A brief Bordeaux overview.
I have a Bordeaux tasting coming up with some good friends and I thought now would be a good time for a brief overview of Bordeaux wines. The tasting will be of some good and aged Bordeaux reds. We are tasting blind and to all of our great anticipation, one of the bottles is from 1985!
So, here we go. . .
. . . the Bordeaux region produces both red and white wines;
. . . Bordeaux Reds are blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmenere (Malbec and Carmenere are used sparingly though);
. . . Bordeaux Blancs (White) are generally produced from blends of Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle (typically the blends consist of 80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc);
. . . almost all Bordeaux wines are blends, with a very few exceptions;
. . . there are 60 Appellations of Bordeaux wines;
. . . "Right Bank" wines. Near the town of Libourne, 10 appellations produce wines dominated by Merlot with very little Cabernet Sauvignon, the two most famous being Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. These wines often have great fruit concentration and softer tannins;
. . . "Left Bank" wines. Appellations north and south of the city of Bordeaux, which are the classic areas, produce wines dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, but often with a significant portion of Merlot. These wines are concentrated, tannic, and most of them meant to be cellared before drinking;
. . . about 85% of wine produced in Bordeaux is red and 15% being white;
. . . in all of Bordeaux there are about 99,000 acres of Merlot, 62,000 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and 32,000 acres of Cabernet Franc;
. . . wines priced between $8.00 and $25.00 represent 80% of the total production of Bordeaux;
. . . Chateau Petrus makes one of the most expensive wines of Bordeaux. It's planted with 95% Merlot. It takes Chateau Petrus one year to make as much wine as Gallo makes in six minutes;
. . . what separates a $20 Bordeaux from a $300 Bordeaux is 1) the place the grapes are grown, 2) the age of the vines, 3) the yield of the vine—the smaller the yield—the more expensive, 4) wine making technique (how long it is aged) and 5) the vintage.
This information just scrapes the surface of Bordeaux— a fascinating place for wine. I will follow up soon on our tasting this weekend and with some more in depth information next week.
Til then— Cheers!
So, here we go. . .
. . . the Bordeaux region produces both red and white wines;
. . . Bordeaux Reds are blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmenere (Malbec and Carmenere are used sparingly though);
. . . Bordeaux Blancs (White) are generally produced from blends of Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle (typically the blends consist of 80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc);
. . . almost all Bordeaux wines are blends, with a very few exceptions;
. . . there are 60 Appellations of Bordeaux wines;
. . . "Right Bank" wines. Near the town of Libourne, 10 appellations produce wines dominated by Merlot with very little Cabernet Sauvignon, the two most famous being Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. These wines often have great fruit concentration and softer tannins;
. . . "Left Bank" wines. Appellations north and south of the city of Bordeaux, which are the classic areas, produce wines dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, but often with a significant portion of Merlot. These wines are concentrated, tannic, and most of them meant to be cellared before drinking;
. . . about 85% of wine produced in Bordeaux is red and 15% being white;
. . . in all of Bordeaux there are about 99,000 acres of Merlot, 62,000 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and 32,000 acres of Cabernet Franc;
. . . wines priced between $8.00 and $25.00 represent 80% of the total production of Bordeaux;
. . . Chateau Petrus makes one of the most expensive wines of Bordeaux. It's planted with 95% Merlot. It takes Chateau Petrus one year to make as much wine as Gallo makes in six minutes;
. . . what separates a $20 Bordeaux from a $300 Bordeaux is 1) the place the grapes are grown, 2) the age of the vines, 3) the yield of the vine—the smaller the yield—the more expensive, 4) wine making technique (how long it is aged) and 5) the vintage.
This information just scrapes the surface of Bordeaux— a fascinating place for wine. I will follow up soon on our tasting this weekend and with some more in depth information next week.
Til then— Cheers!
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