Wine regions of the world 5 Bordeaux.

Now while doing this blog I have limited any f the article that I have done to just a few hundred to say a thousand words , the same that you would get in a news appear or magazine article .  And each time I start to write about a wine region I know that I will not do it justice.  A brief glossary of the history and a nod to the viticulture a little about geography and climate, grape varieties, history and the odd personal reference as to what I might think about the wine of the region.  How can this ever do justice to any wine region, the truth is it cannot.

Bordeaux could be argued to be one of the most important wine regions of the world , the names of the Château  and regions are instantly recognisable all over the world to people who say the know nothing about wine . Château  and regions like Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Margaux, Château Latour,  St-Julien,  Margaux, Graves,  Sauternes and Barsac, Pomerol, Saint-Émilion names and places they you see on almost every wine list in the world .  Also the fact that it is call Claret leading to one of my favourite jokes to say to some one you suspect of being a wine bore “do you prefer Claret to Bordeaux.” It is surprising the amount of people who choose.

So with that in mind and the amount of fact that I just have about Bordeaux I will start by dispelling a myths.

I was told as a young man who believed the things you are being told by people who are knowledgeable that the wine region Bordeaux exists because of the English. It was when Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry Plantagegenet  he became king of England and the Duke of Normandy . And it was he who created the wine region along with king John.  Well all this is true but the fact that the region was producing wine back in roman times if not before and is mentions in ancient texts undermines this. As for the English building up its export trade , yes sort of true but it was the Dutch who drained the marshes in the Medoc and the Dutch who in the 17^th century where more responsible for exporting it all over Europe . Now I have got that out of the way you have to ask why it is so special.

The reason for the success and world wind renowned for wines of quality is the excellent environment for growing vines. It is because of the terroir, in the Bordeaux region the terroir is every thing. In fact I would go as far to say that if you want to every understand the concept of terroir then study the region of Bordeaux.

The geology of the region is very complicated but it is mainly limestone.  This means the soil to be very rich in calcium, good for the vines. The Gironde estuary and its tributaries, the Garonne and the Dordogne, provide irrigation to the land and give it an Atlantic Climate. The rivers split the region defining the main regions, the right and left bank, but it is the terroir that really counts.  The terroir plays a pivotal role in the wine and where they are from. You can find a vine growing in one field make a good wine and the vine in the filed next-door make a really great wine. It is that complicated mix of soil, gravel, sandy stone, clay, and weather that are so important. And it is that that makes this region so special.

Now as to the wines of the region you have 60 Bordeaux appellations but you can split them in to 6 main groups 4 red and 2 white.

You have Red Bordeaux and Red Bordeaux Supérieur and that can be used by winemakers throughout the region. But most are châteaux on the right bank , the  wines are typically Merlot-dominant, often blended with other Bordeaux varietals.

Bordeaux Superieur AOC wines are produced with strict controls, lower yields, and are often aged in oak.

Then there is red Côtes de Bordeaux is 8 appellations on the hilly outskirts of the region and make  wine that are mainly  blend usually dominated by Merlot

All so the red Libourne or  the right bank wines are 10 appellations from around the city of Libourne. Once again dominated by Merlot grape with some Cabernet Sauvignon, and home of the famous Saint-Émilion and Pomerol.  Some of my favourite wines of the region full of fruit and soft tannin

And last but by now way least , in fact the very opposite red Graves and Médoc or the left bank wines are to the north and south of Bordeaux. Now this is the classic wine  area making wines dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine of this region are some of the best the first five growths are situated here that is to say Chateau Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac),Chateau Latour (Pauillac),Chateau Margaux (Margaux),Chateau Mouton-Rothschild (Pauillac) ,Chateau Haut-Brion  (Pessac) big names and big wines.

As for the white wine you have the dry white wines made throughout the region. Using normally 100% Sauvignon Blanc or a dominate belend of  Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Graves is the most well known wine from the region and I must admit not to every ones taste as they are normally very dry and very crisp, and if you can get it a good deal of oak in the flavour.

And finally the sweet white wines, made in several locations from Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle grapes. All selected after they have been  affected by noble rot.  The best of these is Sauternes where some world famous sweet wines are made.

And this is just a tiny fraction of the information that you need to understand the wine of Bordeaux.  In a way the wine and the region has a special place in my hart, as it was the first time I began to understand that there was more to wine than just red, white, rose, dry medium or sweet. I only with that I could have the bank balance to really investigate them more , maybe one day I will.