Bordeaux wines - a brief guide
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Despite living in Aquitaine, just two hours from Bordeaux and in close proximity to some of the most renowned vineyards in the world I have to admit to a shameful lack of knowledge about the wines of Bordeaux...
Bordeaux wine, refers to all wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. Bordeaux is the largest wine region in the world with over 284,320 acres under vine, 57 appellations, 9,000 wine-producing châteaux, and 13,000 wine growers. With an annual production of over 700 million bottles, Bordeaux produces large quantities of everyday wine as well as expensive wines.
Although the reputation of Bordeaux is based on its few prestigious red wines and the sweet white wines from Sauternes, Bordeaux also produces large quantities of ordinary table wines, including white wines, rosé wines, and a sparkling wine, called Crémant de Bordeaux.
Red Bordeaux, which is traditionally known as claret in the United Kingdom, is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Carmenere although the Malbec is very seldom used and Carmenere is now virtually absent in Bordeaux. White Bordeaux is made from Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Muscadelle.
The Bordeaux region has an excellent environment for growing vines. The ecological foundation of the region is limestone, meaning that the soil is full of calcium, and the natural paths of the Garonne and the Dordogne irrigate the land. Combined with the oceanic climate, giving humidity to the atmosphere, this creates a desirable environment for grapes to flourish.
The Bordeaux wine region is divided into subregions including Saint-Émilion, Pomerol, Médoc, and Graves. In 1855, a classification system, known as The Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, ranked the wines into five categories according to price. The first growth red wines (four from Médoc and one, Château Haut-Brion, from Graves), are among the most expensive wines in the world.
The first growths are:
- Château Lafite-Rothschild
- Château Margaux
- Château Latour
- Château Haut-Brion
- Château Mouton-Rothschild
In 1955, St. Émilion AOC were classified, adding an additional two Premier Crus (Class A):
- Château Ausone
- Château Cheval Blanc
Pomerol has never been officially classified, but its best estates, such Château Pétrus and Château Le Pin, fetch very high prices that often exceed even the prices of the first growths.
(the text above is made available under the GNU Free Documentation License)
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