Introduction-
Bordeaux—the word alone fires the mind with the anticipation of greatness. No otherwine region is more powerful, more commercially successful, or more important as a source of profoundly complex, ageworthy wines. The challenge is to comprehend it all, for this single region—the largest Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée in France covers more territory than all of the vineyard areas of Germany put together, and is three and a half times larger than the vineyard acreage of New Zealand. In Bordeaux, some 8,650 growers and dozens of top-class estates plus thousands more of lesser standing- produce more than 661 million bottles of wine every year, including many of the priciest
wines in the world.
While it makes stunning, long-lived white table wines and superb white sweet wines (notably, Sauternes), Bordeaux is primarily a red-wine region. Nearly 90 percent of the wine made is red.
The range of red Bordeaux is astounding. At the most basic level there are scores of utterly simple Bordeaux stacked, by the case, on the floor of any large wine shop. Wines labeled simply Bordeaux or Bordeaux Supérieur fall into this category, and they can cost $20 a bottle or so. At the most rarefied level, however, the famous Bordeaux we all hear about—the First Growths and wines in their league—can be the apotheosis of refinement. While these wines represent just a fraction of all of the Bordeaux produced, their complexity and age-worthiness are legendary. As are their astronomical prices. Indeed, by 2013, the First Growths and wines in their orbit often cost up to $1,500 a bottle(and sometimes more) for current vintages. This has effectively (and sadly) removed them from the wine-drinking experiences of all but the most well-connected, high-net-worth wine lovers. A generation ago, an upper-middle-class person—say, a university professor—could have saved up and splurged on a First Growth once a year. Today, top Bordeaux exist in their own realm, far outside the culture of normal wine drinking.
THE LAND, THE GRAPES, AND THE VINEYARDS
Just about halfway between the North Pole and the equator, Bordeaux is one of the largest fine wine regions in the world—some 290,350 acres (117,500 hectares), encompassing sixty different appellations. (For comparison’s sake, Bordeaux is six times larger than Napa Valley and slightly more than four times larger than Burgundy.) The region lies along the path of three important rivers—the mighty Gironde Estuary, plus the two large rivers that feed it, the Dordogne and the Garonne. To the immediate west, just an hour’s drive away, is the Atlantic Ocean, and everywhere the region is crisscrossed by small streams. All of this water has played a critical role in the wines Bordeaux produces. Indeed, these waterways were partially responsible for the region’s early success. As of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, barges would dock along the
wharves of the Gironde, ever ready to ferry wine to and fro between merchants and ultimately to ships headed for England.This, at a time when most other wine regions in France were relatively unknown beyond their own borders. Most important, the rivers and adjacent sea (warmed by the Gulf Stream) act totemper the region’s climate, thereby providing the vineyards with a milder and more stable environment than would otherwise be the case. In addition, Bordeaux is edged on the south and west by Les Landes—2.5 million acres (1,012,000 hectares) of manmade pine forests that also help to shield the region from extreme weather. Were it not for the maritime climate and the presence of these forests, Bordeaux’s vineyards would be at even
greater risk of damage by storms, severe cold snaps, and potentially devastating frosts.
Many of the vineyards of Bordeaux—and especially of the Médoc, including Margaux, Pauillac, St.-Émilion, and St.-Estèphe—appear quite flat. And they are, if one compares them to, say, the steeply sloped vineyards of the northern Rhône, those of northern Portugal, or most precipitous of all, the vineyards of Germany’s Mosel region. But although it’s hard to see with the naked eye, Bordeaux does have gently rolling hills that
create variations in topography, orientation to the sun, soil, and drainage patterns.
THE GRAPES OF BORDEAUX-
• WHITE GRAPES:
1. MUSCADELLE:
A minor native grape sometimes incorporated into modestly priced blends for its light floral character. Not related to varieties with the word muscat in their names.
2. SAUVIGNON BLANC:
Major grape. Crisp, austere, lively. Has an herbal freshness. Usually blended with sémillon.
3. SÉMILLON:
Major grape. Dry and clean. Provides weight and depth and, with age, a honied character.Usually blended with sauvignon blanc. The primary grape for Sauternes.
• RED GRAPES:
1. CABERNET FRANC:
An important grape in Bordeaux, highly valued in blends even in small amounts. Often said to contribute aromatic intensity and notes of violets and spices.
