Bordeaux

Arguably the world’s most famous and influential wine region in history, Bordeaux has long been the benchmark that fine wines around the world aspire to — both in quality and price. It is for this reason that some of the region’s most popular grapes: merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and sauvignon blanc; along with its blending style, have been exported and achieved success around the world.

Bordeaux’s reds, known as Claret (from the French Clairet) by the British, are arguably its most famous products — making up 90% of the region’s production. The other 10% is made up of the sweet wine of Sauternes and white Bordeaux. All of Bordeaux’s top wines have great ageability.

This article covers the elements of the Bordeaux region that are required knowledge for the Introductory Sommeliers Exam (for which I am currently studying) and is littered with other interesting tidbits of information that help to create a picture of the region that is Bordeaux.

Photo by Árpád Czapp on Unsplash

The Geography and Climate of Bordeaux

Bordeaux, the wine region, exists around the port city of Bordeaux, which is the capital of the Southwestern region of France in which it sits, just inland from the Atlantic Ocean. The city sits on the river Garonne, which, along with the Dordogne river, feeds the Gironde Estuary (Europe’s largest). It is around these rivers and this estuary that most of the vines grow.

The region also has numerous smaller rivers and streams running through it, and these bodies of water help to temper the climate and protect the vines from severe, frost-producing cold snaps that can devastate the vines’ buds in spring and their grapes, for the wines of Sauternes, in autumn. All these rivers also helped merchants move wine around the region on boats, and this ease of access made Bordeaux wines some of the first to be shipped internationally — one of the reasons these wines have such a wide reaching international pedigree.

Topographically, the region is covered with gently undulating hills, and this creates gentle variations in orientation, soil, and drainage patterns, all affecting the vines and their wines.

The region’s maritime climate is also tempered by the 2.5 million acre Les Landes pine forest along the coast to the southwest, which shelters it from extreme weather. In addition to this, The Gulf Stream ships warm, humid air over from the Caribbean, keeping the region’s climate mild yet humid.

Despite all these factors tempering Bordeaux’s climate, the region still suffers from inconsistent weather, resulting in variable vintage quality. Notably, its most prolific problems are frost in the spring and excessive rains in harvest season.

Bordeaux’s Appellations

The Bordeaux region is, legally, split into three types of appellation:

Regional Appellations

• The Bordeaux AOC is the largest regional appellation (and the largest in France), and these wines, red and white, are made with grapes grown anywhere in the region. Typically these are made by cooperatives, but some château bottling is done.

Sub-Regions or District Appellations

• The wine region of Bordeaux is split into various areas e.g. Haut Médoc AOC and Entre-Deux-Mers AOC. Wines made with grapes in these sub-regions can be labeled as such.

Commune Appellations

• These appellations are the smallest AOC in Bordeaux, typically producing the highest quality wines. They exist inside the sub-regions or district appellations, examples include Pauillac, Margaux, Pomerol, Saint Julien, Saint Estèphe, and St. Émilion.

As the appellations get smaller, the wine’s quality and price tend to rise. But those in a commune appellation, e.g. Pauillac, can label their wine with the sub-region or district appellation, in this example, Haut-Médoc, or even the regional Bordeaux appellation, Bordeaux, if they wish. Many estates will do this (rarely, if ever, going as low as the regional appellation) with wines that do not meet the high standards of their commune appellation, such as their press wine.

Bordeaux’s Soils and Nominal Nomenclature

There are two terms used to describe a lot of Bordeaux’s wine: left bank and right bank. Left and right bank are not, but might as well be, official names for these larger areas of the Bordeaux region, as these are the terms used colloquially to organize and describe the wines from these areas. This is because the style of red blend produced by each area is distinct because of the distinct composition of their soils.

The Left Bank

Looking at a map of Bordeaux, you’ll see that the Garonne river weaves its way from the more Southern part of France in a northwest direction towards the Gironde estuary. The estuary then continues this heading into the Atlantic Ocean. Anything south or west (i.e. left) of the Garonne and the Gironde is called the left bank.

The soils in this left bank region, where the majority of Bordeaux’s best wine comes from, feature a lot of gravel. These soils are loved by cabernet sauvignon, the dominant grape in these left bank blends, because of the great drainage they provide.

