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Bordeaux
France’s legendary Bordeaux is the world’s largest wine-making region, comprising 57 appellations, more than 9,000 wine-producing châteaux, and 13,000 wine growers cultivating 2.3 million acres of vineyards. The actual port city of Bordeaux, the eighth largest in France, lies on the bend of the river Garonne in the southwest part of the country. The region is renowned mostly for its red wines, especially those from the Médoc, St. Emilion, Pomerol, and Margaux districts. However, Bordeaux also produces an array of other excellent wines, such as dry and sweet whites, rosés and clarets, plus a sparkling wine called crémant de Bordeaux, and the world-renowned Sauternes dessert wines. There are six primary grape varieties grown in Bordeaux: three red and three white. Most of the grapes grown for red wine are Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, which give vigor, tannin, and good keeping qualities, and Merlot, which brings softness and suppleness. White wines are produced from Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Muscadelle grapes.
St. EmilionWith more 13,000 acres under vine, St. Emilion is the largest of the Bordeaux grandes communes and home to a loyal fraternity of growers who maintain the belief that theirs is the region’s finest wine.The wines of St. Emilion have introduced many to the qualities of claret. Their fruitiness and early maturity makes them more immediately attractive than the rather drier Médocs. The wines are soft and full because the soil is distinctly rich. Also, the high percentages of Merlot grapes, which produce softer wines than the Cabernet Sauvignon, contribute to the style of the St. Emilions. St. Emilion wines are characterized by their style, character, depth, and substance. They possess soft appeal, yet the earthiness and structure which makes them appealing in their youth yields wines that will age gracefully for up to 20 or 30 years.
PomerolPomerol, the smallest of the wine-producing appellations of Bordeaux, produces some of the most exquisite—and expensive—wines in the world. Its wines can be more robust and hardy than others. They have an exclusive velvety quality. Pomerol has nearly 2,000 acres under vine, as compared to more than 13,400 acres in St. Emilion. The most famous of the Pomerol vineyards are Pétrus, Lafleur, and Clinet. The reason for the success of Pomerol is the Merlot grape, which occupies nearly 75 percent of the vineyards. Merlot is softer, fruitier, more opulent, and less tannic than the Cabernet Sauvignon grape.
St. EstepheWith 2,820 acres of vineyards, St. Estephe is the largest and the northernmost of the four major Médoc communes. The first activity recorded in St. Estephe dates back as far as the Middle Bronze Age, though its first vines were cultivated during the Roman occupation. The subsoil is made up of limestone, which outcrops on the west of the commune.The high clay content helps the wine attain a distinctive character: a very rich tannic structure, a fine deep red color, and an exceptional backbone, with aromas of great finesse. The reputation of St. Estephe is based not solely on its two most prestigious chậteaux, Cos D'Estournel and Montrose, but also on its Bourgeois Superieurs, such as Chateau Meyney, Phelan Segur, and Les Ormes de Pez.
PauillacThe Médoc, located north of the town of Bordeaux, is divided into two regions — the Haut-Médoc in the south, near the town, and the north part simply called Médoc. Pauillac is considered the wine capital of the Haut-Médoc, with the Maison du Vin there, and the headquarters of the Commanderie du Bontemps, the publicity organization that promotes the wines of the Médoc and the adjacent Graves. Pauillac contains no fewer than three of the First Great Growths: Lafite Rothschild, Mouton Rothschild, and Latour. The soil of Pauillac is made up of gravel, thicker to the north than in the south, based on a subsoil of larger stones and iron-based sand. This accounts for the rather diverse styles of Pauillac’s wines. They can be light, very aromatic, and silky, as is Lafite Rothschild. The wines of Latour and Mouton Rothschild tend to have power, opulence, and a rich, fleshy texture—the epitome of Bordeaux, where the Cabernet Sauvignon reigns supreme. Pauillac’s wines are full-bodied, dense, and very tannic. They tend to be austere in their youth, and rich and distinguished when mature. The wines have a propensity to be very long-lived, the longest of all Bordeaux, and possess a distinctive bouquet of black currants and cedar when they age. At their best, the wines of Pauillac are incomparable —the fullest, most concentrated, and most profound of all red wines.
GravesThe wines of the Graves district of Bordeaux—including the new appellation of Pessac-Leognan, created in 1987—were the first wines to be exported from the region. Graves owes its name to the gravelly soil, a vestige of Ice Age glaciers. Located just south of the town of Bordeaux, the congested, heavily populated area offers a completely different atmosphere than the tranquil communes of the Médoc, St. Emilion, and Pomerol. Graves produces not only illustrious reds but also some of France’s top white wines. The whites are made from Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Muscadelle grapes, while the reds are made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petite Verdot. Graves’ most famous estate, Chateau Haut-Brion, is classified a First Growth, the only non-Médoc to be included in the Classification of 1855.
St. JulienSt. Julien, the smallest of the four main communes in the Médoc, has 11 classified growths—and arguably the finest winemaking in all of Bordeaux. Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant grape, which is blended with Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and, occasionally, small amounts of Petit Verdot.The wines from the St. Julien appellation are widely recognized for their exquisite bouquet, as well as for being particularly harmonious and mild. They have body, a fine deep color, and are fruity and very rich in flavor. Their elegance seduces you into drinking more and more.
MargauxAs with a large part of the Bordeaux region, vines first appeared in Margaux during the Gallo-Roman period. All the conditions for successful wine are present—a large amount of gravel and pebbles, poor soil which cannot retain water, and deep-rooted vines.The Médoc’s unique Margaux appellation consists of five communes: Margaux, Labarde, Arsac, Cantenac, and Soussans. This conglomeration boasts no fewer than 21 classified growths, including one First Growth, Chateau Margaux. Nonetheless, the Margaux commune, as a whole, produces far less wine than the other three which comprise the Médoc region. The typical characteristic of Margaux wines is femininity. The fragrant bouquet, seductive charm, and inherent delicacy and elegance are what set these wines apart from those of St. Julien and Pauillac. Among the Margaux estates that have produced consistently fine wines since the 1990s are Chateau Kirwan, Chateau Dauzac, and Chateau Malescot St.-Exupery.
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