Bordeaux
The blend, perfected — and split in two by a river.
Bordeaux is not one place but two, divided by the Gironde. On the Left Bank, deep gravel beds drain and radiate heat, ripening late Cabernet Sauvignon — so the blends lead with Cabernet: structured, cedary, long-lived. Cross the water to the Right Bank and the soil turns to cool clay and limestone, where Cabernet struggles and Merlot thrives. Same region, same grapes available, opposite answers. Reading a Bordeaux label is mostly a matter of knowing which side of the river you are on.
Grapes grown here 8
What the region makes
Cabernet-led blend from the Médoc or Graves. Blackcurrant, cedar, graphite; firm tannin that wants a decade.
Merlot-led from Saint-Émilion or Pomerol. Plum and truffle, rounder and approachable younger.
Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon, often barrel-fermented. Citrus, wax, a nutty depth.
Sémillon shrivelled by noble rot. Apricot, honey, marmalade — sweet but cut by acidity.
Worth knowing
The 1855 Classification ranked Left Bank châteaux for the Paris Exposition. It has been amended exactly once in 170 years.
Noble rot — Botrytis cinerea — is a fungus. In Sauternes it is cultivated on purpose; anywhere else on the estate it is a disaster.
Try this region if you like Napa Cabernet but want more restraint and savoury edge.
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