Napa Cabernet

Learn about Bordeaux Wines

Bordeaux is without doubt the most important, if not the most often imitated, wine region in the world. The wines themselves range from some of the costliest, most renowned wines of the world to workmanlike everyday wines that sell within the $10 range.

Red Bordeaux is created from five permitted kinds and they are among the most planted grapes found anywhere in the world. The three main grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Malbec, a blending variety in Bordeaux, is most popular as “the grape” of Argentina.

White Bordeaux, though not nearly as well known as the red, is produced from three permitted varieties: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle. Typically, the blend is 2/3 Sauvignon Blanc and 1/3 Semillon, with some sporadic use of Muscadelle.

Bordeaux is split into three major subregions - Graves, the Médoc, and the “Right Bank”.

The Gironde estuary, formed from the meeting of the Garonne and Dordogne Rivers, divides the Médoc peninsula from the mainland of France. The Médoc holds the appellations of Pauillac, St. Estephe, St. Julien and Margaux. Those appellations form a part of the Haut-Médoc, the more celebrated part of the Médoc. The Médoc features Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot and the rest of the grapes usually playing a supporting role.

South of the Gironde, west of the Garonne, lies Graves, home to the Pessac-Leognan appellation and Chateau Haut-Brion. Much like the Médoc, the wines of the Graves commonly include Cabernet Sauvignon.

On the east of the Gironde and the Dordogne are the “Right Bank” appellations, most notoriously St. Emilion and Pomerol. This is the biggest part of Bordeaux, and these wines commonly include Merlot, with Cabernet Franc being the most important support grape.

In 1855, the wines of the Médoc and the Graves were rated by the most important wine merchants of the time. 61 modern Chateaux are featured in the so-called “1855 Classification,” the Grandes Crus, the very best wines of their day and still at times, ours. The 61 Chateaux were divided into five groups, known in English as “Growths”.

The First Growths, the best of the best, were originally limited to 4 wines - Chateau Latour, Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, Chateau Margaux, and Chateau Haut-Brion. In the only alteration to the classification not directly brought on by mergers or by properties being divided, Chateau Mouton-Rothschild was elevated from 2nd Growth to 1st Growth status in 1973. Of the First Growths, 3 are from Pauillac (Lafite, Latour and Mouton), one is from Margaux (fittingly, Chateau Margaux) and one is from Pessac-Leognan (Haut Brion).

As part of the Right Bank, Chateau Ausone and Chateau Cheval-Blanc (St. Emilion) and Chateau Petrus (Pomerol) are attributed with status equal to the First Growths, even if the wines of the Right Bank were not included into the 1855 Classification.

Napa Cabernet, Argentinian Malbec