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BORDEAUX Region
Bordeaux Reviews 2000 and before
Bordeaux Reviews 2001 and beyond
Featured Reviews:
2001 Chateau Montrose St.-Estephe $$$$$
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Herbs, raspberries, pencil lead,
Taste: Concentrated with grit along with
raspberries, black cherry, tobacco, earth
Finish: Medium and very elegant
Evaluation: This is a great wine 94 points
2005 Château de Sales - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol (1/23/2010)
Medium purple. Decanted six hours and showing beautiful! Coffee, minerals, black currants, leather and floral. This wine is balanced and has an amazing long and intense finish. You will be rewarded with heavy decanting and day 2 tasting. A steal for $26! (94 pts.)
2005 Château Colombier-Monpelou - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (2/4/2010)
Popped and poured. Medium purple with aromas of cranberry, oak, leather and gravel. Taste reveals cranberries, crushed rock, leather, cherry and toasted oak. The tannins are present and this wine should drink well for five plus years even at the Cru Bourgeois Superieur classification. (90 pts.)
BORDEAUX
FACTS:
*Most famous wine region in the world
*Largest fine wine region in the world
*Over 15,000 growers of grapes
*One hour from the Atlantic Ocean and the Gironde (zhee-RAWND) River separates the Left and Right Bank of Bordeaux
*In 1855 there was a Classification Order that rank the top wines from the Medoc
*Almost all the wines are blended with other grape varieties
*Terroir driven wines however a bulk of what they produce are under $30
*Reds will usually have the following aromas: cherry, plum, black fruit, raspberry, earth, leather, oak, mineral, tobacco
Great Recent Vintages
2005, 2003, 2000, 1998, 1990
Best Value Vintage: 2004
Classification of 1855
Wines in 1855 were classified via growths by wine brokers who wanted to showcase the best wines of the Left Bank. There are currently 5 first growths, 14 second growths, 14 third growths, 10 fourth growths, and 18 fifth growths. The system is outdated and only one change has occurred since 1855 and that was the upgrade of Mouton Rothschild in 1973 to a 1st Growth.
The Grape Varieties
Reds: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petite Verdot
Whites: Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle
THE WINE REGIONS
Bordeaux has a Left & Right Bank
THE LEFT BANK
*The Medoc
The Northern one third is also called the Medoc and the bottom two thirds is called the Haut Medoc. The best vineyard land is right off the Gironde River. Also large forests shelter this area from the winds off the Atlantic Ocean.
The Haut Medoc is the most famous region in the world and contains the following communes: Margaux, St.-Julien, Pauillac, St-Estephe along with Listrac (lees-track) and Moulis (moo-lee)
Margaux (mar-go)- Largest commune within the Medoc
Acres: 3,460
Soil: Light and gravel based
*21 Cru Classe chateaux which is most in the Medoc
*60s they made poor wines and it wasn’t until 1990s that things turned around
Top wines: Chateau Margaux, Palmer, Brane-Cantenac, Lascombes, Kirwan, Rauzan Segla, D’Issan, Giscours
Note: ALL WINES HAVE CHATEAU BEFORE THEIR NAME
St.-Julien (san zhoo-LYAN)- Smallest commune with many second and third growths
Acres: 2,220
Soil: gravel
*11 Cru Classe chateaux
Top wines: Leoville Barton, Leoville-Las Cases, Leoville Poyferre, Gruaud Larose, Ducru-Beaucaillou, Gloria, Lagrange, Talbot
Pauillac(poh-YAK)- Has 3 1st Growths
Acres: 3,000
Soil: Sandy gravel and well draining soils
*18 classified growths
*The best commune in Medoc
Top Wines: Lafite-Rothschild, Mouton Rothschild, Latour
Pichon Lalande, Lynch-Bages, Pontet-Canet, Duhart-Milon, Pichon Longueville-Baron
Great Radio Show: Grape Radio Pauillac
St.-Estephe (san the-STEHF)- northern most Commune in the Haut Medoc
Acres: 2,960
Soil: Heavy soil and clay
*5 classified growths
Top wines: Cos d' Estournel, Calon Segur, Montrose, Lafon-Rochet
GRAVES- Produces both reds and whites
*Means gravel terrain in French
*Pessac-Leognan (peh-SAK leh-oh-NYAHN) was created as a sub appelation in 1987 and contains the best table wines in all of Graves. This area is in the Northern portion of Graves.
