Aquatine, as the Bordeaux area is sometimes called, is broken up by two rivers—the Dordogne and Garrone—which converge to form the Gironde, a huge river that meets the Atlantic shortly after forming. Both sides of the Gironde are important wine producing areas, on the left are the regions Médoc and Graves, home to the classified growths of Bordeaux. On the right are several less famous, but still important appellations of St. Emilion and Pomerol, and while these are gaining in reputation, the Left Bank is the established king of Bordeaux wine.

In 1855 the French got together and rated the vineyards of Bordeaux. These classes, or growths as they’re called, were ranked from 1^st to 5^th. Hundreds were included, and the listing is still very relevant today. The ranking was monumental and the most prestigious placement of 1^st growth was given to only four estates: Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Latour, Château Margaux and Château Haut-Brion. A fifth château was granted 1^st growth status in 1973, Château Mouton Rothschild. These are the elite wine estates of the Bordeaux and they all lie on the Left Bank.

The left bank is broadly broken up into the regions Médoc and Graves. Château Haut-Brion is the only 1^st growth in Graves, all the rest are in the Médoc. Within the Medoc, there are even more subregions, the most important are: St. Estephe, Pauillac, St. Julien and Margaux. These four areas hold the vast majority of 1^st and 2^nd growths in Bordeaux. It’s important to note that the classification system in Bordeaux classifies Châteaux, the producer, while Burgundy and the rest of France classify the actual land. These four areas lie along the Gironde and run roughly north to south in the order they are listed above.

While St. Estephe has no 1^st growths, it does have a good concentration of classified producers: Ch. Cos d’Estournel, Cos Labroy, Lafon-Rochet, Calon-Segur and Montrose. The soils in St. Estephe tend to have a little more clay and a little less gravel, and the wines tend to be more acidic, fuller in structure and less perfumed.

Just south of St. Estephe, along the banks of the Gironde is Paulliac. This is the most celebrated of regions, with three of the five 1^st growths found here: Latour and both Lafite and Mouton-Rothschild. The soils are the best, quick draining gravel and the land gently slopes down to the river. These are the consummate wines of the left bank: soft fruit with well-integrated oak, dry, seamless tannin and vigour to maintain and age for decades. Lafite tends towards finesse and Latour and Mouton tend towards power and strength.

Next door Pauillac is the region of St. Juilen, home to the most classed growths in Bordeaux, though no 1^st growths. The soils here also the highly desirable gravel and the best estates are closest to the river. The wines from St. Julien can vary depending on relative location; closer to Margaux, the wines tend to be smoother and closer to Pauillac the wines tend to be more powerful and robust.

Margaux is still farther south and is unique in that it extends well away from the river. The most famous Chateau is certainly Ch. Margaux, one of the original 1^st growths. The soils here are thinner, but still have excellent gravel coverage. The Margaux AOC is home to the most 2^nd and 3^rd growths in Bordeaux, the overall quality level of the appellation is very high. Margaux is said to make the most polished, fragrant and finessed wines of all the Medoc.

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Sometimes it’s hard to remember that the output of Bordeaux goes beyond the handful of classified 1^st and 2^nd growths, but in reality the whole Bordeaux area puts out more ¾ of a billion bottles of wine each year. Yes, the classified growths get the most attention, but there is a whole world of wine produced by Bordeaux that is outside of the big names. Most of the wines made in Bordeaux are red, but there are whites, roses, sparkling and sweet wines made in the area as well.

Wine in Bordeaux started with Romans planting grapes so that their soldiers would have wine while they were occupying Gaul. The next big moment in Bordeaux wine history was a marriage—between an English man and a woman from the Bordeaux area. This union meant that the area, then known as Aquatine, became the property of England (this was the 12^th century) The English liked the wines from the area and exported a lot of them back to England. The wines were tagged “claret” and the name has stuck to this day. Eventually the French took the region back, but the trade and vineyards were established and the region embarked on its long and rich business of making wine.

