BACK TO SCHOOL: BORDEAUX
28/08/2024
The History of Bordeaux Wine
Bordeaux is a name that resonates with wine lovers around the globe. After all, the region boasts a winemaking tradition that dates back over two millennia, with viticulture roots that can be traced to the Romans, who planted the first vines in the 1st century AD. Bordeaux's rise to prominence, however, began in the Middle Ages, when the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine to Henry II of England in 1152 opened the door to English markets. The wines of Bordeaux quickly gained popularity across the Channel, and this only grew over the centuries.
By the 18th century, Bordeaux had established itself as a centre of wine commerce, with its wines being traded across Europe and beyond. The region's reputation was further solidified with the 1855 Classification, commissioned by Emperor Napoleon III, which ranked the top châteaux of the Médoc, creating a system that still more or less defines the Bordeaux wine market today.
The geography of Bordeaux
Bordeaux is located in southwestern France, near the Atlantic coast, and is defined by its rivers—the Garonne, Dordogne, and Gironde Estuary. These waterways play a crucial role in shaping the region's climate and soils, both of which are essential to Bordeaux's terroir, as well as helping to moderate the climate and provide the ideal conditions for Noble Rot in some areas... more on that later.
The region is generally divided into two main areas: the Left Bank and the Right Bank, each with its own unique characteristics, wine styles, and fans ready to fight its corner. For what its worth - we're non-denominational. The Left Bank, located to the west of the Garonne and Gironde, is home to the Médoc and Graves appellations and famed first growths incuding Pauillac and Margaux. The Right Bank, situated to the east of the Dordogne River, includes the equally-esteemed regions of Saint-Émilion and Pomerol.
The Left Bank vs. Right Bank Divide
The divide between the Left and Right Banks is more than just geographical—it represents a fundamental difference in the wines produced in each area.
- Left Bank: The wines of the Left Bank are predominantly made from Cabernet Sauvignon, a grape that thrives in the region's gravelly soils, which provide excellent drainage and retain warmth for this heat-loving and late ripening variety. With small berries and thick skins, this results in wines that are structured, tannic, and built to age. Classic examples include the powerful, long-lived wines of Pauillac, Margaux, and Saint-Julien.
- Right Bank: The Right Bank, with its clay and limestone soils, is more suited to Merlot, which produces softer, rounder wines with a lush plummy fruit character. They can typically be a bit more approachable in their youth compared to their Left Bank counterparts, though at their best they still very much possess the ability to age gracefully.
Styles of Bordeaux wine
Bordeaux's diverse terroir and its long history of winemaking have led to the creation of a range of wine styles, each with its distinct profile.
Red Bordeaux
The most famous style of Bordeaux wine nowadays, red Bordeaux is typically a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon of Merlot, alongside other varieties like Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. Each grape contributes its own attributes to the blend and this will change year on year depending on the vintage conditions. As a very general rule of thumb, Left Bank reds are known for their robust structure and aging potential thanks to the Cabernet Sauvignon, while Merlot-dominant Right Bank reds are often softer and more fruit-driven.
White Bordeaux
Though red wines dominate these days, Bordeaux also produces exceptional white wines - and once produced more white than red! The whites are made primarily from Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon and these wine styles range from crisp, citrusy, and mineral-driven in their youth to rich and honeyed with age, particularly those from Graves and Pessac-Léognan.
Sweet Bordeaux
Bordeaux's sweet wines, particularly those from Sauternes and Barsac AOCs, are world-renowned. Made primarily from Sémillon, but also often including Sauvignon Blanc and a little Muscadelle, these wines are often affected by noble rot - not just a magazine and restaurant in London, but in fact a fungus (scientific name Botrytis cinerea), which by attacking and dehydrating the grapes, concentrates their sugars and flavours, resulting in lusciously sweet, complex wines with notes of honey, apricot, and exotic spices.
Conclusion
Bordeaux remains a cornerstone of the wine world, celebrated for its history, diversity, and ability to produce wines of unparalleled complexity and elegance. Whether you are exploring the structured reds of the Left Bank, the fruit-forward offerings of the Right Bank, or the vibrant whites and sumptuous sweet wines - or happy to try all of the above! - Bordeaux can offer a wine for every palate and occasion.
Bordeaux Wines from Brompton Wine
White Wines
- Blanc de L’Étampe
: A vibrant Bordeaux Blanc with crisp acidity, citrus zest, and a hint of minerality.
Price: £34.95
- Félicie de Biac
: super high quality white made with with great skill. Aged in 100% new French Oak for 6 months, this wine drinks like its counterparts on the Left Bank in Pessac-Leognan, for a fraction of the price.
Price: £25.95 - Château Bel Air La Royère Sauvignon Blanc: Sauvignon Blanc can often taste rather one dimensional - high acidity and simple fruit. That is not the case here! Wonderful freshness, balanced with lemon citrus and a hint of peach and nectarine. The brief maturation in French oak gives the wine a sumptuous texture.
Price: £15.95
Red Wines
- Château L’Étampe Grand Cru
: Elegant, gourmand and structured, it is characterized by a complex nose of pleasant freshness with notes of black fruit, blueberry, blackcurrant or Morello cherry depending on the vintage.
Price: £32.95
- Château Veyry 2015
: Micro vineyard in a prime location in Castillon - neigbour to Saint-Emilion and on the same limestone ridge as many Grand Cru Classe estates.
Price: £23.50
- Château Veyry 2017 Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux
: Rich, layered with powerful black fruit, sweet spice, liquorice, floral, minty characteristics. Ripe and powerful tannins, coconut and chocolate..
Price: £21.95
- B de Biac
: Deep, rich, with intense aromas of forest floor and ripe concentrated black frui.
Price: £23.95
- Château Biac
: Already beautifully developed with complex aromas stemming from very good fruit ripeness combined with a fine touch of oak.
Price: £34.95
- Jade de Fleur de Lisse
: The nose has plenty of ripe black plummy fruit with a generous helping of spicy notes.
Price: £10.95
- Esprit de Bel Air
: Very generous fruit - plenty of ripe plum along side the spice and liquorice.
Price: £17.50
- Château Bel Air La Royère 2016 Blaye Bordeaux
: 2016 was another wonderful vintage in Bordeaux. The Merlot and Malbec were perfectly ripe coming into the winery and this has resulted in a superb wine. More power and concentration than the 2015 with more spice and structure but still with roundness and control.
Price: £25.95
Sweet Wines
: bright, golden hue with a spiced nose of vanilla, cinnamon, and orange blossom. Citrus, peach, and pineapple notes add to its complexity.
Price: £38.95