Wines of Bordeaux

The Bordeaux region of France is famous for great, noble, and fabulously expensive wine. It is the home of the famous Chateaux and famous names like Lafite-Rothschild and Petrus. Skip ahead to:

The Bordeaux Classification System Grape Varieties Reading a Bordeaux label What's Good Wine Comments

The Bordeaux Classification System

Much of the Bordeaux region is classified. If you have ever heard the terms "First Growth" and "Grand Cru," they come from the Bordeaux Classification. In 1855, under Napoleon III, the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce was ordered to produce a ranking of the wines of Bordeaux for the Universal Exposition in Paris. This ranking has remained largely unchanged since then, although additional regions were classified under similar systems at later times. Not all of Bordeaux was classified. Only the Medoc, Sauternes-Barsac, Saint-Emilion, and Graves regions are classified. In the Medoc, chateaux in the classified districts are ranked from First to Fifth growth based on quality, historical achievement, and market value. Just below the classified growths are the Cru Bourgeois. The specific rank may or may not be indicated on the label. A label stating "Grand Cru Classe" means that the wine is from a classified growth but does not explicitly state the rank. There are five great First Growth Chateaux. They are:

Chateau Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Chateau Mouton-Rothschild (Pauillac) Chateau Margaux (Margaux) Chateau Haut-Brion (Pessac-Leognan) Chateau Latour (Pauillac)

Technically, Chateau Haut-Brion is in the Graves district, but it is included among the Medoc growths for historical reasons. The Medoc classification has changed only once, when Chateau Mouton-Rothschild was elevated from Second Growth to First Growth.

The Sauternes district is classified in a two tier system (first and second growth). In addition, Chateau d'Yquem is classified as a "First Great Growth," higher than any of the red wines of the Medoc. The Graves classification was not established until after the Second World War, and only contains a single level, with red and white wines classified separately (a chateau's red may be classified while it's white is not, or vice versa). The Saint-Emilion classification was also established in the postwar era, and contains two levels. In addition, it is the only classification that undergoes routine revision, having been revised three times since creation. Chateau Petrus in the unclassified Pomerol district is commonly considered to be at least the equal of the First Growths. Pomerol is too small to be worth classifying, but wine snobs all know the name of Petrus. Below the classified wines are the Cru Bourgeois and Petit Chateaux, which are ranked higher than plain AOC Bordeaux wines.

Grape Varieties
In the Bordeaux regions, red wine is made from Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot, the latter three being used only in small quantities for blending. All red Bordeaux is a blend of these grapes. There is regional variation within Bordeaux for the blending proportions. The Left Bank of the Gironde River (Medoc, Haut-Medoc, Graves) produces blends heavily slanted toward Cabernet Sauvignon, while the Right Bank (Saint-Emilion, Pomerol, most of Bordeaux) produces blends heavily slanted toward Merlot. White Bordeaux is made from Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle, and Ugni Blanc, with the first being the dominant grape. Semillon is especially vulnerable to infection from the botrytis fungus, which dries out the grapes and concentrates the sugars. This is a good thing. In the Sauternes district (and a few others, including Barsac and Saint-Croix-du-Mont) the resulting wine is made sweet and has very concentrated flavors. Since the fungus-infected grapes must be hand-picked, production yields are very low and consqeuently the finer wines are fabulously expensive.

Reading a Bordeaux label

A Bordeaux wine label will include the information common to all AOC French wines: winemaker, vintage, geographical origin, etc. Curiously enough, most labels will not indicate the classification level beyond the fact that it is classified or not. There are sufficiently few traditional first-growth caliber wines (seven, actually), that it is assumed that anyone who is a serious wine drinker will know these names by heart, and thus no indication of their exalted status is required on the label. For the lower ranked classified chateaux, the label often indicates only "Grand Cru Classe," which means that it is classified. You can find lists online and offline with the classifications, if you're curious about the exact rank of a Grand Cru Classe. It is possible to memorize the entire list (it's not that long; there are less that a hundred classified chateaux in the Medoc, and the other regions are much smaller), but it is generally not worth the trouble. You will frequently encounter the phrase "mis en bouteilles au chateau," which roughly means "bottled at the chateau." You'll also see "Bordeaux Superieur," which means that it is about 1% higher in alcohol (not necessarily superior). The label above is a Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 1997. This chateau is a First Growth, although this is not indicated on the label. The label tells us that it comes from Pauillac, which is on the Left Bank in Medoc. This is more colorful that most Bordeaux labels; Chateau Mouton-Rothschild commissions a famous artist every year to design the label. Past label artists have included the likes of Kandinsky (1971), Chagall (1970), Warhol (1975), and Picasso (1973).

What's Good
Naturally, the First Growth Chateaux are good. However, they are well out of the price range of mere mortals, and are certainly not good values due to their extraordinarily high prices.

Lower-ranked Classified Chateaux are more affordable but still expensive, often well over $30 per bottle. However, Cru Bourgeois and village appellation wines are available at reasonable prices, and compare well to other good Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots. You should focus on Left Bank or Right Bank depending on your preferences for Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, respectively.