A number of grapes are grown, including cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec, cabernet franc, and petit verdot.Any of these grapes can be used in a Bordeaux-style red wine blend. The vast majority of wine produced in Bordeaux is red (sometimes called "claret" in Britain), with sweet white wines (most notably Sauternes), dry whites, and (in much smaller quantities) rosé and sparkling wines (Crémant de Bordeaux) collectively making up the remainder. Thankfully, Kirwan is now enjoying a renaissance, the most visible manifestation of which is a dramatically styled new winery. –Vieux Château Certan, 2015  In 2004, exports to the U.S. plummeted 59% in value over the previous year. Médoc, the most famous red wine district in Bordeaux, and perhaps the world. Currently in charge is Jean-Michel Cazes, who is a regular visitor to Ireland, well cognisant of the historical links and the wine's popularity here. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa. Plan Bordeaux was an initiative introduced in 2005 by ONIVINS, the French vintners association, designed to reduce France's wine production in order to improve profitability for the remaining producers. The five main red grape varieties in the Bordeaux region are: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec, with Cabernet the dominant grape on the west side of the Gironde, Merlot to the east. © 2020 Butterfield & Robinson Inc. All Rights Reserved, Fuel Your Wanderlust: Subscribe to The Slow Road. They made their names as traders, not producers: their success enabled them to later buy chateaux, many of which still bear their names, even if they have long since passed out of family ownership. Bordeaux wine labels generally include:[28]. Freelance writer and wine expert, author of ""Idiots Guides: Wine""; as well as several magazine and online articles. Taste: Take a small sip and let it roll around your mouth. Get our free book when you sign up for our newsletter. Sauvignon blanc's popularity on the other hand has been rising, overtaking Ugni blanc as the second most planted white Bordeaux grape in the late 1980s and now being grown in an area more than half the size of that of the lower yielding Sémillon. Others in the roster of 'Irish' chateaux include Clarke, Dillon, Kirwan, MacCarthy and Phelan. Try it with steak poivre, roast lamb or pork, a flavorful cheese plate, or meat with a creamy mushroom sauce. Bordeaux wines are widely available, with a good selection of red Bordeaux blends appearing at wine stores, supermarkets, and liquor stores everywhere. The result is wine with an intensity of taste and scent, and a smooth, oil-like texture. A warm growing season has led to one of the earliest harvests in recent memory, rivalling start dates seen during the infamous heatwave year of 2003, as well as in other early years like 2011 and 1997. –Château Pichon Baron, 2nd Grand Cru, Pauillac, 2016 [4] Conversely, poor management can result in a significant decline in quality, as the example of Chateau Margaux shows—the wines it made in the 1960s and 1970s are widely regarded as far below what's expected of a First Growth. Bordeaux is centered on the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. Click here to learn more or control your settings. Popularity earned him the sobriquet 'French Tom', though his son William, his irascible heir, made few friends in the trade. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in United Kingdom. His son Thomas purchased Chateau Lynch-Bages in 1749. Long before that tragedy sent Irish men and women across the oceans in search of a better life in North America, others had sought prosperity closer to home, settling in Britain and Europe, often joining their host nations' armies in search of adventure. All About Bordeaux Wine, The Complete Bordeaux Wine Guide to the Best Bordeaux Wines and the Top Bordeaux Chateaux This page is all about the best Bordeaux wine. [1][2], The wine was introduced to the Bordeaux region by the Romans, probably in the mid-1st century, to provide wine for local consumption, and wine production has been continuous in the region since then.[3]. The family ownership is given telling emphasis by the naming of the fermentation tanks after the Quinns' grandchildren. Any of these grapes can be used in a Bordeaux-style red wine blend. The region's best vineyards are located on the well-drained gravel soils that are frequently found near the Gironde river. By clicking on or navigating the site, you agree to our use of cookies. White and dessert wines are also made, but red wines are what the region's vineyards are known for. Château Lafite-Rothschild, Pauillac, 2015, Chateau Couhins-Lurton, Graves Cru Classe, 2012. In the 2012 classification, two more Châteaux became members: There is no official classification applied to Pomerol. These grapes are Alvarinho, Petit Manseng, and Liliorila.[12]. ^ The only classified estate situated in Graves rather than Médoc. Pomerol is unusual in being the only one of Bordeaux’s great wine districts to have no official classification. A high-quality Bordeaux blend will cellar well for a few years. In the 12th century, the popularity of Bordeaux wines in England increased dramatically following the marriage of Henry Plantagenet and Eleanor of Aquitaine. In 1722, Thomas Barton from Co Fermanagh arrived in France, settling in Bordeaux in 1725. Market reports released in February 2009 showed that the market had increased in buying power by 128% while the prices had been lowered for the very best Bordeaux wines.