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Bordeaux: the wines, regions and appellations
Found in the southwest of France, Bordeaux needs little introduction as one of the world's most famous, prestigious and prolific wine regions. The majority of Bordeaux wines (nearly 90 percent of production volume) are the dry, medium and full-bodied red Bordeaux Blends that established its reputation.
The finest (and most expensive) of these are the wines from the great châteaux of the Haut-Médoc, and the Right Bank appellations Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. The former is focused (at the top level) on Cabernet Sauvignon, the latter two appellations on Merlot.
The legendary reds are complemented by high-quality white wines based on the varieties Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. These range from dry whites, to challenge the best from the Burgundy region (Pessac-Léognan is particularly renowned), to the sweet, botrytized nectars of Sauternes.
While Bordeaux is well regarded for wines produced within specific districts or communes, many of its wines fall under other, broader appellations. These include AOC Bordeaux, Bordeaux Supérieur and the sparkling-specific Crémant de Bordeaux. The Bordeaux Rouge appellation accounts for more than one-third of all production.
The official Bordeaux viticultural region stretches for 130 kilometers (80 miles) inland from the Atlantic coast. 111,000 hectares (274,000 acres) of vineyards were recorded in 2018, a figure which had remained largely consistent over the previous decade.
The number of growers has consolidated, however, and in 2018 there were about 6,000, against 9,000 a decade earlier. Production volumes vary from year-to-year, but the region makes around 450 to 500 million liters of wine annually. Standard years, without untoward weather events, generally ensure production edges close to the 500 million liter mark.
This output ranges from inexpensive everyday wines through to some of the world's most expensive and prestigious labels. Bottles of dry red wine produced under the region's generic Bordeaux appellation can be bought for just a few dollars.
Those from the top châteaux are regularly traded for several thousand dollars. Auction figures and retail prices, however, do not always conform with Bordeaux's distinct and historically significant classification system, which has remained largely unchanged since the middle of the 19th Century.
Bordeaux grape varieties, including new additions in 2021
Bordeaux's red grapes
The "big three" make up 98 percent of all red grape plantings, according to figures on the official Vins de Bordeaux website:
- Merlot, which accounts for two-thirds of all red grape plantings
- Cabernet Sauvignon (22.5 percent)
- Cabernet Franc (9.5 percent)
- Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmenère (2 percent)
The last three are grapes which have been largely abandoned (the latter, Carmenère, almost entirely) since the 19th Century, as they failed to ripen reliably. Though, Malbec, has a continued role in Saint-Émilion in single-digit percentages, and is often employed as a color enhancer.
Climate change and success achieved elsewhere suggests a significant comeback for one or more of them may be possible. Albeit, from a low starting point, Petit Verdot's plantings have trebled in area in the last few years.
Bordeaux's white grapes
Bordeaux's white wines are generally blends of Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and, less often, Muscadelle. Sauvignon Blanc has seen some uplift in recent years given the success of varietal wines from New Zealand and other regions. As of 2020, the figures for white grapes were:
- Sémillon (47 percent)
- Sauvignon Blanc (45 percent)
- Muscadelle (5 percent, dwindling)
- Sauvignon Gris, Colombard, Ugni Blanc, Merlot Blanc (2 percent)
Trial grapes in Bordeaux
In 2019, seven new grape varieties were approved by the Union of Bordeaux AOC and Bordeaux Supérieur winemakers. In 2021, six of them were given a green light by the I.N.A.O. (Institut National des Appellations d'Origine) for vineyard trials.
The intention is to give more viticultural options to address climate change and combat less hospitable conditions. The approved six are:
- Marselan (a cross of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache created in 1961)
- Touriga Nacional (best known in Portugal)
- Castets (nearly extinct; described as a "long-forgotten Bordeaux grape")
- Arinarnoa (a little-known cross of Tannat and Cabernet Sauvignon created in 1956)
- Albarino (Alvarinho)
- Liliorila (a 1950s crossing of Baroque and Chardonnay, reportedly also created in 1956)
The odd one out of the seven proposed, which was not confirmed by the I.N.A.O., was Petit Manseng, a late-ripening grape popular in Southwest France and often used in dessert wines. It was felt this grape was too emblematic of the Pyrenées-Atlantique region, in the way Pinot Noir would be for Burgundy.
Petit Manseng is not entirely alone, however. According to the C.I.V.B (Bordeaux Wine Council), over 50 grapes have been considered for inclusion in Bordeaux wines since 2010.
The new grapes will be listed officially as "new varieties of interest for adapting to climate change". This puts them third in the hierarchy behind "major" and "additional" grapes in official documents. This status will be reviewed in 2031.
This means that the usage of the new grape varieties is presently limited. They may only account for five percent of the planted vineyard area, and a maximum of ten percent of a wine blend. Therefore, they will not be named on wine labels.
Bordeaux's climate
Bordeaux's climate is moderated by its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the presence of the various rivers (the Dordogne, the Garonne and the Gironde Estuary into which they flow). The region takes its name (which translates roughly as "next to the waters") from the port city of Bordeaux, which serves as its logistical and administrative center.
The vast expanse of pine forest to the south and west (La Forêt des Landes) protects Bordeaux from strong, salt-bearing winds coming off the Atlantic Ocean. There is, however, a risk of still winter air getting trapped and bringing frost to the vineyards.
With a latitude (45°N) exactly halfway between the equator and the North Pole, summer daytime temperatures hover around 25°C (77°F), and rarely rise above 30°C (86°F), while winter temperatures only occasionally dip below freezing. The Médoc peninsula feels the maritime influence particularly strongly; local winemakers talk of the gentle breezes and light clouds that take the edge off even the hottest summer days.
The region's long, relatively warm summers are ideal for growing late-ripening grape varieties. That is not to say that cool, wet weather in spring and autumn is not a concern here.
A fundamental reason that most Bordeaux reds are made from a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon is that these two varieties bud, flower and ripen at different times and rates, which spreads the risk posed by poor weather conditions at flowering or harvest.
In years when the autumn is wet, the Cabernet Sauvignon harvest suffers from rot and dilution, but the earlier-ripening Merlot provides a fortuitous back-up. When the spring is wet, the Merlot flowers poorly, leaving the Cabernet Sauvignon to take up the responsibility of providing a good harvest.