On this left bank, practically bordering the Gironde estuary, you’ll find the world-famous communes of St.-Éstephe, Pauillac, Saint-Julian, and Margaux — and their châteaux that are synonymous with the wine of Bordeaux. These are settled in the district appellations of the Médoc and Haut-Médoc, which stretch back from the banks of the estuary and down toward the town of Bordeaux. Historically, this whole area was marshland. Then, in the mid-17th century, it was drained by Dutch engineers. The rest, as they say, is history.

Further south, past the city of Bordeaux, you’ll find the Graves (French for “gravel”) sub-region and the commune of Pessac-Léognan in its northern corner. Inside Graves is the district of Sauternes with its own commune, Barsac, both benefiting from the left bank’s well-draining, gravelly soil.

The Right Bank

Looking at the map of Bordeaux, you’ll see that the Dordogne carves its way decidedly westward towards the Gironde estuary, meeting it very close to where the Garonne river does. Anything north of the Dordogne and east (i.e. right) of the Gironde estuary is called the right bank. Here, close to the banks of the Dordogne, are the famous communes of Pomerol and St.-Émilion.

The soil of Bordeaux’s right bank, where merlot vines are most at home, is clay based with patches of gravel, silt, sand, and limestone — notably in the commune of St.-Émilion, which is a patchwork of all these soil types. The commune of Pomerol, only 3 square miles, features an iron bank as a sub-soil, on top of which sits a mix of sand, clay, and gravel.

Entre-Deux-Mers

Entre-Deux-Mers is actually the name of an AOC that, along with multiple much smaller communes, fills the area between the Garrone and Dordogne (in English, Entre-Deux-Mers means “Between-Two-Seas”). While its wines are not as famous as those of the left and right bank it is still good to know the wines it produces.

The Wine Blends of Bordeaux’s

All of the wines from Bordeaux, save a few, are blends. The names left bank and right bank are significant because they distinguish the leading grape in the blend from that area. While each of the sub-regions and communes in these areas might have its own regulations for wine production, the wines produced throughout the area are typified by these styles.

Bordeaux’s Barrels

All the barrels used in Bordeaux are a specific type of barrel, the French barrique. With a legal capacity of 225 liters (59 gallons), it is probably the most famous type of barrel. It has thinner staves than most other barrel types and was virtually trademarked by its inventors, the bordelaise (meaning the people of Bordeaux), in the Middle Ages — hence it being the required barrel for the aging of the region’s wines. The more prestigious a wine is, the more likely it is to have been aged in new French oak barriques.

Left Bank Wines

Only red grape varieties are permitted to be grown in the more northern Médoc and Haut-Médoc parts of the left bank, where the gravelly soils are the perfect home for cabernet sauvignon. The wines here are aged in French oak, and the blend is typically 70% cabernet sauvignon and 30% merlot with small quantities of cabernet franc and petit verdot. These are some of the world’s most age-worthy wines known to age for 2+ decades.

Graves, in the southern left bank, produces exceptional reds in the same style as above, specifically from the Pessac-Léognan commune in the northern part of the region. Although red production dominates, Graves is the area of Bordeaux most known for its white wine production — and the vast majority of châteaux here produce both red and white wine. These whites are dry, with the most prestigious being aged in new French oak (and others in tanks), and they are typically a blend featuring 80% sauvignon blanc and 20% sémillon. The most highly rated of these whites are some of the world’s most age-worthy.

Right Bank Wines

The two famous communes of the right bank, St.-Émilion and Pomerol, only permit the growing of red wines, and their clay heavy soils, that also feature gravel, sand, silt, and limestone, allow merlot to shine in a terrific manner. They are located along the Dordogne, near the town of Libourne. Typical right bank blends are aged in French oak–but not too much new French oak–and often consist of 70% merlot and 30% cabernet franc. These wines are known to age very well, although not for as long as their left bank counterparts.

It needs to be noted that St.-Émilion, while being an AOC for red wines itself, has a second, higher level AOC called Saint-Émilion Grand Cru AOC. This is not a classification (although “Grand Cru” makes it seem so) discussed a little later, but an AOC for wines that have an extra 0.5% alcohol and see an extended aging period; all when compared to wines with the regular St.-Émilion AOC designation.

