There are
many great books and websites with great research and information, but a lot of
people ask me about Bordeaux and what makes it so well-regarded while comparing
to Napa Valley wines. I just hosted a varied, full-on Bordeaux
tasting(which I'll cover on a later date) and there was a lot of
blather abound. So here are some thoughts on it.
Let’s start by saying that in Bordeaux, practically all wines are blended. Those who know…know that. Many do not and would be surprised.
Let’s start by saying that in Bordeaux, practically all wines are blended. Those who know…know that. Many do not and would be surprised.
Only a few
producers make single-variety or varietal wines, which is a lot different than
many in Napa Valley, California.
So the
French labels actually mask that fact. There’s no naming of the varietals on
the labels; but for a few…
So let's talk a little French Bordeaux...
So let's talk a little French Bordeaux...
The classic
blend consists of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Cabernet Franc, with
small embellishments of Petit Verdot and Malbec and very occasionally
Carmenere. Malbec has become the signature grape of Argentina and Carmenere is
becoming the signature grape of Chile…but that’s another story.
Merlot is
favored on the right bank of the Gironde River system (the main river that
divides both sides of Bordeaux), and Cabernet Sauvignon on the left, though
Merlot plantings have been increasing on the left bank over the past twenty
years. It’s hard to tell what effect that will have.
Bordeaux
wines are done in is a highly controlled process, with prevalent use of
stainless steel vats for fermentation, cooling devices, mechanisms, procedures
and a lot of hygienic self-control and restraint. Let’s face it. This where the
whole shebang sort of comes from... more or less.
Just so you
know in the early 1950’s, adding sugar became legal in Bordeaux. The sugar is
not to sweeten the wine. It is to help it along so it ripens to a better
potential along with the alcohol. The use of sugar (chaptalization) is common
in Bordeaux, except in the warmest of years, and on the left bank, where
Cabernet Sauvignon leads the way and ripens well ahead of the Merlot.
Also, the left bank is the place where the original ‘Classified Growths’ are…so they want to optimize the area, to say the least.
Also, the left bank is the place where the original ‘Classified Growths’ are…so they want to optimize the area, to say the least.
Let’s get to
the wine!
Once the
producer decides the wine has aged for the right amount of time, the selection
begins for the right blend for the vintage. This is released as the château's
grand vin. Sometimes there is leftovers from the blending and this may be
released as a second-wine (or in even a third-wine). It’s not inferior wine.
Some are very expensive which can be superior to a lot of great wines. Some get
so popular that they have a conundrum as to whether they need to put aside for
the second wine.
…Well after
the blending, the wine will be bottled, and will then typically goes through a
further ageing process before being released.
In Bordeaux
the oenologists and their science of winemaking plays a huge role. Many of
these folks work as consultants to different châteaux and carry a whole lot of
weight these days in major decisions regarding the wine. The Chateaux contract
these wine scientists/wine process experts/visionaries to help them make the
best wine they can.
Some
of the most famous oenologists are Stéphane Derenoncourt, Emile Peynaud,
Jacques Boissenot, Pascal Chantonnet, Olivier Dauga, Denis Dubourdieu,
Jean-Philippe Fort, and Michel Rolland.
Likewise, In Bordeaux, hand picking grapes is now common
among the more prestigious châteaux. Hand- picking is the traditional way. But
while hand-picking is the main way of doing things, some classified châteaux
still want to harvest by machine.
Here’s the thing on hand picking grapes in Bordeaux…The
delicate and careful process of gathering by hand is still the best way to
secure a maximum quality harvest ….The one problem with manual harvesting is
the sheer size of vineyards in Bordeaux.
On the other hand; mechanical harvesting also has a big
benefit. It is very flexible: it makes possible harvesting at night, which is
very desirable and effective during hot weather ….
What is also
important is that the flatter geography of Bordeaux also allows for
mechanical harvesting, it is not like the Rhone where the steep slopes of
wine-producing areas such as Côte-Rôtie makes machine harvesting practically
impossible.
It goes without saying that Quality and Profit are always
very significant factors on all of this.
The other big decision these days while on the subject of
the blended wines of Bordeaux is that there has been this rise in the use of
‘green harvesting’, where unripe bunches are cut off in the summer in order to
be this conduit for more of the plant's strength to the remaining bunches.
‘Green Harvesting’ is really controversial and some big
wine making names such as Jean Gautreau of Château Sociando-Mallet, Gonzague
Lurton of Château Durfort-Vivens and Olivier Bernard of Domaine de Chevalier,
who assert that the remaining berries just get fleshier and grow bigger and are
not better. Their camp basically says; It may be a cheaper way of harvesting
but will the quality of the blended wines of Bordeaux suffer.
Bordeaux is definitely not the only wine area with
blended wines and certainly not the only area with process challenges.
Nevertheless, it is interesting to note that all these things mentioned
previously occur in the place where arguably the world’s greatest blended wine
is located.
By the way did you know Bordeaux is a blended wine? J/K.
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