A truly good Bordeaux vintage is surely a year that works beautifully for all of us: growers at the grand and lesser addresses alike, and drinkers with fat or thin wallets. A year when the wines smell good in the cellar at their birth and taste lovely when they’re young, middle-aged and old. What makes […]

For Bordeaux, the 2008 vintage was a good year, but perhaps stopped short of great. The weather threw a few surprises, with the growing season kicking off with a mild winter.Despite some light rain, the late boon of good weather allowed for a relaxed harvest, where producers could pick at their leisure. Was 2008 a […]

High-quality Bordeaux should be aged for at least 10 years but normally reach their peak in the 15-20 year range. More mass-produced Bordeaux wines should be drunk much sooner, after about 5 years of aging. How long should you wait to drink a Bordeaux? Young white Bordeaux should be consumed within a few years and […]

Red wine should be in the range of 55°F–65°F.Fuller-bodied, tannic wines like Bordeaux and Napa Cabernet Sauvignon taste better warmer, so keep them to 45 minutes in the fridge. Red wine that’s too cold tastes dull, but when too warm, it’s flabby and alcoholic. Like Goldilocks, somewhere in between is just right. What temperature should […]

There is a slow, gentle rise in maturity and complexity, following by a period of peak drinkability, before the wine heads down the curve and starts to wane. High-quality Bordeaux should age for at least ten years. These wines usually reach their peak in 15-20 years and remain at peak for about 10 years. How […]

Bordeaux refers to a wine from Bordeaux, France. Over 86% of Bordeaux wines are red wines made with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Both grapes are originated from Bordeaux. Let’s not forget the whites made out Sauvignon blanc and Semillion for both dry and sweet wines, ever heard about Sauternes? Is Bordeaux the same […]

Wines with lower levels of tannins For example, a 20–30 year old Bordeaux will have much less tannin than a new release. Winery-aged wines.But avoid wines that have been aged in a lot of new oak as that will likely add oak tannins to the tannins that came from the vine. Is Bordeaux wine high […]

Before “claret” was the nickname for Bordeaux wines, it meant “clear,” “pale” or “light-colored” wine (“claret” being derived from the Latin word for “clear”). This is back in the 14th and 15th centuries, when wines from Bordeaux were actually paler, almost like rosés. Are Bordeaux and claret the same? Claret is a British term used, […]

More specifically, the Right Bank is the area to the north of the Dordogne river and the Left Bank is the area directly south of the Garonne River, both of which feed into the Gironde estuary that meets the Atlantic Ocean. What is the difference between right bank and left bank Bordeaux wine? Because of […]

Of course, one of the key reasons why Bordeaux is so prized around the world is due to its aging potential. All of the red wines of Bordeaux will be aged in traditional barrels before bottling, but thanks to the emphasis on the tannic Cabernet Sauvignon grape, they are perfect for aging in the bottle. […]

As with the reds, white Bordeaux wines are usually blends, most commonly of Sémillon and a smaller proportion of Sauvignon blanc. Other permitted grape varieties are Sauvignon gris, Ugni blanc, Colombard, Merlot blanc, Ondenc and Mauzac. What is a white Bordeaux blend? White Bordeaux blend is a term Wine-Searcher uses to gather together wines blended […]

Burgundy and Bordeaux are both regions in France, and these terms also refer to wines made in those regions. Bordeaux is best known for its reds, Cabernet Sauvignon- and Merlot-based wines, blended with support from Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.Burgundy is known equally for its white and red wines. Is a Bordeaux a Burgundy? […]

What is Chateau Bordeaux? Château is a common prefix seen on the label of many Bordeaux wines, and wines from across France.But in the wine business it refers to a wine-producing estate, which is normally a combination of vineyards, cellars and any buildings on the property, which, in some occasions, include a real castle. Does […]

Bordeaux Tasting Notes When you taste the wines, they burst with mineral and fruit notes that lead into prickly, savory, mouth-drying tannins. The tannins are often high enough that wines will age for several decades. Does Bordeaux have a lot of tannins? Young Left Bank Bordeaux In it’s youth, Bordeaux’s tannins are so strong, the […]

No, Syrah is a Rhône varietal mostly grown in the northern section of the Rhône Valley. Long Answer: The grape varietals that are grown in Bordeaux are for reds: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Carménère; although these days Carménère is more popular in South America. What are the 5 grape varietals of […]