Especially important in the Right Bank communes of St.-Émilion and Pomerol. The only one of the major Bordeaux reds to have originated elsewhere. (Cabernet franc is native to the Basque region of Spain.)
2. CABERNET SAUVIGNON:
The second leading red grape in terms of acreage, after merlot. At its best, intense, deeply flavored, and complex. Provides the framework and structure behind many of the top wines. Most of the wines of the Left Bank (the communes of Margaux, St.-Julien, Pauillac, and St.- Estèphe) are based on it.
3. CARMENÈRE:
Ancient Bordeaux variety (also known as grande vidure). The progeny of cabernet franc, but nearly extinct in Bordeaux today.
4. MALBEC:
Old southwestern French variety also known by its original name, côt. Planted in only tiny amounts in Bordeaux today, used to add touches of nuance.
5. MERLOT:
Bordeaux’s major grape in terms of production, constituting more than 60 percent of all planted acres. Along with cabernet sauvignon, one of the two main grapes in most blends. At its best, round and supple. Sometimes characterized as the flesh on cabernet sauvignon’s bones.
6. PETIT VERDOT:
A minor grape in terms of production, but even small amounts are highly valued in blends. Contributes vivid color, flavor intensity, and tannin.
BORDEAUX RESION CLASSIFICATIONS
1. THE MÉDOC:
The largest of the famous regions of Bordeaux, the Médoc starts at the city of Bordeaux (UNESCO World Heritage Site) and stretches northward like a snake for fifty miles along the left bank of the Gironde Estuary. The Médoc is made up of two smaller appellations.
One is, confusingly, also called the Médoc (the northern third of low-lying land, near where the Gironde empties into the Atlantic), and the other is called the Haut-Médoc (literally the upper Médoc; the part closest to the city of Bordeaux and farthest away from the Atlantic). It is in the Haut-Médoc, all at the river’s gravelly edge, that you find the famous communes (villages) of Margaux, St.-Julien, Pauillac, and St.-Estèphe. Virtually
all the châteaux rated in the 1855 Classification are scattered throughout these four communes. Farther inland are the Haut-Médoc’s two less important communes, Listrac and Moulis. Here, away from the river, the heavier, less-well-drained soils often result in less refined wines.
Almost all the Médoc’s wines are red. The dominant grape is cabernet sauvignon (forming up to 70 percent of all blends), followed by merlot. Both do well in the Médoc’s stony soil, which, here and there, is interspersed with clay.
Amazingly, the flat plateaus of the Médoc were originally marshlands—low-lying semi swamps badly suited to making any wine at all, never mind great wine. In the seventeenth century, however, the Bordeaux nobility brought in Dutch engineers to cut huge drains in the land, effectively lowering the water table and creating riverside gravel banks.
With the marshes drained, Bordeaux’s emerging class of wealthy lawyersand merchants seized the opportunity to become significant landowners.
Huge parcels of landalong the banks of the Gironde were purchased, grand estates were built, and a vine- growing revolution ensued. During the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, many
of the most prestigious châteaux and vineyards were established, including Lafite- Rothschild, Latour, and Mouton-Rothschild.
(The ancient cobblestoned streets of St.-Émilion. The medieval village is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.)
• MARGAUX:
The southern most and largest commune of
the Médoc, Margaux (mar-GO) has more classified estates than St.-Estèphe, Pauillac, or St.-Julien. The aristocratic Château Margaux is here, of course, plus twenty other well-known properties.
The soil in Margaux is among the lightest and most gravelly in the Médoc, giving the best wines in the best years a sort of soaring elegance and refinement, plus wonderful, generous aromas.
Margaux are often described as being like an iron fist in a velvet glove. It is this combination of power with delicacy that has given these wines their vaunted reputation. The two most renowned Margaux are the First Growth Château Margaux, and the Third Growth Château Palmer.
In top years these wines can be superbly elegant, with long, silky,hedonistic flavors. Other exceptional Margaux to consider: Château Rauzan Ségla, Château Lascombes,Château Kirwan, and Château Giscours.
•ST.-JULIEN:
Just north of the largest commune, Margaux, is the smallest, St.-Julien (SAN ZHU-lee- ahn). It’s easy to drive right through it and not realise you’ve been there. Of all the communes, St.-Julien has the highest percentage of classified growths—about 95 percent of the wines here are Second, Third, or Fourth Growths, although there are no Firsts.
