Bordeaux is the region that, more than any other, has made French wines famous throughout the world. This success is due to the important structure and remarkable longevity of the red wines, but also to the botrytized whites, unique and inimitable elsewhere, the exceptional Sauternes.
What makes this area unique is undoubtedly its location between the Atlantic Ocean on the west coast and along the Gironde estuary where the two rivers Dordogne and Garonne flow into each other.
This makes for a mild and temperate climate and the surrounding wooded area shields the cold winter weather.
The soil is also unique: the presence of rivers provides a wealth of pebbles and gravel with draining powers. A panacea for the vines
The red grapes grown are the Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot which together make up the now recognised brand name, the famous Bordelaise cut. A minority is made up of Malbecand Petit Verdot.
As for the whites, less cultivated with the exception of wines destined for the production of Sauternes, are the Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle and Ugni Blanc.
How recognise a Bordeaux from the information on the label?
Classification is not easy matter, as it is divided into areas, with the exception of the areas of Canon-Fronsac, Entre-Duex-Mers, Fronsac and Pomerol, which have no classification at all.
The Médoc, north of the Gironde estuary is the most recognised area of Bordeaux, where the world's most important wines come from.
It focuses on the Aocs of Haut Médoc among the communes of St-Estèphe (with more percentage of Merlot), Pauillac (with 3 of the 5 Château Premier Cru Classé: Latour, Mouton-Rothschild and Lafitte-Rothschild), St-Julien (with the highest presence of Cru Classé) and Margaux, with signature wines of unique refinement and elegance.
The Medoc classifies wines by Cru Classé: Premier Cru Classé or 1er (the most important) and up to the fifth we will have Duexième Cru, Troisième Cru, Quartième Cru and Cinquième Cru.
Descending to the south, in the Graves we will find a balance between the production of white and red wines and its particularity lies in the widespread presence of pebbly soils and the mild climate.
In the Graves we will only find the Cru Classé, for wines considered of further value.
South of le Graves, along the Garonne River, the two communes of Sauternes and Barsac have consecrated the celebrity of the world's most amazing muffé and botrytized wines.
In Sauterns and Bersac we will have at the top the PremierCru Supérieur Classé, followed by the Premier Cru Classé and Deuxième Cru Classé
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St-Emilion is the only area that updates its classifications every 10 years. The Premier Grand Cru Classé A and B, where in the A we find the most prestigious wines. This is followed by the Grand Cru Classé and the Grand Crus
To the east, characterised by gentle slopes, the area of Saint-Emilion, with wines that are decidedly softer than elsewhere due to the greater presence of Merlot.
Pomerol where we rarely find the presence of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. Soft and extremely elegant wines.
Other minor appellations that are not always synonymous with less prestigious wines are the Aoc Entre-Duex-Mers, Cérons, Loupiac and Ste-Croix-du-Mont, Côtes de Bourg, Côtes de Blaye, Fronsac, Canon-Fronsac.
