Things you need to know about Bordeaux

 Map of Bordeaux

The spirit of Bordeaux:
At the beginning, an upper-class wine and sometimes a rivality between Bordeaux and Burgundy

Short story of Bordeaux:

During century 12th Bordeaux became English so they began a very important between England and Bordeaux.

Key numbers:

Bordeaux is the biggest AOC vineyard in the world with a little bit more than 100000 hectareas, 3000 chateaux and more or less 200 very prestigious. 16000 winegrowers. 850 millions of bottles

A success story:
- A very privileged relationship with England since 12th century
- Château Haut-Brion was the first wine sold in bottle (also in England)
- The 1855’s classement
- The larger AOC vineyard in the work
- A wine easy to understand
- A lot of investors who allowed making the important works in the vineyard (mostly to drain the vineyard)

The art of the assemblage:
We are used to consider there are 2 great parts in the Red Bordeaux Vineyard.
The left bank:
Médoc & Graves (with Pessac-Leognan)
Soil mostly made with graves (siliceous stone which fit perfectly with the Cabernet)
The Cabernet-Sauvignon is a late maturing grape, so he needs hot soils like graves.
The wines are very tannics

The right bank:

Saint-Emilion
Soil mostly clay, more compact, which fit perfectly with the merlot
The merlot is an early maturing grape which appreciate colds soils

The assemblage : Merlot, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet-Franc, Malbec…

And a very vast region which is called Entre-Deux-Mers (between Dordogne’s river and Garonne)

Other very important region of Bordeaux:
Sauternes, Barsac…

Some very well known vineyards:

Médoc
Haut-médoc
The wine near the river are delicate, the wine on the “plateau” are more powerful

Pauillac
May be the more elegant wine for Bordeaux – Powerful and elegant at the same time. May be the perfect combination
Wines : Laffite, Mouton-Rothschild…

Margaux
Elegant, delicate,can be soft

Saint-Estèphe
Very tannic, may be a little bit old fashion
Libournais
Pomerol
The wine is supple and almost full body. Fabulous balance

Saint-Emilion
Very elegant, nice fruit…
Careful with the different qualities

Côtes de Blayes
Very near to the “terroir”- Sometimes a little lack of elegance

Côtes de Bourg
Powerful wines, some Châteaux are improving the denomination

Graves
The reds are supples, with tobacco, red fruits aromas

Example of Wines tasted

Château Duhart Milon, 4ème cru classé, Pauillac, 2004

The initials conditions in 2004, weren’t very good. Rainy winter and cold spring. Fortunately, June and July were dry, August and September, mild, which cause a delay for the harvest. Winegrowers decided to harvest end-september and those who waited a little bit more had very good results.

Nose slightly oaky, candied fruits. In palate the wine has a good intensity, with an hint of bitterness at the end.

Chateau Reynon, Bordeaux Supérieur White 2004
Lemon, grapefruit, a very good definition of Sauvignon