If you were to drink only the wines from this commune for the rest of your life, you could be very happy. Among St.-Julien’s most well-known wines are the three Léovilles (Léo is from the Latin leon, meaning “lion”): Léoville-Barton, Léoville-Las Cases, and Léoville-Poyferré. All are classified as Second Growths and all are structured and intense, although in many years, Léoville-Las Cases and Léoville-Poyferré in particular can broach First Growth status.
Like those of Margaux, the leading wines of St. Julien are known for theirprecision and refinement. Others not to miss: Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, Château Gruaud-Larose, Château Branaire-Ducru, Château Langoa-Barton, and Château Clerc-Milon.
•PAUILLAC:
This word is music to the ears of Bordeaux lovers. Pauillac (POY-yack), just north of St.- Julien, is where much of the excitement in Bordeaux is centered. Three of the five First Growths are born in this soil: Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Mouton-Rothschild, and Château Latour.
In all, Pauillac has eighteen of the sixty-one classified wines,including many of the best. Pauillac wines can lean several ways. Some have a sort of full-bodied luxuriousness; others, a bold structure; still others, a subtle, precise refinement.
The best are always complex, with rich black currant and cranberry flavors, often overlaid with cedary and graphite notes. The range of styles within this commune is due to variable terroir and
marked differences among the châteaux in the composition of their blends. In the north, Lafite-Rothschild sits on bits of limestone scattered through the gravel (its wine exudes elegance). Farther south, Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (often called simply Pichon-Lalande) is situated on gravel and clay (its wine is often more fleshy).
• ST.-ESTÈPHE:
Stacked on top of Pauillac is the northernmost Médoc commune of St.-Estèphe (SAN es- TEFF), known for wines that, at least by Bordeaux standards, have the staunchness of an army general and a sense of ruggedness from the commune’s heavier soil, closer to the mouth of the Gironde Estuary. (Many wines, as a result, are simply good, hearty Cru Bourgeois.) Only a few of the very top wines—notably Cos d’Estournel (which is so close to the border with Pauillac, you could hit a golf ball into the courtyard of Château Lafite-
Rothschild)—have captivating intensity and exquisite concentration and profundity of flavor. Cos (the s is pronounced; the word is an old Gascon term for “hill”) makes a blatantly sensuous wine (about 65 percent merlot), with waves of chocolaty, pipe-tobacco- like, earthy, black currant fruit flavors that, when the wine is young, often seem to be bursting at the seams.
The Asian-inspired nineteenth-century château itself, with its show- stopping copper pagoda roof and massive carved door, is one of the most intriguing in Bordeaux. Other top St.-Estèphes to seek out: Château Calon-Ségur and Château Montrose.
2. GRAVE:
South of the city of Bordeaux, Graves (GRAHV) extends like a sleeve dangling off the arm of the Médoc. It is named for its famous gravelly soil, the gift of Ice Age glaciers. The glaciers also deposited tiny white quartz pebbles easily found in all the best vineyards.
Graves holds the distinction of being the only part of Bordeaux where both red and white wines are made by most châteaux. The vineyards, some of the most ancient in the region, were the first to be known internationally.
Casks of wine from the region were shipped to England as early as the twelfth century, and by the sixteenth century several important estates were already established, including Graves’s most famous château, Haut-Brion. Spelled “Ho Bryan” at the time, the wine it produced was praised by the seventeenth-century British. A century later, Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States, wrote about how delicious “Obrion” was and purchased six cases to be sent from the château in Graves to Virginia.
So stunning was Château Haut-Brion that it was the sole Graves wine to be included in the 1855 Classification. Powerful yet haunt-ingly supple, Haut-Brion has an almost primordial earthy character. The other top wines of Graves were first classified in 1953 and the classification was revised in 1959.
Within Graves is the appellation Pessac Léognan. Many of the best red and white Graves come from this area of ten tiny communes, grouped together by the French government in 1987.
Although many wine drinkers think of dry white wines when they think of Graves, slightly more red wine than white comes from here, and in fact, about a dozen of the region’s most stunning wines, all of which, incidentally, carry the Pessac-Léognan
appellation, are red. Cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and cabernet franc are all used extensively. Château Haut-Brion has by far the most merlot (often as much as 45 percent) and the most cabernet franc (sometimes up to 20 percent) of any of the First Growths.
