A Bordeaux wine is any wine i.e. produced in Bordeaux region of Southwest France. On the Garonne River, Bordeaux is centered on the city of Bordeaux. Majorly 86 percent of Bordeaux wines are of red wine grape varieties i.e. made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc with smaller portions of Malbec and are dry, medium and full bodies red Bordeaux Blends that established its reputation. The white Bordeaux blend variety is primarily made of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, with a splash of Muscadelle in the mix. So the major Bordeaux wine varieties is Red Bordeaux and white Bordeaux.
The most popular grape varieties in the United States (Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay) are both French variety. Many of the techniques of processing wine is practiced in the States were learned from French winemakers. The most expensive and finest of these come from the great Chateaux of Haut-Madoc and the Right Bank appellations i.e. Pomerol and Saint-Emilion.
What Wine Grape Varieties Make Up a Bordeaux Blend?
The Bordeaux is divided by a large river estuary called Gironde. From here we get the terms like “Left Bank” and “Right Bank,” which depicts picture to winemaker’s use of different dominant grapes in their red Bordeaux varietals wines. The third Bordeaux Blend is rarely mentioned which is made from white grapes.
Bordeaux’s white wines are generally made with the blends of Sauvignon Blanc (43 percent), Semillon (49 percent of planting) and, less often, Muscadelle (6 percent).
Right Bank Bordeaux
The “Right Bank” or Libournais area makes wines with Merlot grape as the primary blending ingredient. Wines from Right Bank are known for their bold styles. They tend to be slightly smoother with more subtle tannin, because of the proportions of Merlot. In order of their importance Libournais region grapes types are
1) Merlot i.e. usually over 60 percent of the blend
2) Cabernet Franc
Left Bank Bordeaux
The “Left Bank” of Bordeaux consists of two main regions, Graves and Medoc, each with several smaller appellations. On the Left Bank, Cabernet Sauvignon grape is the primary blending type, that lending the wines a bolder tannins and peppery flavors. In order of importance of Graves and Medoc region grapes.
1) Malbec
2) Petit Verdot i.e. usually under 2 percent of the blend
3) Cabernet Sauvignon i.e. usually over 60 percent of the blend
4) Merlot
5) Cabernet Franc
White Bordeaux Grape
Colombard, Merlot Blanc, Ugni Blanc, Muscadelle, Sauvignon Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillion are the white Bordeaux grapes. The blend of last Bordeaux wine is not red. Bordeaux Blanc is zesty blend of Sauvignon Blanc (tiny bit of Muscadelle or Sauvignon Gris) and primarily Semillon. Bordeaux wines are very famous for the rich golden hued i.e. Sauternes which is sweet dessert white wine.
In terms of its impact in the wine world, few regions can rival Bordeaux. The contenders include Burgundy, Rioja, Champagne, Chianti and Napa Valley.
