Bordeaux
France ’s most important wine region in terms of both quality and quantity. Bordeaux produces mostly red wine (80% of total production), including some of the most sought after reds in the world. Sauternes, a legendary sweet white wine, is also worthy of special note. There are very few single varietal Bordeaux wines - most are blends, each appellation mixing the grapes in a different way. The demand for Bordeaux means that decent bottles start at about £10 and that the really good stuff goes for silly money.
Bordeaux can be divided into 3 key categories: the Left Bank of the Gironde River, the Right Bank, and everything else. The demand for Bordeaux and Burgundy and the way it is sold means that our stock of each wine is limited and our range changes regularly.
Key grape varieties:
R Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot
W Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Ugni Blanc, Muscadelle
Medoc, Graves & Sauternes - The left bank of the Gironde includes the famed appellations of the Medoc, Graves and Sauternes. The Medoc, in particular the Haut Medoc, produces some of the best reds in the world under the appellations of Saint-Estephe, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, and Margaux. Here the likes of Latour, Lafite Rothschild, Haut-Brion, Margaux and Mouton Rothschild produce wines of rare balance, concentration, depth and complexity. The region also produces small quantities of really good (and expensive) white wines (Graves and Pessac-Leognan are among the best examples), along with a good deal of quaffable everyday drinking red and white. As a general rule, the Left Bank blends are Cabernet Sauvignon driven with some Merlot and often Cabernet Franc in the mix.
The wines of the Medoc are graded as follows (best first): Premier Cru, Deuxiemes Cru, Troisiemes Cru, Quatriemes Cru, Cinquiemes Cru, Cru Bourgeois, AC Bordeaux.
The wines of Sauternes are graded as follows (best first): Premier Cru Superieur Classe, Premiers Cru Classe, Deuxiemes Cru Classe, AC Sauternes.
Vintage recommendations – 1990, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2004
St Emilion & Pomerol - The two big names associated with the Right Bank of Bordeaux are Pomerol and St. Emilion and they only produce red wine. From these appellations comes the best Merlot and Cabernet Franc in the world - the wines of Chateau Petrus, Le Pin, Cheval Blanc and Ausone. Though Merlot reigns supreme, Cabernet Franc is used extensively and a little Cabernet Sauvignon is usual in the blend. The wines of Pomerol are all made under the AC Pomerol designation with no further grading.
The wines of St.Emilion are graded as follows (best first): Premier Grand Cru Classe, Grand Cru Classe, Grand Cru, AC St.Emilion.
Vintage recommendations: 1982, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004
The Rest of Bordeaux - Away from the Gironde, excellent and affordable Bordeaux wines - red and white - can be found in Fronsac, Cotes de Castillon and Cotes de Bourg, among many others. The vast Entre-Deux-Mers area between the Dordogne and Garonne rivers is known for dry whites and its modern wine making techniques which produce larger quantities.
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