[32]. A small quantity of highly regarded dry white is also made, the 2013 vintage of which was reckoned by noted American critic Robert Parker to be the best produced in Bordeaux that year. In 1835, he bought land in Co Kildare, where he built Straffan House, birthplace in 1930 of the current patriarch, Anthony Barton. These are the best places for couples seeking wine tours & tastings in Bordeaux: Which places provide the best wine tours & tastings in Bordeaux for groups? Welcome to the official wine site of Bordeaux. Perhaps centuries. Because a Bordeaux blend can be made with several different red wine grapes from different regions in differing proportions, the color, amount of acidity, texture, and exact flavors can vary. Smell: Swirl your glass for 10 seconds and take a quick whiff. These are the best places for groups seeking wine tours & tastings in Bordeaux: Which places provide the best wine tours & tastings in Bordeaux for travellers on a budget? The Bordeaux wine region is divided into subregions including Saint-Émilion, Pomerol, Médoc, and Graves. Which experiences are best for wine tours & tastings in Bordeaux? The Gironde estuary dominates the regions along with its tributaries, the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers, and together irrigate the land and provide an Atlantic Climate, also known as an oceanic climate, for the region. These experiences are best for wine tours & tastings in Bordeaux: What are the best places for wine tours & tastings in Bordeaux? Wine sat snugly in ships' holds, where it acted as ballast as well as cargo. The 1855 classification system was made at the request of Emperor Napoleon III for the Exposition Universelle de Paris. Our name, Bordeleau "The Water's Edge," was chosen to reflect not only the distinctive environment where we hand-harvest our grapes, but also the favorable climate similarities to the Bordeaux region of France. Bordeaux is the world’s largest fine wine region, and one with a rich history dating back to the Romans. Bordeaux is an expansive region boasting over 6,000 different vineyards. –Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey, 2014 From those tanks comes a red wine of vigour and substance that, in a good vintage, needs at least a decade to shed its youthful brashness. Bordeaux wine is made by more than 8,500 producers or châteaux. The diversity of the wine-growing districts allows for the production of many different types of wines such as reds, dry or sweet whites, rosés, light reds and sparkling whites. The famous sweet white wine of Sauternes is a specialty that depends on local conditions and a very unusual winemaking technique. c.  ^ Dissolved in 1960. [7] Bordeaux lies at the center of the confluence of the Dordogne and Garonne Rivers, which flow into the Gironde.[8]. [5] Even when the by then Protestant kingdoms of England and Scotland, both ruled by the same Stuart king by this point, were trying to militarily aid the Huguenot rebels in their fight against Catholic France in La Rochelle, Scots trading vessels were not only permitted to enter the Gironde, but the French navy escorted them safely to the port of Bordeaux to protect them from Huguenot privateers. The same can hardly be said for Chateau MacCarthy, named after Denis MacCarthy from Cork, and purchased in 1988 by Chateau Haut-Marbuzet. 50 reviews. The region runs from the western shore inland, with the city of Bordeaux at the center. The region is home to hundreds of them, all different from each other. [4] The marriage made the province of Aquitaine part of the Angevin Empire, and thenceforth the wine of Bordeaux was exported to England. –Chateau La Tour Blanche, 2013. In the seventeenth century, Dutch traders drained the swampy ground of the Médoc so it could be planted with vines, and this gradually surpassed Graves as the most prestigious region of Bordeaux. Pine forests protect the vineyards from strong winds off the ocean and help to moderate summer temperatures. The city is surrounded on three sides by vast swathes of vineyards, while to the west lies the Atlantic, opening the possibility of global trade. Bordeaux & Bordeaux Supérieur Press Kit, 2011, CIVB Economie et Etudes Nov 16, 2010. [29] It has remained a term associated with the English upper class, and consequently appears on bottles of generic red Bordeaux in an effort to raise their status in the market. Chateau Dillon's Irish roots date back to 1754, when Robert Dillon, whose father came from Dublin, bought the then Chateau Terrefort and gave it his name. The vines are generally trained in either single or double guyot. [7][8] Other critics have followed a similar suit, including Robert Parker who published a top 100 Bordeaux estates in 1985 and L'histoire de la vigne & du vin (English: The History of Wine and the Vine) by Bernard and Henri Enjalbert in 1989, as well as efforts made by Clive Coates (MW) and David Peppercorn (MW).

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