The Bordeaux area is quite vast and eventually it made sense to break it up into smaller regions, so that consumers would know what kind of wine they were buying. Today the subregions are further divide into 60 appellations, or AOCs. When thinking about the wines of Bordeaux the region is broadly divided into Left Bank, Right Bank, Entre-deux-Mers and the sweet wine areas of Sauternes and Barsac. The Left Bank refers to the left side of the Gironde Estuary and is home to all of the famous classified growths. The right bank is the opposite side of the Gironde, and while there are no classified growths the area is home to some of the best Bordeaux wines. You can think of the left bank as the “establishment” and the right bank as the “up-and-comer.”

Bordeaux wines are almost all blended, both reds and whites. The reds are a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc; with a small amount of Petite Verdot, Malbec and Carmenere, being allowed but not generally used. White grapes are predominantly Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, this blend is used for both dry and sweet white wines.

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The right bank of the Gironde just doesn’t get the same respect that the other side of the river does. They classified the left bank in 1855, but then they took 99 years to get around to classifying the right bank. The wines of the right bank deserve a little more attention, and people have begun to notice. The right bank is home to several appellations that produce quality wines, mostly red, and a movement towards very small-scale production.

The right bank is known for using Merlot as the main grape in its blend; as opposed to the left bank which is very Cabernet Sauvignon-heavy. The area is home to two very important AOCs: Pomerol and St. Emilion, along with secondary AOCs: Bourge, Blaye and Fronsac amongst many others.

When the French did get to classifying the right bank, they focused their efforts on the commune of St. Emilion, and the AOC which surrounds it. After the survey was complete, they deemed 55 houses to be Grand Cru and 13 to be Premier Grand Cru—a higher classification. The two best producers were given their own category— Premiers Grands Crus Classés A. These top dogs are Ch. Ausone and Ch. Cheval Blanc. (Ch. is a shorthand for Chateau, which is a house in French and is basically a company which makes wine) St. Emilion is bordered by the Pomerol region and the Dordogne River. Here, the climate is a bit wetter and the soils less gravely, conditions which led the region to choose Merlot for its blends. The wines of St. Emilion are rich and are much less dry and austere than the wines of the left bank.

Pomerol is the AOC adjacent to St. Emilion and historically was a white wine producing area. Today though, red grapes Merlot and Cabernet Franc dominate. The area is thought of as being the newcomer to fine wine production in Bordeaux. The soils in the area are quite favorable to wine production, with a gravel base and sand or clay mixed in. While Pomerol has no classification system, the two best producers are very well known: Ch. Petrus and Le Pin. These wines, in some years, sell for more money than any other wine in the world. The wines of Pomerol are generally ready to drink early, a few years after bottling and are rich and gentle, less tannic than left bank wines are almost creamy in texture.

The right bank is home to a trend of microproducers in Bordeaux. These are individuals making wine in their homes or garages from a very small amount of land. The producers are generally called garagistes and the wines “vin de garage,” because most of them operate out of their garage. The movement was a response to perceived international desire for Bordeaux wines that are ready to drink quickly. In general, the wines are red and are much fruitier and softer in style than most other Bordeaux. They can go for extreme prices, are generally made from vines with very low yields. The best is usually considered to be Valandraud.

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Wine Club Insider back, yet again!

Well, it’s the middle of winter, but wine is the gift that keeps on giving! I just got my Pepperbridge Wine Club shipment – www.pepperbridge.com- three bottles of their famous Seven Hills Vineyard Cab, and had to try one, even as young as it is. Let me tell you, if you haven’t tried Pepperbridge, you’re missing out! This Walla Walla winery is among the best I’ve tasted, vintage in and vintage out… between Seven Hills (rated as one of the best USA vineyards) and their Pepperbridge Vineyard, they have the foundation and terroir to make some of the best reds in the USA, and they do. Awesome!

Well now, we’ve touched on some of the world famous red wine grapes… let’s look at the top two whites of Bordeaux:

By far the largest planted and popular white wine is… NOT Chardonnay! That’s right! Especially in France, Chard runs a distant fourth or even fifth, behind Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Ugni Blanc (also called Trebbiano – the most popular white wine world wide, though it is very close with the Spanish-based white wine Airen) abd Muscadelle.

Sauignon Blanc is one of the true indigenous grapes of France, and gets its name from the words “Sauvage” (wild) and “Blanc” (white), and is a green skinned white grape, often described as “crisp,” “elegant” and “fresh.” It can range in taste from somewhat grassy to almost tropical and fruity, and makes wines ranging from dry to the very sweet dessert wines of Barsac and Sauternes.