In addition to the voluptuous Château Haut-Brion, Château La Mission-Haut Brion, hâteau Domaine de Chevalier, Château Pape-Clément, and Château Haut-Bailly all make outstanding red wines, with rich, earthy, chocolaty, plummy, cherry, spicy flavors and, sometimes, a very appealing earthy/animal quality. Classically, all white Graves are blends of sémillon and sauvignon blanc. From sémillon comes richness, body, depth, and the ability to age with honeyed overtones. From sauvignon comes sprightly acidity and a fresh snap of flavor. Indeed, simple white Graves has undergone an enormous revolution in quality since the late 1980s, and the wines are
more concentrated as a result. But within Graves, a step even farther up are the top white Pessac-Léognan wines. These range from very good wines, such as Château Carbonnieux, with its minerally
vibrancy and satiny mouthfilling texture, to outstanding. (White Pessac-Léognan wines
are considered the classic companions for the icy cold, briny oysters caught off Bordeaux’s Atlantic coast.) Among the most outstanding, the whites of Château La Mission Haut-Brion, Château Haut-Brion, and Domaine de Chevalier, for example, are
mind-boggling in their intensity and complexity, and with age, take on ravishing flavors that are unlike any other white wines in France, indeed, unlike any other white wines in the world.
3. SAUTERNES AND BARSAC:
Quite a bit south of Graves, along the Garonne River, are Bordeaux’s fives weet wine producing communes, the two most important of which are Sauternes and Barsac (the other three are Bommes, Fargues, and Preignac). Sauternes and Barsac are not simply two unique, small places within Bordeaux; they are among the few regions in the world devoted to sweet wines. Sauternes, the more famous of the two, is about four times larger than tiny Barsac, but the wines from each can be extraordinary. At their best, these are wines with an apricotish opulence that detonates in your mouth and then spreads o ver your taste buds like liquefied honey.
The British wine expert Hugh Johnson has described them best. Of one Sauternes, he wrote, “It was glorious in its youth; a creamy, stinging, orange- scented, head-filling quintessence of pourriture noble. It is still awesome: now deep gold and smelling of crème brûlée, but still racily potent and endlessly sweet.”Needless to say, it takes merely a sip of a great Sauternes or Barsac to create convert. The great examples are wonderful not because of their sweetness, however, but because of their extraordinary balance.
The best are luscious without being cloying, richly honeyed without tasting like candy. To achieve this, the wines must have just the right acidity and
alcohol and must be complex.
4. ST.-ÉMILION:
Like Pomerol, its soul mate nearby, St.-Émilion is not a part of the Médoc or Graves but, instead, is on the other side of the Gironde Estuary, on Bordeaux’s Right Bank. It is a region that, in every way, is as different from the Médoc as it can be. The vineyards of St.- Émilion tend to be smaller than those in the Médoc, and the châteaux more modest. Often, much of the work, both in the vineyard and in the cellar, is done by the proprietor and his family.
The first thing that strikes most visitors is the village of St.-Émilion itself. A small, fortress like medieval town carved out of limestone, it is by far the most stunning Old World village in the Bordeaux region, and it, like Bordeaux city, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the center of the village is the twelfth-century Église Monolithe, one of Europe’s only underground churches, carved by hand by Benedictine monks out of one massive block of limestone. The church, which is quite large, is built on the site of a cave said to be the hermitage of an eighth-century saint.
Visitors to the church can see two blocks of stone, each with shallow indentations, said to be the saint’s chair and bed (A local superstition has it that women who sit on the saint’s chair will become pregnant).
From the Middle Ages on, St.-Émilion was the home of several monastic orders. Community life was extremely religious.
All governing power was exercised by the Jurade, a coterie of men given complete authority through a charter granted them in 1199 by King John of England. Part of the Jurade’s mandate was ensuring the quality and prominence of St.-Émilion wine.
Unlike the long, flat stretch of the Médoc, or the long, gently rolling landscape of Graves, St.-Émilion has hillsides (the côtes)—limestone outcroppings and plateaus, plus gravelly terraces. Over centuries of geologic upheaval, clay, sand, quartz, and chalk have been intermixed there. The twists and turns and different soil compositions make St.- Émilion, small as it is, a patchwork quilt of varying terroir. A fairly wide range in the style and quality of the wines is the result. Merlot and cabernet franc are the dominant grape varieties.