Acres: Around 7,000 (3,200 in Pessac-Leognan)
Soil: Gravel
Top wines: Haut-Brion (1st Growth), La Mission-Haut Brion, Pape-Clement, Smith Haut-Lafitte, Haut-Bailly, La Louviere
SAUTERNES- Whites with sweet wines the focus
5 Communes in Sauternes with the most famous being Sauternes and Barsac
Sauternes are the most famous sweet wines in the world
Grape Varieties: Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle
*To make the sweet wines they go through the Botrytis Cinera process (noble rot) which concentrates the sugar levels.
Top wines: d'Yquem, Sudirant, Rieussec, Climens, Giraud
RIGHT BANK (More Merlot)
St. Emilion- Smaller vineyards and all red wines
Acres: 13,300
Soil: Gravel, clay and limestone
Grapes: Merlot and Cabernet Franc
*Beautiful town and there are over 400 growers
Top wines: Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Magdelaine, Pavie, Angelus
Pomerol- World famous Merlot based wines
Acres: 1,930
Soil: Gravel and clay
Grapes: Mostly Merlot with some Cabernet Franc (Cabernet Sauvignon is rarely blended in the final wine)
*Pomerol is a region and small town
*This is the smallest quality region in Bordeaux and was not classified in 1855
*Jean-Pierre Moueix a Negociant helped put Pomerol on the map
*Pomerol is not glamorous and Merlot and Cabernet Franc are the primary grapes grown
*Most wines with the exception of the best producers can be consumed young
*The vineyard sites of the top producers are well maintained and produce age worthy wines
Top wines: Petrus (one of the top wines in the world), Le Pin, La Fleur, Certan de May, L'Église-Clinet, La Fleur de Gay, La Conseillante, Trotanoy, Certan de May.
Great Value: Chateau de Sales
KEY WINE TERMS
Bordeaux- Along the water. Also if it says Bordeaux on the label without a sub region that means the grapes were grown somewhere in Bordeaux
Bordeaux Blend- Blending of 2 or more of the grapes of Bordeaux
Bordeaux Superieur- higher quality then Bordeaux label
Botrytis Cinerea- Noble rot used to allow sugar levels to increase. Botrytis is common among the world's best sweet wines. Sauternes are made in this style with Chateau D'Yquem being the world's most famous
Cassis- blackcurrants (common in Bordeaux wines)
Chateau- A building with a vineyard and wine making capabilities. Does not have to be a mansion
Chai- The cellar where wine is stored and aged
Claret- English term for Bordeaux Blend
Commune- A village and the vineyard land surrounding it
Cotes- Hillside in St. Emilion
Cru- Growth. Cru wines are the best.
Crus Bourgeois- wines that are known for quality but not the same as a wine labeled Pauillac or Margaux
Deuxiemes Crus- Second Growths
Futures- Good Bordeaux wines are sold as futures at a discount price. One will front the money and be given an opportunity to get first pick of the best Bordeaux wines.
Growths- Refers to the Classification of 1855. Wines were categorized among 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th. Not always an indication that 1st Growths are the best ever year.
Grand Vin- Grand wine but no official meaning
Meritage- US term for Bordeaux
Mouton Cadet- The starter wine from Bordeaux. Sells for under $10
Negociant- French for merchant. Negociant will act as a wholesaler and sometimes buy grapes and put their name on the end product.
Premier Cru- Top wines and expensive. Refers to 1st Growth Bordeaux
Super Seconds- These are wines that in any given year are as good as 1st Growths. Chateau Leoville-Las Cases, Chateau Pichon Longueville, and Chateau Palmer would be in this class.
Terroir- French for soil and it also includes the slope, amount of sunlight, rainfall, etc. Certain areas of the world have the best Terroir for growing grapes.
Troisiemes Crus- Third Growths
Vintage- Most important term when buying Bordeaux at any price point. A good vintage will have wines of quality across the board 2005, 2003, 2000 were the best of the recent vintages
Best Web sites to buy Bordeaux
Websites
www.cellarnotes.net/bordeaux.htm
Great Books
Bordeaux “A Consumer’s Guide to the World’s Finest Wines” Robert M Parker
References:
Duijker, H., Broadbent, M., The Bordeaux Atlas (London, 1997).
Herbst, R. & Herbst S. Wine Lover's Companion (2nd edn, New York, 2003).
Parker, R., Bordeaux (4th edn, New York, 2003).
Parker, R. The World's Greatest Wine Estates (1st edn, New York, 2005)