The Sauv Blancs of New Zealand have risen to prominence as some of the world’s best, and it is grown almost everywhere.

Semillon (pronounced SEM -ee-on) is another famous white wine grape, and the wine it produces range from the very dry Bordeaux Blanc, to the sticky sweet, world famous dessert wines of Sauterne, made famous by Chateau d Y’quem. For the sweet varieties, it is exposed to Botrytis Cinerea, or “Noble Rot,” which basically turns it in to a giant raisin. d’Yquem’s website is at http://www.yquem.fr/yquem.php?lang=uk, and it is truly one of the most spectacular wines in the world, and one of my all time favorites. I actually plan to do an entire posting on this magnificent winery sometime soon… I mean, there aren’t that many wineries that still have verticals back to 1860 in perfect condition!

Back to talk about Chard tomorrow!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out.

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Wine Club Insider back again!

I’ve had a couple of the most “administratively intense” days I’ve had in years the past couple of days… 4 meetings, three conference calls, 40 or more phone calls, and 20 hours working on a new website… I’m SO ready to get out for a run or a snowshoe tomorrow!

I waited until this evening to open a bottle, but when I did, what a treat! I kind of randomly grabbed a bottle tonight, and came up with a 2003 V. Sattui Howell Mountain Zinfandel. Wow! What a wine!

That glorious first sniff and first sip… deep, currant, jam… did I mention deep? This is a BIG wine, but is perfect for drinking. the tannins have mellowed out, leaving the fruit and the flavor; the essence of a great Zin. Ahh… the day’s looking up!   www.vsattui.com

Okay, let’s finish off the “Big 6″ Bordeaux varietals…

After Cab Saus, Merlot and Cab Franc, the remaining three types tale off quickly in terms of volume.

Petite Verdot, possibly a predecessor of Cab Sauv, is principally used in the classic blends. It ripens much later than the other varieties in Bordeaux, often too late, so it fell out of favour in the Medoc – it’s home region. When it does ripen, it is added in small amounts to add tannin, colour and flavour to the blend. It’s growing a bit in the New World, and seems to be a little more dependable in its ripening. Some vintners have made nice “PVs”, but it is still more commonly used for stiffening up Cab Sauvs.

Malbec is a thin skinned grape that, in Bordeaux, is used mainly for blending, especially in making the famous “Claret” blend. It was taken over seas, and has found a home in South America, in particular Mendoza in Argentina, where the extra heat helps it ripen. Argentinian Malbecs are likely the best in the world, and can be quite exquisite.

The final varietal is Carmenere. One of the most ancient varietals, it is, surprisingly, almost gone from France, though some still remains in the Medoc. Like it’s cousin Malbec, it has found a home in South America, this time in Chile.

Carmenère wine has a deep red color and aromas found in red fruits, spices and berries. The tannins are gentler and softer than those in Cab Sauv, and is normally considered a medium body wine. Although mostly used as a blending grape, an increasing number of wineries do bottle a pure Carmenère which, when produced from grapes at optimal ripeness, imparts a cherry-like, fruity flavor.Of the ones I’ve had, the best ones were younger rather than not.

It is also making a real impact in some other regions, notably the Walla Walla area in Washington. Isenhower - www.isenhowercellars.com – makes a nice Carmenere for their wine club members.

Okay… tomorrow, we’ll move out of France for a bit and see what else is out there!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out.

Bordeaux, California Wine, Fine Wine, French Wine, International Wine, Red Wine, USA Wine, Vineyards, Wine Club, Wine Education, Wine Making, Wine Reviews, Wine Tasting Bordeaux, Carmenere, Malbec, Petite Verdot, South American wines, varietals, Walla Walla

Wine Club Insider back with you.

Celebrated a beautiful mid-winter day here today, with temps in the mid-forties (almost balmy!), sunny and no wind. Celebrating a beautiful mid-winter evening with a glass of Mission Hill “Oculus,” a WONDERFUL Bordeaux-style blend made with 20% Cab Franc from Canada…  www.missionhillwinery.com. This is a beautiful wine. Deep, rich and succulent, it’s a real treasure.