Only red wines are made in St.-Émilion, and the wine community is extremely chauvinistic about them—there are more than fifty wine shops in the village! The pride is justified; in very good years, the top wines can be positively riveting.
Arguably, the very best St.-Émilion is the super-elegant Château Cheval Blanc. Along with Château Ausone, Château Angélus, and Château Pavie, it is one of the four wines designated in 2012 as “A” among St.-Émilion’s Premier Grand Cru Classé.
Cheval Blanc has the highest percentage of cabernet franc of any well-known Bordeaux estate—40 to 50 percent in recent vintages, with the remainder of the blend being merlot. In great years the wine can have an almost unnerving texture—it is, all at the same time, deep, luxuriant, and kinetically alive in the mouth.
When young, the wine fairly oozes with decadent blackberry fruit laced with vanilla, rather like eating a bowl of squashed, ripe blackberries drizzled with crème anglaise. (One of the greatest Bordeaux indeed, one of the greatest wines—I have ever drunk was a 1947 Cheval Blanc, considered among the most majestic wines Bordeaux produced in the twentieth century.) The vineyard of Cheval Blanc is on a mostly gravelly terrace several miles north of St.- Émilion, almost in Pomerol.
However, many of the châteaux producing the best St.- Émilion are those on the southwestern limestone hillsides hugging the village. Château Asone, Château Canon, Château Magdelaine, and Château Pavie are all here. In addition to wines from these vineyards, some others to try include: Château La Dominique, Château Figeac, Château Trotte Vieille, Château l’Arrosée, and Château Troplong Mondot.
(The Jurade de Saint-Émilion, a fraternal organization, parading in red robes through the cobbled streets of St.-Émilion.)
5. POMEROL:
The tiniest of all the major Bordeaux wine regions, Pomerol has definite cachet. This wasn’t always so. The area was obscure and the wines were unknown in the nineteenth century (and were not ranked in the 1855 Classification). At the turn of the twentieth century, Pomerol’s wines were considered merely average. The region’s current fame is based, in part, on the ascendency of Château Pétrus, which produces Pomerol’s most famous, expensive, and sought-after wines. Often ravishing, opulent, and complex, it sets the aesthetic criteria for other Pomerols.
Like its neighbor, St.-Émilion, Pomerol is on the Right Bank of the Gironde Estuary. The wines here are exclusively red, and the majority are based on merlot and cabernet franc.
Merlot alone accounts for more than 80 percent of all the grapes planted in Pomerol, and not surprisingly, it is extremely well suited to the region’s gravel and clay beds. Cabernet sauvignon is rarely part of a Pomerol blend. Pomerols from the best sites stand out with a velvetlike texture and aplum/cocoa/violet richness. This is Bordeaux’s harmonic convergence of intensity and elegance at its best. Their relative softness make Pomerols fairly easy to drink young.As noted, Pomerol was, until the 1980s, a fairly unknown region that only began to emerge from its obscurity in the 1940s and 1950s. It was then that Jean-Pierre Moueix, a talented businessman with a keen palate, began buying exclusive sales and marketing rights to Pomerol’s best châteaux. In 1964, he bought a 50-percent share of what was to become the most prized property of all, Pétrus. Improving quality was an obsession for Moueix. Soon, news of the supple, rich, plummy character of the wines under his direction spread by word of mouth. By the mid- 1960s, Pomerols began to develop a cult following among collectors. Today, the firm is headed by Jean-Pierre Moueix’s son Christian. In addition to the portfolio of Moueix wines in Pomerol and in neighboring Fronsac, Moueix owns Dominus, a top estate in the Napa Valley of California.
The tiny town of Pomerol encompasses the square around the small church and not much more. Similarly, most Pomerol properties are small, especially compared to those in the Médoc. In general, a proprietor here owns a vineyard less than 10acres (4 hectares) in size, and eighty Pomerol châteaux have fewer than 2 acres (under 1 hectare). By comparison, vineyards in the Médoc span dozens and sometimes hundreds of acres/hectares. Finally, Pomerol châteaux are extremely modest; there are no breath taking mansions.If price and availability were indeed no object, the Pomerol we should all experience would be Pétrus. In the best vintages, the wine’s exotic aromas of licorice and rich fruits
leap out of the glass, after which, a creamy, black raspberry explosion fills your mouth. It
is hard to imagine a more luxurious red wine, where each of the components is so seamlessly integrated into the whole.
