Wine Wednesdays!
Before I started studying about wine I could generally just go on the advice of a friend when wanting a Bordeaux. French wine in a store frightened me. I took French in high school albeit, my teacher hated me because I couldn’t stop talking (for those that know me, this is still no surprise. ;). I did magically retain some of the language, probably via osmosis somehow. This made looking at these bottles even more frustrating because I had a little bit of knowledge, but it wasn't enough to understand what I was looking at. After some research, differentiating these bottles isn't so difficult at all. You don’t need to know the language. You just need to know the location, which tells you the terroir, and type of wine you should expect to have from that region.
Here is a map of Bordeaux with some associated regions.....
The Dordogne river and the Garonne River meet north and both feed into the Gironde estuary. This estuary eventually dumps into the Atlantic Ocean. The area directly south of the Garonne river is referred to as the Left Bank and the area north of the Dordogne river is referred to as the Right Bank. The Left Bank red Bordeaux’s are primarily Cabernet Sauvignon (approximately 75% or more) with a smaller amount of Merlot and typically Cabernet Franc. Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Carmenere can also be found in a red Bordeaux blend. The Right Bank Bordeaux’s are primarily Merlot (approximately 75% or more) with lesser amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and the other above mentioned grapes. Typically any red Bordeaux is 3 grape varietals. White Bordeaux also exists as well, and is usually a combination of mostly Semillon, with lesser amounts of Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle grapes. An example would be a Sauternes from the Graves section of Bordeaux. Sauternes are sweet wines.
The reason the Left Bank and Right Bank Bordeauxs have very different characteristics is due to the soil and atmospheric conditions.
Left Bank Bordeaux is primarily Cabernet Sauvignon due to the fact that it is closer in location to the Atlantic Ocean, providing more moisture and cooler days. The soil is composed of more gravel, is rockier, and has added limestone, which makes the roots struggle for nutrients as they stretch their way down. This creates more character and more concentrated wines. This region is where Cabernet Sauvignon thrives. These wines typically have high tannins (more dry) and are punchy when young which allow for decades of aging to soften them out. Blending with Merlot also softens them out as well. Concentrated aromas and flavors of cigar, leather, and spices are the norm. Famous Left Bank Vineyards are Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Latour, Château Margaux, and Château Mouton-Rothschild.
On the opposite Right Bank, the conditions are warmer in the day, less precipitation, and the roots do not struggle as much for nutrients due to the mostly damp clay and limestone soil. Merlot does not like to struggle and produces aromas and flavors of dark berries, chocolate, and licorice. These wines are easier to drink young, but can also mature into some beautiful wines. The most famous Merlots in the world can be found here on the Right Bank due to these optimal growing conditions. The 2005 Chateau Cheval Blanc from Right Bank, Saint-Emilion, France, is one of the most famous of all Merlots, fetching up to $2500 per bottle. Other notable Right Bank vineyards are Château Ausone, Château Pavie, and Château Angélus.
Hopefully understanding these differences will allow you to make a more educated guess when picking out a Bordeaux from your local store. I tend to prefer a Left Bank, more tannic, Bordeaux, while others may prefer the flavors of a Right Bank Bordeaux. It’s completely preferential.
So Saluti on “Wine Wednesday”! Up next week I’ll be diving into Romanian wine....who knew they could make some incredible wine? xoxo -Lisa.