Coincidentally, today is Cab Franc day… Used often as a blending wine, it’s a bit lighter than Cab Sauv, and lends a bit of pepper and finesses to other wines.

Cab Franc is one of the real foundations of Bordeaux wine. It’s the parent of both Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and is written of back almost 300 years. It’s a bright red wine that is gaining immense popularity in cooler climates, including Canada. In the past couple of years, more and more vintners are trying to make pure Cab Francs, with increasing success. There is precedent, as Chateau Cheval Blanc of French wine fame is almost a pure Cab Franc. As a matter of fact, it’s the main grape from the Loire Valley.

There are some very nice Cab Francs being mae by Del Dotto, Crocker & Starr, Robert Sinskey, Vineyard 29, Arger-Martucci, Barrister and Rubicon. Maybe the best among, however, are the Cabernet Francs from Lang & Reed, a small St. Helena operation that grows only Cab Franc! Talk about putting your beliefs in the line! In most years, they have both an early release, their North Coast, and a reserve release, their Premier Etage. The North Coast Cabernet Franc is usually bottled in June, and the winery will produce less than 3,000 cases of the 2006 vintage.

In Canada, one of the best Cab Francs I’ve ever tasted is by Pillitteri vineyards, located on the Niagara Peninsula. Firm tannins, long lasting finish… a serious wine for sure.

Now, I must apologize… I said that Paul Giamatti drank a bottle of Merlot in the final scene of Sideways, but I went back and watched it, and was laughing part way through, because not only did he dish Merlot, he dished Cab Franc throughout as well, and the wine he consumed with passion at the end was a Cheval Blanc – a Cab Franc!

Cheers!

Wine Club Insider out!

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Wine Club Insider back with you.

Just got back from a triathlon club meeting… I’m aiming for a 70.3 (1/2 Ironman) in a couple of months, and was actually presenting some stuff tonight… great fun, good fitness, and it justifies the wine as a “training aide…”

It’s coincidental that we’re talking about Merlot today… I got to try the VERY nice 1999 Willard Family Merlot from Caterina Winery - www.caterinawinery.com – that I mentioned last week… it was even better than the last time I tasted it a year or so ago, and looks to have another 5 years or so until its prime… wow, what a nice wine!

Merlot is the other Grand Daddy of red wine grapes, or should I say “Grand Pere?” The other key Bordeaux grape, it is also, like Cab Sauv, an offspring of Cab Franc, and predates the Cab Sauv by a few years.

Merlot is a more medium bodied wine, and ripens earlier than Cab Sauv. It also blends very well, making it uber-popular with wine makers world wide.

The movie “Sideways,” for all its quirky charm, and heaped with blessings from the Pinot Noir industry, did many wine drinkers world wide with lead character Paul Giamatti’s irrational dislike for Merlot. One of the bits of ironic humor was in the final scene when he sits at the table in the diner to drink his treasured bottle of French Bordeaux… which ends up being a Merlot!

Yes, two of the world’s most famous, rare and expensive wines are both close to 100% Merlot…  Petrus (around $3000/bottle for futures) and Le Pin (even more than that!) are both Merlots.

Merlot is also going to be the number one red wine grape (again) by the end of 2009, it looks like, surpassing Cab Sauv.

Merlot is often used to add body and softness to the oft-harsher Cab Sauv, and is grown most everywhere Cab Sauv is, though tends to do better in the cooler areas of the AVAs where it doesn’t ripen quite so early. It is the largest varietal in France, and is becoming more and more popular world wide. In the USA, it is hugely popular in Napa, and is making greater inroads in the Pacific Northwest, where wineries such as Leonetti, Chateau Ste. Michelle, Isenhower, and yes, Caterina are making notable and praiseworthy wines.

Myself, I love it. A great Merlot is a joy to drink… softer somehow than other reds, often “fleshy,” and filled with flavors of currant and plum, two of my favorite tastes in wine.

So, put whatever prejudices you might have aside, and take up a glass of good Merlot and join the rest of the world in appreciating this grand old grape! There might even be a Merlot wine club out there somewhere… hmmm…

Back tomorrow with Cab Franc, another of my favorites!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out.

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Wine Club Insider back again!