But Pétrus aside, there are a number of other terrific, seductive Pomerols. Unfortunately, many of these are, like Pétrus, made in small quantities and thus hard to find. Nonetheless, among the ones to seek out: Château Le Pin, Château La Fleur de Gay, Château Lafleur, Château L’Évangile, Château La Conseillante, Château Certan de May, and Château Trotanoy.
6. LISTRAC AND MOULIS:
Listrac and Moulis are inland communes of the Médoc, that is, they are not positioned on the gravelly banks of the Gironde Estuary like their more famous sisters, Margaux, St.- Julien, Pauillac, and St.-Estèphe. Away from the river banks, the soil tends to be heavier and to hold more water. As a result, the wines of Listrac and Moulis (based on cabernet sauvignon, with merlot and cabernet franc added) are generally rougher-textured and less polished, but also a fraction of the cost. They can sometimes seem straitjacketed by tannin. There are exceptions.Several of the best Crus Bourgeois, for example, are here including Château Poujeaux, Château Chasse-Spleen, and Château Fourcas-Hosten.
7.ENTRE-DEUX-MERS:
Entre-Deux-Mers (literally “between two seas”) is the vast expanse of rolling hills and forested land between the Dordogne and Garonne tributaries of the Gironde Estuary. Although it is a large wine region and a picturesque one, the wines are generally very simple and are never as high in quality as the wines of the Médoc, Graves, Pomerol, or St.-Émilion.
It’s important to know that the appellation Entre-Deux-Mers applies to dry white wines only. These are primarily sauvignon blanc, sometimes with a bit of sémillon and muscadelle, which adds a faint spicy-flowery quality. They are fresh, zesty, and light— perfect for pairing with fish and shellfish, or just for plain pleasure. A significant amount of red wine is made here, too, but because these wines are often lower in quality than the region’s whites, they must carry the appellation Bordeaux or Bordeaux Supérieur, not Entre-Deux-Mers.
Entre-Deux-Mers wines have never been classified. Among the Entre-Deux-Mers worth seeking out are: Château Bonnet, Château Turcaud, Château Nardique la Gravière, Château de Camarsac, and Château Peyrebon.
8. FRONSAC AND CANON-FRONSAC:
Over the past decade Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac have gained some momentum and risen out of “lesser-dom” into greater recognition. The two communes are spread over the hillsides just north and slightly west of Pomerol and St.-Émilion, and they sometimes share a similar topography with their famous cousins, as well as clay/sand soils interlaced with limestone. At their best, the wines can be full of black raspberry flavors and have a
kind of edgy power and rusticity.
The wines are all red. Merlot is the dominant grape, followed by cabernet franc, with a bit of cabernet sauvignon sometimes blended in for strength and balance.
This is similar to the grape profile in St.-Émilion and Pomerol, yet the wines from Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac tend to be far more rustic. Among the wines worth seeking out: Château La Vieille-Cure and Château Dalem.
9. THE CÔTES:
Outlying the four communes of Pomerol, St. Émilion, Fronsac, and Canon-Fronsac are a handful of satellite regions called the côtes (hillsides): the Côtes de Bourg, Côtes de Castillon, Côtes de Francs, and Premières Côtes de Blaye. With the 2008 vintage, these wines were also allowed to use the broader, simpler name Côtes de Bordeaux if theypreferrred.
The rural, hilly côtes are some of the oldest wine regions in Bordeaux. Vines were planted here by the Romans. The wines are mostly reds for everyday drinking—medium- bodied and juicy when they are good, shallow when they are not. Merlot is the leading grape variety, but côtes wines very rarely have the plummy depth and lushness of merlot planted in, say, Pomerol or St.-Émilion. Often, this is due to the fact that the grapes are
planted in more fertile soil and harvested at higher yields.
Among the best red côtes are Château Puygueraud (Côtes de Francs), Château Roc de Cambes (Côtes de Bourg), Château Les Jonqueyres (Côtes de Blaye), and Château de Francs (Côtes de Francs).
BORDEAUX RESION BRANDS:
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