Entre-Deux-Mers Wines

The large region, and AOC, of Entre-Deux-Mers features soils of very fertile silt. The wines produced here are not as well-known as those from the right or left banks, nor do they possess the same age-ability. Both reds and whites are made here, but only whites can use the Entre-Deux-Mers AOC — reds must use the regional Bordeaux AOC.

The whites of Entre-Deux-Mers are also dry and typically a blend of 80% sauvignon blanc and 20% sémillon. They are aged in stainless steel tanks, seeing little-to-no oak.

Why are all Bordeaux Wines Blends?

Farming in a maritime climate can be risky, and, in a business like wine, it pays to have insurance. For this reason, winegrowers have always grown grape varieties that ripen at different times in the growing season. Notably for reds, this is the early ripening merlot and the late ripening cabernet sauvignon.

Sauternes, Botrytis, and Sweet Wines

While it is technically a part of the left bank, located in Graves, Sauternes and the wines it produces need their own section. The wines from here, called Sauternes, are typically 80% sémillon and 20% sauvignon blanc, with a small percentage of muscadelle. What is unique about these wines is that the grapes used to produce them are botrytized, i.e. affected by botrytis, a.k.a noble rot.

Botrytis cinerea is a fungus, and the grapes used to make Sauternes are left on the vines long into the autumn. The region is enveloped by two rivers, the Garrone and the Ciron, and these help to bring morning mists into the vineyards. It is here that the fungus botrytis takes ahold of the grapes. It sucks out the water for its own growth, leaving and concentrating the sugars inside the grapes as they wither on the vines.

Once pressed, the grapes are, usually, fermented in oak barrels, a process that, because of the wine’s extremely high sugar content, can take up to a year. Once the wine hits a high enough alcohol level, 14–16%, the yeast die, leaving behind a lot (10–15%) of residual sugar (note that sometimes the winemaker will intervene and stop the fermentation early to get the balance of alcohol and residual sugar that they desire). The wine is then aged for between 18 and 36 months, usually in new French oak barrels. Sweet Bordeaux wines from Sauternes and Barsac are one of the world’s most superior aging wines — able to age for multiple decades.

Bordeaux’s Permitted Wine Varietal

Overall, 13 wine varietals are permitted in the Bordeaux region, six red and seven white. Seven of those: merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, and petit verdot for red blends; and sauvignon blanc, sémillon, and muscadelle for white blends and sweet wine blends; make up the vast majority of vines planted in the region.

WHITES

Sémillon

• Major grape (native to the region)
• Dry and clean with weight, depth, and a honied character once aged
• Primary grape in the wines of Sauternes and typically blended with sauvignon blanc

Sauvignon Blanc

• Major grape (originates in the Loire)
• Crisp, austere, with a herbal freshness
• Primary grape in white Bordeaux where it provides great age-ability

Muscadelle

• Minor grape (native to the region)
• Incorporated into blends to bring light floral aromas

REDS

Merlot

• Major grape (native to the region)
• 60% of Bordeaux’s vines are merlot
• Dominant grape in right bank blends
• Round and supple
• Described as “the flesh on cabernet sauvignon’s bones”
• Ripens before cabernet sauvignon, and this is why many producers plant both as insurance in poor years

Cabernet Sauvignon

• Major grape (native to the region)
• 2nd most planted in Bordeaux
• Dominant grape in left bank blends
• Intense, deeply flavorful and complex
• Provides the structure for many of Bordeaux’s top wines and gives left bank blends their superior age-ability

Cabernet Franc

• Minor grape (originates in the Basque region)
• Very important in blends (even in small quantities)
• Brings aromas of violet and spices
• Very important in St.-Émilion and Pomerol (right bank blends)

Petit Verdot

• Minor grape (native to the region)
• Gives vivid color, flavor intensity (notably spiciness) and tannins to a wine
• Is popular in left bank blends

The other six permitted grapes are carménère and malbec for reds, and ugni blanc, colombard, merlot blanc, and sauvignon gris for whites. These are planted in very small quantities–some are rarely even planted today–and blended into inexpensive wines. (See here for planting percentages).

Bordeaux’s Classifications

The region of Bordeaux features multiple classifications, classifying the wines from the châteaux of all (except Pomerol) of its most important sub-regions. Unfortunately, they are all different in the terminology used and the way they classify wines.

