Bordeaux

Overview

Bordeaux is arguably France’s most famous winemaking region, producing around a quarter of the country’s wine. Bordeaux’s place in the wine world is so distinct that its blended red wines – some combination of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and other varieties – are simply called “bordeaux.” Unlike Burgundy, Bordeaux’s naming system is simple and each château usually has a single owner. Like Burgundy, Bordeaux is inseparable from the face of the French wine industry and provides a standard against which all other wines are judged.

History

Bordeaux’s history as an internationally recognized wine region dates back to the middle ages. In 1152, when Henry Plantagenet married Eleanor of Aquitaine, he acquired all of the lands of western France, which included Bordeaux. His son, King John, created a special trade agreement with Bordeaux merchants that included an exemption on export taxes for all ships sailing from Bordeaux. The wines became the most affordable in England, and ever since, there has been a tight bond between the British and the wines of Bordeaux, which they often call “Claret”.

Another important development came in the early 17th century when King Henri IV hired the Dutch to drain the marshland of France. Prior to this, much of the Médoc, a left bank region, was unusable for agriculture until Dutch engineers drained the marshes.

The wines of Bordeaux’s top châteaux fetch the highest prices in the world. In fact, the price of wine is what led to the classification of the top estates of Bordeaux in the first place. In 1855, Napoleon III asked the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce to rate their best wines based on the price they fetched. As a result, 61 of the most expensive red wines were ranked in 5 categories called crus, or growths.

At the time, four wines were classified as premieres crus, or first growths: Château Lafite and Château Latour (from Pauillac), Chateau Margaux (Margaux), and Chateau Haut-Brion (Pessac-Léognan). Since 1855, only one change has been made to the original classification. In 1973, after nearly 50 years of lobbying, the Baron Philippe de Rothschild convinced the French Minister of Agriculture to elevate the status of Pauillac’s Château Mouton-Rothschild to premier cru status.

Geography

Bordeaux is situated in the Gironde départment on the coast of southwest France where two rivers – the Garonne and the Dordogne – meet to the north of the town of Bordeaux. Together, they form an estuary called the Gironde River that continues out to the Atlantic Ocean. The city of Bordeaux’s location at the mouth of the Garonne has been a major contribution to the commercial success of the region’s wine production.

These rivers divide the region into three main districts: the Right Bank, Left Bank, and Entre-Deux-Mers. Bordeaux is also sandwiched between the brandy producing regions of Cognac to the north and Armagnac to the south.

Temperature and Topography

Bordeaux enjoys a mild, maritime climate that is moderated by the Atlantic Ocean and the large estuary of the Gironde River that runs down the middle of the region. The left bank appellations of the Médoc are the most protected by these bodies of water. In addition to this natural heat regulator, the Médoc is also protected from ocean winds by a strip of pine forests that runs up the coast. Farther to the southeast in Graves and Sauternes, the temperatures are a bit warmer and humidity tends to be high. Because of this humidity, frost can be a viticultural worry in cooler areas, but it creates ideal conditions for the formation of noble rot. Morning mists from tributaries of the Garonne River along with sunny afternoons are important contributors.

On the right bank, temperatures are lower, and the overall climate is more continental. These areas also have higher rainfall and are less protected from ocean winds. The Entre-Deux-Mers appellations also see more rainfall and winds than in the Médoc.

Terroir

The soil composition varies greatly throughout Bordeaux, and is a major factor in determining which type of grapes to plant on a certain piece of land. Bordeaux wines are virtually all blends, and the character of a given wine reflects the type of grapes used in its production. Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon are the two most white grapes. Muscadelle, at number three, is used mainly to impart floral and fruity flavors to white blends. For red grapes, Merlot and Cabernet Franc are widely planted in St. Émilion and Pomerol, while Cabernet Sauvignon is more common in the Médoc and Graves. A typical Bordeaux white is crisp and dry with herbal aromas. A typical red is composed of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc and is full-bodied and complex, with heavy tannins and aromas of cedar, coffee, and blackberry.