had begun to build quite a reputation in the Haut-Medoc, but we will fast forward to 1855 and the Paris Exhibition. This is the site of, and reason for, the first official classification of Bordeaux wines, more specifically, wines of the Haut-Medoc. It was done by the merchants and the exporters, taking into account the chateau and the price of the wine on the market at the time. In all 61 chateau were classified, 60 of them from the Haut-Medoc (Chateau Haut Brion was the only outsider, being from Graves south of Bordeaux). The wines were divided into 5 levels or growths, with
1st Growths being the highest award, Premier Grand Cru Classe. There were only 4
houses awarded this merit, Chateau Lafite Rothschild (Pauillac), Chateau Latour (Pauillac), Chateau Margaux (Margaux), and Chateau Haut Brion (Graves). Chateau Mouton Rothschild was originally a 2nd Growth, elevated in 1973. This
single move is the only time the 1855 Classification has been amended. In the Classification were also the Sweet dessert wines from the Southern Graves, Sauterne and Barsac. Those will be covered in their respective section. The Margaux commune has the most houses classed at 21, with Pauillac right behind at 18.
Because of the lack of revision in over 150 years the classification holds great history but not as great significance these days. Due to much improvement in certain chateau, and consequently decline in others, there are instances where the level is no longer relevant anymore. And so because of this you have two phenomenons. The first is the coined term ‘Super Seconds,’ which speak of wines that are non-classed 1st Growths but produce wines that rival the 1st Growths in quality each year. The other
is that you have chateau that are not classed but produce wines that rival, and excel compared to some of the classed chateau. I know that Bordeaux can be very confusing, even with me trying to spell it out here. The best advice I can ultimately give is to try some for yourself and see what you think. Also the age old rule of listening to a trusted professional to help steer you in the right direction.
It is said that the wines of Margaux are the most refined, a perfect balance between power and finesse in style. To the north, in Saint Julien, the wines are said to be stronger in style with a bit bigger tannins, but still having great harmony and balance. In Pauillac, which contains 3 of the 5 1st Growths, you are said to have wines of great
power and fine tannins, richly structured and densely refined. To the far north is Saint Estephe, where the soils are noticeably heavier and containing a bit more sand and clay. The wines tend to be very powerful, with firm tannins that are a bit rougher around the edges compared to its neighbors to the south.
In general Left Bank Bordeaux is power balanced with harmony in a glass. This is the area for the best Cabernet based wines in the world. Like I said before, every house has their own recipe, but most of the time Cabernet is the main attraction. Look for wines with dark fruit flavors which will vary depending on the warmth of the vintage. The earth tones here are dark and gravelly, often offset by the influence of the toasty accents of the barriques used for aging. The tannins will be big, but balanced by the acidity of the other grapes in the blend, and the finish should be long and elegant. I often enjoy the subtle nuances of each wine house which can range from the eucalyptus and violet floral notes to chocolate, licorice, or graphite shavings.
Region 3: Graves
The word Graves translates to ‘gravel’ in French, and it is easy to see why the region is called thus when you look at a vineyard-they are full of varying sizes rocks. The region itself as a whole is the Graves, and begins in the north with the city of Bordeaux proper. Here is where some of the most famous vineyards in all of Bordeaux are located. Chateau Haut Brion for instance is almost in the city and has suburbs slowly closing in on its area from most all sides. The region continues south on the west bank of the Garonne River down to the famed regions of Barsac and Sauterne. The region overall is versatile as it produces high class red wines, dry white wines, and of course the famed dessert wines.
Here in the Graves we still talk about Cabernet Sauvignon as the principal red, although a good percentage of Merlot is grown as well. Cabernet Franc is also present, but Malbec and Petit Verdot are grown in very small amounts usually. For the whites you find healthy amounts of both Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Each house style that produces a white will dictate which it wants to emphasize more. In the southern end in Sauterne it is the qualities of Semillon to be afflicted by Botrytis which makes it such a great selection for these vineyards.
In the north we talk about Pessac Leognan. The regions of Graves and Pessac Leognan have some of the oldest chateau in all of Bordeaux, a longer history than the Haut-Medoc for sure. It is a strange circumstance then that the region of Graves did not get its first classification until 1953, which was finalized in 1959. The classification designated which houses were to bear the designation of Grand Cru Classe. The classification was done for both red and white wines, and some houses were of such a quality that both their wines achieved this designation. The sub-zone of Pessac Leognan which encompasses the northern end of the region of Graves was only recognized as a defined sub-zone in 1987, very recent given the history of Bordeaux. This area covers all of the most famous and highest quality chateau in Graves for dry wines.
In the southern end of Graves we get into dessert wine country, the famed region of Sauterne and its neighbor Barsac. These communes have such a long and fabled history in the European wine world that they were classified with the chateau of the Haut-Medoc in 1855. Only Chateau d’Yquem in Sauterne received the highest designation and indeed to this day continues to be the absolute epitome of the style. Other properties from both communes make wines that often rival the wines from d’Yquem, at a fraction of the price, and so I recommend trying one of these before you splurge on the best. Make sure you like the style before you invest. Still though, a glass of fine Sauterne and some Foie Gras (sorry if you don’t support in the foodstuff) is one of those perfect pairings of flavors. I should quickly explain that Botrytis is a fungal disease that is particular to this small area, and only a few others in the world. What happens is that this ‘noble rot’ dehydrates the grapes, thus concentrating the sugar content. When the grapes are pressed their liquid is thick and rich. The wines are aged for usually a minimum of 3 years in barrels and the resulting wines as mentioned are ‘liquid gold.’
The red wines of this region will often mirror the style of a wine from the Haut-Medoc, although of course with its own personality. The big difference is due to its more southern location it does ripen a bit earlier than the Medoc, and this is a good thing. Also because they for the most part stick more to the big 3 red grapes and use less of the blending grapes there will be subtle differences, very minor though.
Dry white wines from the Pessac Leognan sub-zone are quite amazing, being only matched by some of the best houses in the Haut-Medoc. Still though these are easier to source and can often be less expensive. Only Chateau Margaux Blanc and Chateau Haut Brion Blanc enter my mind as ultra expensive White Bordeaux wines, neither of which I have had to date. Remember there are 2 main grapes here, and either can comprise the majority of the blend. The wines are almost always aged in oak barrique which gives them a unique texture and flavor. Sauvignon Blanc based wines will tend to be a bit lighter in the palate and focusing more on the bright ripe fruit qualities. Semillon is a bit fatter in the mouth and the flavors tend to lean more towards waxy apple skins and many off-fruit accents. It is interesting to try an example of each side-by-side to identify the style and personal preference. To be impartial, I will keep mine secret.
The dessert wines of Sauterne and Barsac are almost sensual in their flavors and bodies. They are deep and rich and exotic, and the best chateau in the best years can be almost emotional in description. The first time I tasted Chateau d’Yquem (Christmas Eve 2010-1995 vintage) I was at a loss of words. They can be that captivating. Also due to the structure and process of making these wines they are some of the longest lived wines in the bottle. Open a great producer from a great year 20, 40, 60 years down the road and the wine can still be fantastic, truly magical.