It is important to note that all of these classifications, except St.-Émilion, are based on the châteaux, not the terroir. This means that when a highly ranked château buys a much lower ranked château, that lower château is immediately upgraded to be the higher château’s rank.

The Médoc and The 1855 Classification

The Classification of 1855 is the most famous of all of Bordeaux’s classifications. It was commissioned by Emperor Napoleon III, Bonparte’s nephew. In it the brokers of Bordeaux ranked all of the wines from best to worse for the Paris Universal Exhibition that the Emperor was holding that year.

The brokers ranked the wines by the price they fetched on the market both at the time and historically, deeming higher priced wines to be higher quality. All-in-all, 60 wines in the Médoc and one on Graves (now in Pessac-Léognan) were ranked into five categories, from Premier Cru (“First Growth”) to Cinquièmes Cru (“Fifth Growth”). Almost all the ranked châteaux are located in four small communes of the Haut-Médoc: Margaux, St.-Julien, Pauillac, and St.-Estèphe. (Note that this classification is not part of the AOC system).

This Classification of 1855 has only been changed once. In 1973, after 20 years of lobbying the government, Châteaux Mouton-Rothschild was upgraded from a Deuxièmes Cru to a Premier Cru.

Below are the 5 Premier Crus and their communes:

• Château Margaux (Margaux)
• Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac)
• Château Latour (Pauillac)
• Château Haut-Brion (Graves, now Pessac-Léognan)
• Château Mouton-Rothschild (Pauillac)

There are hundreds of châteaux outside of this 5 tier classification system. They can be labeled one of three levels of Cru Bourgeois du Médoc, if they make the cut. Since 2010 an updated list of these châteaux has been published by the Alliance des Cru Bourgeois du Médoc, who manages these distinctions every 5 years, the most recent being in 2020.

The châteaux of Sauternes and Barsac were also ranked in the 1855 Classification. In total, 26 were ranked, again according to their market value, but they were categorized differently. The best château, Château d’Yquem, was designated a Premier Cru Supérieur (First Great Classified Growth). The rest of the châteaux were ranked into two categories below this: Premiers Cru (11 châteaux) and Deuxièmes Crus (14 châteaux).

Graves and 1953 and 1959

The châteaux of Graves were classified in 1953, and this classification was revised in 1959. No tiered class system was created in the classification of Graves, and the 16 recognized châteaux were designated Grand Cru Classé (Great Classified Growth), for either their red or white wine, sometimes for both. Château Haut-Brion is in both this classification and that of 1855.

St.-Émilion and 1954

The classification of St.-Émilion happened in 1954, and it is revised every ten years, with 2022 being the most recent. The top class is Premiers Grands Crus Classés, which has two levels, A and B. Below this is the level of Grands Crus Classés (Great Growth).

• Premiers Grands Crus Classés A
• Château Figeac
• Château Pavie
• Premiers Grands Crus Classés B (12 châteaux)
• Grands Crus Classé (71 châteaux)

Bordeaux’s Trade Structure

The fine wines of Bordeaux are sold en primeur, meaning they’re sold as futures before they’ve even been bottled. The selling of these futures happens in the spring following the harvest of the grapes, and cask samples of the new vintage are typically made available for the négociants (French for wine merchants) before purchases are made. The châteaux decide the starting prices for their wines, and they are sold by either the bottle or the barrel to négociants, who then sell it onwards.

Buying wines en primeur is akin to an investment, while the idea is that consumers can get fantastic wines for less and the châteaux can raise much needed cash without having to wait for the wine to age while taking up precious cellar space (this was initially why châteaux started selling wines en primeur).

A Final Word on Bordeaux

While it might all seem a bit much getting to know Bordeaux and, especially, how it organizes its wines, knowing all this is a great basis for learning about the regions of the rest of the world! Plus, whilst the highest Châteaux listed here might be out of most of our price ranges, learning what to look for on the label of some of the lower classifications can help you improve your wine experience next time your hit your local wine shop or liquor barn!

References

MacNeil, K. (2015) The Wine Bible, Revised 2nd Edition. Workman Publishing

Robinson, J. (2015) The Oxford Companion to Wine, 4th Edition. Oxford University Press

Monosoff, M. (2018) Introductory Sommelier Course 2018 Workbook.