I don’t know about you, but every once in a while, it’s nice to have one of those “not-leave-the-house” kind of days, and today was one of ‘em! I actually spent 20 straight hours working on a new web site I’ve been developing, while my wife worked on her projects right beside me. On Sunday, besides the football, you also get a great run of 80s and 90s movies, as well as episodes of one of my favorites; the Thirsty Traveler! If you haven’t seen it, it’s a great show! www.thirstytraveler.tv

Canadian Kevin Brauch has one of the greatest jobs in the world: he travels from country to country investigating, learning about and – quite liberally – sampling the various types of alcoholic beverages they produce! Man, I wish I’d thought of that gig!

Anyway, yesterday, we started talking about the various wine making grape varietals, and what better place to start then the “Big 6″ Bordeaux blend varietals.

As I mentioned, virtually all Bordeaux wines are blends, and to bear the Bordeaux label, they must be made from one of the 6 grapes so blessed: Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc, Petite Verdot, Malbec and Carmenere.

Let’s start with the two Big Boys of the bunch, Cab Sauv and Merlot… first the Cab Sauv, and tomorrow, Merlot.

Cabernet Sauvignon, while often thought of as the grandaddy of red wines, is actually relatively new on the block. It is a hybrid of the Cab Franc (hence the “Cabernet” part) and Sauvignon Blanc – yes, the white grape (thus the Sauvignon!), and was developed in France in the 17th century.

Until the 90s, when it was surpassed by merlot, it was the largest cultivated wine grape in the world, and has found a home everywhere from Canada’s Okanogan Valley to Lebanon’s Beqqa Valley, and from California to Australia, and parts in between. The berries are thick skinned, fairly resistant to frost, and easily grown, especially when compared to something like Pinot Noir. It’s also a fairly consistent grape in terms of character, making it easy to develop year after year.

Many of the top Bordeaux wines are Cab or Cab-Merlot based, and its popularity in the New World (California, mostly) has led to the development of the “Cult” wine phenomenon of certain California Cab houses, for good and bad.

Hey, we’re just getting started! I’ll be back tomorrow with Merlot!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out!

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Wine Club Insider back!

Got a chance to get out and do a great five hour long snowshoe trip up Boulder Basin today with a couple of friends. There was over 10 feet of snow at the top of the peak as we stopped for a quick Jet Boil meal. On one of our real mountain climbs last summer, we took wine up in Nalgene bottles for dinner, but I forgot today, so I had to wait until I got home… there’s not much better than a nice glass of wine after a great day outside in the snow!

Well, to business…

We’ve talked about dozens of wine clubs, several different wines and wineries, but we haven’t really taken much time to talk about the specific wine varietals and grapes that make up our favorite beverage!

For the next few days, I’d love to chat a bit about some specific grapes, and the wines made from them, but today, just some basic grape info…

All red wine is made from red grapes (which can be black or purple as well). White wines can also be made from red wine grapes, though there are plenty of good white grapes to choose from.

In all, there are more than 400(!) varieties of wine grapes grown around the world. Who knew? Yup… I bet if I polled 100 people, the majority couldn’t name twenty… A couple of years ago, I probably couldn’t have, though I’m getting better.

One good site to look at for info on the various “cultivars” (the correct name, though “varietals” has taken on such everyday familiarity that it’s unlikely to change anytime soon) is:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_grape_varieties#Red_grapes

Now, the Bordeaux grapes that everyone has heard about are Merlot (the number one red grape in France, and likely the number one red grape world wide by the end of the year, no matter what “Sideways” says), Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot, Malbec and Carmenere. Almost all Bordeaux wines are blends of these six grapes, usually with Merlot or Cab Sauv as the majority. There are none that I could find that use all six, though several used four.

There are also several popular “New World” grapes, such as Zinfandel, which is also named “Primitivo,” Syrah (or Shiraz, if you’re from Down Under), Petite Sirah, which isn’t related to Syrah, Sangiovese and Temperanillo, big Mediterranean grapes (ever hear of Chianti or Rioja?)

On top of that, we’ve got to look at the labels, and the (sometimes silly!) laws and rules that govern our passion!

Okay… we’re off and running! I’ll see you tomorrow!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out.

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