| Bordeaux is not only the largest wine-producing region in
France, but it’s the largest winemaking region in the
world. The wines made in its well-known soils make up a good
percentage of the best quality French wines. Although Bordeaux
is famous for its big balanced and beautiful reds, the region
also boasts some superb whites.
The Region
The Bordeaux wine region is near the city of Bordeaux in the southwest corner
of France. Bordeaux is divided by the Gironde River and Garonne River. To
the west, or "left bank", contains the capital city of Bordeaux.
The Left Bank is the more well known of the two banks. It contains Medoc, Haut
Medoc, Graves/Pessac-Léognan, Margaux, Pauillac. Medoc deserves special
mention and encompasses the appellations of Pauillac, Saint-Estephe, Margaux,
and Saint-Julien.
To the east, or "right bank", is Pomerol and St-Émilion.
In the middle of the two is the Entre-Duex-Mers (between two
seas) area.
Other wine districts within the region to know are Entre-deux-Mers,
Libourne, Blaye, and Bourg.
The three different quality levels
1.Bordeaux- This is the first level of A.O.C. wine in Bordeaux,
and usually the least expensive. These wines are easy drinking
and relatively inexpensive wines. These are sometimes known as "proprietary" wines-wines
known by what you could almost call a brand name, such as Mouton-Cadet,
rather than by the particular region or vineyard.
2.Bordeaux + Region- Regional wines come from a defined area.
Only grapes and wines made in that certain area can be called
by its regional name. For example, Médoc and St-Èmilion
wines are more distinguished than those labeled simply as Bordeaux.
3.Bordeaux + Region + Château- Château wines are
the products of individual vineyards. There are more than 9,000
châteaux in Bordeaux. Hundreds have been officially recognized
for their quality. For example, there are more than 240 châteaux
in the Médoc that are entitled to be called Cru Bourgeois,
a step below Grand Cru Classé.
In the Médoc, for example, the 61 highest-level châteaux
were officially classified in the 1855 Exposition Universelle
de Paris (sort of like a World Fair). Napoléon III asked
a panel to break the region's wines down by price (therefore,
hopefully, quality as well). These classifications of 1855 were
never meant to be a long term quality roster, but to this day,
seem as if written in stone. All 61 wines within this ranking
are called Grand Cru Classé.
Five categories called crus (meaning growth and refers to a
wine estate) were developed. The most prestigious were called
the First Growths. To this day there are only five estates in
the First Growth category.
There are fifty-six more estates spread out among the second
through fifth growths.
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